Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-03-28

| l would nave them built Win nanO
rails SO that women and children could
descend them; no ladder escapes or
stairways built at acute angles.
! Next, let us have all inside stair.
ways inclosed in fireproof partition.
Let us require fireproof exit doors and
all doors to open outward. Never al
low an exit door to be locked or
blocked and make the fire escape win
dows open to the floor level. like
door. Protect each floor with all
available automatic safety devices and
sprinklers. Last, but not least, make
fire drills at frequent intervals COM
pulsory in all factories, lodging houses
and institutions"
There were similar statements to-
day from the corner the fire marshal,
the district attorney. the building COM
missioner. the board of fire under
writer's, the Womans Trade Union
League and other bodies which are
Independently investigating the dis
aster.
Woman's League investigates.
The Woman's Trade Union League
announced the beginning of an investi-
cation which is expected to embrace
every factory in New York City where
union labor is employed All union
workers will be asked to write out
confidential answers to the following
questions:
do you work in fire trap?
Are the doors locked while you
work?
"Are there bars on the windows?
Are there fire escapes on all the
floors?
Are the escapes re oily accessible?
Are scraps or waste allowed to &C
cumulate near the motors or steam
plants?"
Fire insurance men are inclined to
urge a complete revision Of the New
York building laws. The limiting OF
the height of all buildings ~''d even
the tearing down of existing S.yscrap-
ers is recommended By Theodore II.
Price, prominent fire insurance man.
The height of every building should be
governed, he says, by the character of
its occupancy. Four or five stories
should be the legal maximum where
or Industrial pursuits
are followed.
Building Laws Violated.
Fire Marshal Beers summoned the
proprietors of the Triangle Waist COM
pany and several employees OF the firm
to testify at the public investigation
instituted today. He has been busy
collecting all available information re-
garding the conditions in the factory
when the fire started and will inquire
particularly into the truth Of the state
fnent that doors leading to the exits
were locked.
$50 far as have been able to dis
cover" said Mr.. Beers. there has
never been fire drill in this factory.
In my opinion it would take the 700
girls three hours to reach the street
by the. fire escape that was used by
the building. can say that the shut
ters obstructed this fire escape.
There are thousand other build,
ings in this city in the same condition
as the scene Of Saturdays disaster.
The buildings are passed as loft build
ings and are then converted into fac
tories. Nine-tenths of the employees
cannot read English. yet in the exam
ination have made could not find a
sign in the Yiddish or Italian tongues
which most of the employees spoke,
pointing out fire exists
State Department Blamed
District Attorney Whitman said to- |
day. according to sections 80 and 81
of the state labor law, the RESPONSE !
bility for the. disaster last Saturday !;
rested with the state department OF I
labor. The building was inspected by |
the department a month ago and Mr..
Whitman has sent to Albany for a |
copy of the report made then.
Dix Says State is BlameIess.
Governor Dix said today that as a /
result of Saturdays fatal fire in New
York he has made an investigation OF |
the statutes over the matter Of fire !
escapes on New York city buildings I
and has found that the state is power
less in the matter. such jurisdiction |
having been delegated to the bureau
of building IN New York city and es-
tablish by decision of the appellate
division in 1903.
GIRLS JUMPED TO
INSTANT DEATH