Perth Amboy evening news., 1911-04-06
EXPERT TELLS
OF LIVES LOST
Lessons to Be Learned from
New York Herror.

VIEW IUFk neTrOr.
There are no records Of the life
loss IN factory fires. Records of the
properly loss are available, but It is
when a fire is of narrowing pro-
portions and happens in a prominent
city that the human hazard receives
attention from the general public.
The factory fire In New York CITY
in which over $50 people were killed
and injured, shows it to have been
Identical with many others which oc-
u with periodical regularity. and
which have to a greater or less ex-
tent the same attendant circumstan-
ces. 1t is the same story of danger
Il processes carried on in unfit
buildings, the same crowding of
these buildings with hundreds of
WorK-people, the anne neglect of fire
alarm facilities, the same omission of
panic or exit drills, the same failure
to provide safe and sufficient exits.
the same failure to use modern me-
chan1cal appliances for checking and
extinguishing fire, the same failure
OF laws and public administration to
prevent controllable combustion and
unnecessary death.
1t Is a mockery to point out that
the girls jumped before the flames
really reached them. If factories are
to be maintained as fire traps and
the workers compelled to stand at
windows calmly waiting the result OF
a race between the flames and the
hremen, then they should be In
structed how to remain calm and cool
amidst binding smoke and choking
heat. This fire is a challenge to pub
lie opinion throughout the metro
polttan industrial district centerine
In New York-especially with re
spect to the fire hazards in the lofty
buildings in Manhattan.
Factory conditions In New York
are undoubtedly bad. Any fire In
spector can testify to this from per-
sonal observation, and the larger
number of factories means a greater
number of people endangered. New
York has nearly $4,000 Industrial
establishments, with close to 7OO,-
600 workers In them. These are dis
tributed among 1900 buildings,
only 1000 of which are of freproof
construction. The remaining 1900
factory buildings are of ordinary
non-freproof construction. with the
same wood stairways. and outside
fire escapes which made the Newark
factory a fire trap.
The state factory inspectors OF
the State Bureau of Labor who par
tieularly supervise the factory con-
ditions, are working under a fire es-
cape law which is defective. II
reads:
Such fire escapes as may be
deemed necessary by the COM
missioner of labor shall be pro-
Yided on the outside of every
factory In this state, consisting
OF three or more stories in
height.
In practice this leaves it to the
stan to decide whether ffre e ESCAPES
shall be needed. AS a matter of fact
however, in New York city, the
State Bureau of Labor refers all fire
escape matter to the Municipal Blu
reau of Buildings, because the Ap.
pellate Division has ruled that the
Bureau OF Buildings has exclusive
Jurisdiction over fire escapes in
Greater New York.
The Fire Department Is able to dc
little to make factory buildings safe
against fire, an argument for the re
organization of this department
urged by Commissioner Waldo. The
Fire Department company command.
ers, on their annual inspection Of
buildings, make recommendations
that fire escapes be placed on struc.
lures which in their Judgment re-
quire them. This important duty Is
performed by subordinate officers
and as a general rule, the Fire De.
partment recommendation has the
purpose Of providing a means Of
entrance for fremen in their work
Of extinguishing the fire. and not
means of exit for the occupants of 6
building.
The neglect of the fire danger il
deep-rooted and widespread. A
campaign against fire should be
waged, Just as there Is a campaign
against tuberculosis. Fire Is a dis.
ease which Is epidemic in all build.
ings and which will yield only to the
same treatment which has been sue.
cessful with other diseases. Educa.
ton is the first step. The same con.
ditions which existed in the New
York factory building, which killed
women and girls, can be found IL
many other buildings. Many of the
people who are Indignantly asking
who are responsible for this loss Of
life are probably maintaining build.
ings equally as dangerous. -Theil
own homes, indeed, are, in nine
cases out Of ten, personal death
traps. If a man does not protect his
home and his family, is he likely tc
protect his factory and his employee
Some improvement "a be secured
by legislation. If theatres and tene-
ments can effectively be safeguarded
so a factories. But the laws will
have to be based on sound principles
of fire safety and will have to take
heed of what fire prevention science
has already established as necessary
precautions. They will have to set
standards for new constructions and
they will have to recognize the
changed demands which changed oc-
cupancy. processes and populations
make on structures. Responsibility
for the enforcement of the law must
be centered inescapably upon a pub
lie agency commissioned and equip
ped to carry out It's full purpose.
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