The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1911-03-26

and screamed every foot Of the way. but
they forced her on the ambulance cot and
took her to St vincent's
theories a. 10 the Cause.
Chief Croker was asked after he had
come from the building whether he knew
the cause OF the fire. He said he didn't.
There was one story to the effect that the
fire. which started in the cutting depart
ment on the Greene street side Of the
eighth floor. was caused by the explosion
of gasolene tank. The motive power OF
the sewing machines was electricity.
There might have been fewer fatalities
il SO much time had not been lost in turn
ing in the first alarm. Because Of the
Saturday half holiday the employees OF
clothing firm, Meyers. Crown 4 Wallach.
just below the waist factory, had gone
home at noon. and ali lne other floors
except the three floors that were burned
had been closed for the day. As a re-
suit there was no one in the building who
knew Of the fire for some time except the
employees who were trapped and the
runner OF the elevator. who was busy TAX
ing girls TO the street.
Edward Reardon formerly a detective
stationed in District Attorney Jerome 4
Office and now superintendent Of the FL
deity Secret Service. told THE Sun man
that he was on his way into the building
to keep an appointment with MIR. Blanck
when some one shot past him from the
vestibule yelling "Fire!"
|, Two clerks. Joseph Marron and Rich
, ard Garner. were passing at the time
, They saw no sign OF smoke but heard
shrieks and saw girls beginning to jump
and so they ran to the firebox across the
/ street and sent in an alarm.
Three youths employed in the neigh
borhood sought the ambulance surgeons
after the worst of the excitement hat
/, died down and had their hands and armI
} patched up. The three, Harry kanzor
, Sol Kanzor. a brother. and Joseph Sugar
: mann. were on hand when the fremer
t from the nearest fire house. Great Jone
l street, came with their nets.
The three young men helped man th'
. nets on the Greene street side. As bod!
3 after body. sometimes two and thre'
= striking at the same time. struck the ne
r the three clerks and the firemen wer'
{ knocked to the sidewalk under the heal
. and the Kanzor brothers and Sugarmann
4 AZ we'll as the fremen, crawled from tn
r heap bleeding from cuts on the hands ant
;. face.
Z The firemen under Chief Croker's direc
. ton fought the blaze principally with
. water tower on the Washington plao
side OF the building. ana they were ais
d able TO direct number OF streams fror
- sL !,
I United Piece Dyeing Company on the on
o posite side OF Greene street. They ha'
b little difficulty in getting . stream "a fa
i a. the ninth floor. but experienced som
difficulty in flooding the top floor.
The blaze was Of the kind that the fire
r men describe "a . mushroom fire. In a
! so-called flreproof buildings. Chief Croke
e explained. the flames OF the woodwor
!. trimmings and inhammable goods in tn
Il lofts stay inside the building. shoot ur
d ward to %he top floor aud then -mush
. room '--spread out like a mushroom aion
: tbs top ceiling xrd creep hacs dOw0~ar
. along the four inside walls. The resu
I Of course 10 furnace inside the building
" with little evidence Of Aame or smok
: to be seen from the street until the fir
y has far advanced.
Escape OF Bianck and Chli'Iren.
y Max Rlanck told his story Of the fir
and Of the escape Of himself and his Nv
3 dau ghters with their governess at III
home of his partner. Isaac Harris. 3:
:. West lOist street. Mr.. Blanck said thu
y a governe.s and the two daughter
IS Henrietta, IL years old. and Mildred,
y wears old, had entered his Office only
y short time before the fire began. IL
;. children coming on a visit to their fathc
"a and he was sitting talking with Mr.. Harr
d and holding one Of the children on eac
n knee. The Office was on the tenth floor.
10 Then some one of his employees rs
10 in shouting to him that there was fl
a. on the eighth floor. MIR. Blanck Jumps
h up. and with the two children. the go
le erness and Mr.. Harris started to Il
J. elevator. There were two elevators
le the building. he said. One of the ca
1t came up to the tenth floor and carrie
,e down az many people as could GROW
3. into 1t. The others on that floor waits
~ for two minutes for the car to retur
but it did not. The other elevator NJ
Blanck said he did not think got as hif
az the tenth floor,
There also were two stairways. and Il
g crowd including himself and MIR. Harri
n' made for these. but the fire already W
70 pouring up the stairway shafts and thu
were turned back. The two partners th'
10 led their employees on that floor to Il
d roof. Mr.. Blanck said that some
y those on the two lower floors had manag,
10 to get to the tenth floor and follow,
D. them. He did not know how many
'' these there were.
u When they reached the roof MIR. Blanc
90 says the flames were already flashing hiI
~ up around three sides Of the buildin
~ On the fourth side was the building Of d
- =, American Book Company, This buildin
" OF the same number Of stories, was abo
&, eight feet higher than the one in whi'
'" the fire was. The crowd had difficul
W trying to get up to the roof OF the DO,
:" company building. A rough sort
=. ~ ladder was rugged up and those On the 70
10 were helped up to the roof above. Tn
:, then got down to the street through d
;. book company's building in safety.
y. MIR. Harris had cut his hand pret
- sev erely in breaking the glass of /
Nv scuttle on the Beck Building and W
:. fixed up by a nearby physician. L
'u Voverness WAS sent home with the ch