New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-03-28
MARSHAL STARTS PROBE.
Survivors Tell of the Fire and
Panic That 1t Caused.
ATTEMPTSTO CHECK FLAMES
Manager and Other Employees
Deny That Doors Leading
TO Exits Were Locked.


Fire Marsha William l.. Beers began
Tho Investigation Of tho cause of the
fire I'm Washington Place in Fire Head
quarters Yesterday. by calling MAN
Rlanck and Isaac Harris. owners OF '"'
Triangle Waist Company. and number
Of emplcves before him During the DAY
the Fire Marshal visited the RUNS An"
went over each detail carefully again
He said he thought IN" fire started on
the Greene street side of tho hui'd'ne'
near the elevator shaft on tho eigh'n
Aoor and was probably caused by
lighted match or cigarette butt thrown
into pile Of trimmings on TN" moor.
There are thousand buildings IN
this city in the same condition as inc
ono where SATURDAYS dissster took
nlace" said the marshal In my opln-
"a, I, would take the seven hundred
girls who were in the building about
three roE~7 70 reach tho street, II theN
filed down the narrow fire escaro ana I"
held ont Tho iron shutters ohs'rnc''o
the fire escape. have been unable Y"
find that there has ever been fire dr'H
IN the building, and II Is charged 'ns'
there we're locked iron doors leading 10
the exits.
Isaac Stern. the superintendent NJ fhe
building. was the first witness. He sa'o
No had never heard Of any complaints
beins filed against the structure. John
Casey, the engineer. told OF REMAINING
AZ his most TO keep tho elevators running
until they had made their last trip
Samuel Bernstein. a manager for Inc
Triangle Waist Company, who was u"
charge IF the eighth and ninth noorS'
described how he. Louis Brown, me-
chanic. and another man tried 10 nS"'
the fire with buckets. He den'ed 'h''
! there was an iron lattice work door on
the ninth floor. but said that there Was
one on the tenth floor. which was ope"'
pernete,n said he tried TO telephone W
the tenth floor and have them send III y
fire alarm. and then made his way 10 'he
roof with q number of girls. me maj
shall asked him to account Tor III" nreS
in tho same shop during the last TWO
,,e.re hut he said he did not know. he
insisted that the mon cmplo!cs oiu no'
smoke in the building.
FOUGHT Fire with Buckets.
Leo Todor. an employo testih'd thd'
NO attempt had been made to use the
NJ go in the hall With Bernstein ana
Rrovn. he said. he threw buckets "'
uate- on the flames and then made MS
way down the fire escape 10 the nase-
noent In describing what. happened on
The eighth noor Todor said: The girls
we're all frightened. Mr.. Brown opene"
The window and let The girls out
According to Edward Msrkowitz' G
shining clerk for the firm, the door be
tween the ninth and tenth floors opened
readilv. and he rushed number Of girls
toward the fire escape. We also dHrleo
thu, there was lattice work gate or
any, mart Of the stairs leading 70 the
eighth floor. but said that he thought the
Triangle Waist Company had erected 'he
one On the tenth floor He said made
hie way 10 the roof with Mr. y 'ck ana
Lis TWO children and helped - mber OF
girls "a escape in that way. sstma'-
cd the total number of en- n on 'ne
three floors At I'VE huud
Louis Brown. mach ~ he did
rot know that any orxIn ''h 20 use
the hog. in the hs vat he had
thrown buckets ~ " ne piles OF
, 10 chi a