Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-03-26
HEMMED IN BY FLAMES,
ITS WOMEN AND GIRLS
MEET HORRIBLE DEATH
Continued From First Pase)

CONTINUED B.
bodies were left where they fell after the
firemen had worked the net free to spread
it again.
Net Smashed Each Time.
The hremen, with their strong net were
almost as helpless as the teamster and
his horse blanket. Every time the ne,
was spread the women would jump from
the ninth floor in groups, and smash the
net to the ground by the tremendous
velocity of their bodies failing from such
a height. The force with which some OF
lights Of the sidewalk, and three mangled
corpses Of women were found In the SUD-
cellar under the sidewalk.
Joseph Zitto. and Joseph Caspar were In
charge Of the elevators on the Washing
ton place side Of the building where the
main entrance opened. At the first alarm
Of fire they claim they began to make
trips to the danger zone as fast as they
could operate their cars. The two eleva-
tors on the Greene street side were oper-
ated by Frank Formenck and Michael
Sciacca, and they, too, took a hand In
the life-saving.
The two passenger elevators are said to
have made at least twenty trips and the
machinery of the great elevators broke
down under the rapid work and they were
rendered useless. After one or two trips
by the passenger elevators the press
against the doors Of the shaft became SO
great that they were opened with diff
Guilty when the cars, each having ca
pacity of fifteen persons, arrived at the
ninth floor.
zitto struggled to close the door Of the
shaft when his car had been damned full.
but after he had started the car it was
torn open and number of women leaped
into the shaft after the descending car,
falling on the roof Of the car even after
it had reached the ground floor Those
to death against the walls.
Zitto Proves Himself q Hero.
With this gruesome freight Zitto con-
tfnued to run his car. The shaft was
practically clogged with dead on the roof
Of the car and smoke and flames were
roaring in the shaft. It is estimated that
about 600 escaped by way of the ele-
vators. but by the time the first ones to
escape In this manner reached the street
the bodies were already hurting down
from the upper stories.
The iron door held the pantc-drtven
from the stairways SO long that it
looked as though none would escape by
this avenue. Finally, breathless, torn
and wild with fright, those who sue
ceeded In breasting the human torrent
when the gate opened made their way
to the street. and glancing about them.
ran away from the frightful picture OF
the dead bodies OF their fellows strew
ing the sidewalks.
Firemen began to battle their way into
the building as soon as they arrived to
aid in clearing the stairs and making
rescues, but the fire had turned the
building into furnace, and they could
not mount high. An attempt had been
made to get water through the stand
pipes, but it was diverted, and soon
flooded to depth Of several feet the
sunken areaway by which one escaped
Few escaped alive from the himsy struc-
ture after the areaway was noQoed, an ,.a
when the water was cleared away the
most horrible picture Of this inferno-hke
scene painted by the gaunt hand OF cr1mi-
nal neglect was unveiled. F1remen anu
policemen turned away in horror. NOT
a spark of life was left In any or the
manned. mangled and drenched figures.
Flames Drove Them to Windows. :;
After the first few women had paid the
penalty by taking the only chance open
to them for their lives and leaping from
the windows, the others who had not
been driven to this last recourse by
panic were uH6lly AOiNO0 ~ S-~~-S 49,
chance by the flames at their backs The
lurid glare silhouetted their figures In the
frame Of the windows, while the gatner-
ing crowd below could only shout advice,
not knowing the torment that was or1v-
ing them on. -,
Then came the firemen with their nets,
and it was noticed that the clothing mao
been burned from their backs. Inc last
to leap took the jump with their last
strength, and their clothing was burned
almost entirely from their bodies from
the windows where they leaped the rags
and fragments OF dresses fluttered. hags
of shame for the frightful slaughter OF
the helpless and the neglect OF those re-
sponsible for the public safety.
The most thrilling rescues from the
fire were made by students OF the Uni
yersity of New York. One OF the college
buildings adjoins the burned building
Employees to the number of about hfty,
who found escape from below cut ON,
climbed to the roof through the scuttles
and waited their fates. The students at
the alarm Of the fire turned their atten-
ton to rescue work and when they
gained the roof of their building found
the isolated group on the roof OF the
burning building. They bridged the dis
lance between the two roofs with ladders,
and by daring and heroic work rescued
every person on the roof of the burning
building.