Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-03-26
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, March 25.-A
fire that spread like a spark in a
powder train trapped 2,ooo en-
ployes of the Triangle Waist
Company on, the eighth, ninth
and tenth floors of the ten-story
loft building at Washington
place and Greene street, at S
o'clock this afternoon.
More than 175 lives were lost.
The police figures at midnight
were $50 dead and 100, injured.
The dead are chiefly wcfnen and
young girls, some Of them pitt.
fully young to. take up the bur
den of wage earners and some OF
them old women that an unkind
fate kept in the battle for daily
bread when their years should
have won them a peaceful close
of life.
The cause of this frightful
calamity-official neglect.
Housing during the busy hours
of the day thousands of employees
this big and high-reaching build
ing was equipped with but one
narrow iron fire escape, and that
in the rear and leading into an
almost blind court.
AS though this neglect and abb
solute disregard for human lite
were not enough, criminal trap
placed as a warning to the en-
ployes of the Triangle company
that they were constantly under
suspicion of theft added scores
to the roll of death.
Employees in Trap.
An iron door. opening inwardly. had
been placed at the head Of the stair
way on the ninth floor by the Triangle
company. When explosive matter was
being handled on the ninth floor, whore
i6o0 women were employed. this door
was closed. and no one could leave the
room without q superficial search, the
women being required to open their
coats and cloaks and expose the con-
tents Of their handbags or any package
they might have with them. The en-
tire force had to undergo this scrutiny
at the close Of the working day.
Today. when the alarm was given,
there was a mad rush for the stairway.
Tho iron door shutting on the stairway
was closed and sealed by the press of
the struggling mass Of women against
Il. II was not opened until many Of
the frightened women had hurled
themselves from the windows or had
tainted from fright and were left to
die In the flames.
When by chance this diabolical trap
was sprung. the rush Of women down
the stairway left dead. dying and
cruelty trampled In its wake. and at
points the stairway was fairly choked
with the dead.
Fire Chief Croker and his men did thei,
best. but were practically helpless agains
the deplorable absence Of safeguard,
over human Hfe They found the side
walks Uttered with the dead when the,
arrived and women and men, hopelessl,
cut on from escape and with the fir,
soaring their bodies. iinging themselve,
headiong from the windows.
Chief Croker Places Blame.
Croker was not slow to fix the blame
His face drawn and his jaw firmly set
he looked at tho heaps Of bodies abou
where he stood and declared that tn,
lack Of outside fire escapes was respon
sible for the calamity.
'T have predicted and tried to avoi,
just such q scene as this he declared
Tho building was not adequately equip
ped with IRE escapes, and this scene 4
likely to be repeated tomorrow or an,
other day In the big once and loft build
ings In this city. The lives Of the EN-
ployes In these big buildings are no
properly safeguarded and II the law doe
not provide for their protection the Law
should Dc changed. This IL the mos
friRhtful experience In my career a.
fireman: It is . fearful chapter In tn
city's history"
The euployes OF the Triangle Compan,