The Detroit times., 1911-03-27
LOSS OF 142 LIVES RCUSEs
OFFICIALS FROM LETHARGY
(co.tinued from page -.

TO get up on TO the upper floors and
led many OF those who later lost their
lives TO safety by means OF the roof
and adjoining structures.
Whitman said that Fire Commis-
sioner Waldo and Chief Croker had
cited TO him many instances where
the city building department had ham,
1 pered the work OF the fire department
and he said that he was In favor or
asking the legislature to give the fire
department the same control over fac
tory and Office buildings that Is now
held over theaters. Whitman's In
spection OF the building has shown
criminal negligence on somebody's
part. The big doors. leading TO the
stairways were reinforced with iron
and opened inward SO that those who
| tried 10 open them were penned
against them. Chief Croker and Deputy
Chief Binns reported TO the District
Attorney that they found charred bod
les piled in front of the doors on the
ninth floor showing that dozens OF
girls had rushed straight for the doors
but the first-comers failed to get the
doors back and Immediately the pres
sure from behind made II impossible
to get the exits open. The law speci-
| fically states that such doors shall
open outwardly, wherever practicable,
and the fire department officials unite
in say ing that these doors could have
been as easily arranged to open that
way as inwardly.
The law also says that factory doors
and exits must be left unlocked dur
ing working hours, but the survivors
OF the horror unite In saying that II
the Triangle factory to have all the
doors securely locked.
As an excuse they say this was
necessary as employees would report
for work and then leave without let
ting any one know only to report to
mark of duty.
The single inside" fire escape in
the building has been photographed
for use in the grand jury investiga-
ton. II Is 80 narrow that only one
person could descend at q time and
of kind characterized by the fire
men as absolutely useless. So-called
fireproof buildings In which category
the Asch building was included are
required to install fire escape in the
discretion" of the city building de-
partment.
The officials never required the
construction OF fire escapes on the
Asch building.
The district attorney and his assis-
tants are today examining fifty per-
sons who had knowledge Of conditions
in the burned building. These include
the proprietors Of the factories on the
lower floors; Joseph G.. Asch. owner
Of the structure, who arrived from
Florida late yesterday, and a number
of the survivors of the horror.
That IL was the habit Of many OF
the workers to smoke cigarettes and
pipes, despite the inflammable ma
terial they handled has already been
established by the fire marshal. The
rule against smoking, while conspicu-
ously displayed, according TO Fire
Marshal Beers, was a dead letter in
the Triangle factory and he says that
the cause OF the fire may have been
lighted match or cigarette careless
ly thrown aside by the smoker. II is
unlikely, however, that the real cause
will ever be positively known. The
proprietors of the factory say they
think II came from a heated. jammed
pulley, while other survivors say an
explosion took place just as the fire
broke out.
While preparations for fixing the
responsibility for the horror went on
apace today, the various charitable
organizations and civic bodies. start
ed out to care for the destitute de-
pendants OF the victims and to bury
the dead Mayor Gaynor headed a
subscription list to be distributed
through the Red Cross committee of
the New York charity organization
society. The various newspapers also
prepared to raise funds. as did the
Ladies' Waist and Dressmakers union.
with which number OF the dead
were affiliated. This latter organiza.
ton also prepared to bury the un-
identified dead.
A large lot has been secured In the
plot of the Workman's Circle,
Jewish sick and death benefit organi-
zation in Mount Sinai, TO bury these
unidentified and others whose friends
are unable to pay the undertaken
The union has ordered that all
members refrain from working tomor-
row, when ii is planned TO hold most
of the funerals, and TO participate in
a monster funeral procession. Other
labor organizations are ordered to
join, and the whole is to be made
united protest against the lax laws
which made the horror possible.
Up to l O'Clock this afternoon there
were still 35 unidentified bodies in
the morgue, most OF which were sim
ply charred forms bearing no resem-
blance to human beings. The official
police record of the total number OF
deaths is l43.
All through the night the charities
pier had been besieged by persons
whose loved ones were missing, but
most of the remaining bodies are so
terribly charred that Identification
seems impossible. heavy rain that
began to fall soon after dark last
night. drove the mere curiosity-seek.
ers away, but those who were honest.
ly seeking relatives and friends stood
in line, although in many instances,
wet TO the skin. until they we're per
mitted to enter
With daylight the line began to
grow again and before 3 o'clock there
were more than a thousand people
waiting to get inside. The police and
nurses on duty permitted the people
to enter few at a time. In order that
the usual confusion might be pre-
vented