New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-03-29
TELL OF THE EIGHTH FLOOR
Only Girl Survivor of the Ninth
Floor, Deadliest Of All, To Be
Found, Thinks the Doors
There Were Open.
TELLS STORY OF HER ESCAPE
Made for Fire Escape and Forced Her
self to Go Through Fire and Smoke
That Poured Ont Of Eighth Floor
Windows-Does Not Remember
How She Got Ont Of Court
or How She Reached
the Ground.

VI IlUN CEC RCoNhNu
the Ground.
The door TO the Washington Place
stairway on the eighth floor Of the Asch
Building was locked and wooden par
tition obs,ructed the way to the door ~
the Greene street stairway. according ~
a sworn statement made 70 the Bureau
Of Buildings yesterday by Josie Nicolosi'
Of No. 800 Elizabeth street, and Rosls
Passantino. Of No. - Stanton street.
two Of tho girls who escaped from IN"
eighth floor or the building which cost
the lives Of 143 Of their fellow workers
| in last Saturdays FIRE
| Locking one door and obstructing tho
way to the other we're both violations ~
the law. and the af'idavits ~ the girls
will be turned over 70 District Attorney
! Whitman hv the Bureau of Buildings
! Section So of the Consolidated Laws
after reciting how factory stairs snail
be built, saws.
"AH doors leading in or 30 any such
factory shall be So constructed AS -
open outwsrdly where practicable ant
shall not be locked. bolted or fastened
during working hours
This is tho section Of tho law under
which the Bureau of Buildings has re-
ouired tho doors to stairways offering
escane i'm case Of fire - be kept IN
locked
Section 103 Of the Building code pro-
vides for fire escapes on office. loft ard
actory buildings and saws
No person shall AT any time rlac"
any ircurnhrarce of any kind whatso'e'
before or upon any fre escape. ,sl'or :
or ladder
The PARTITION obstructing the door %
the Greene street stairway vas . 'ioi''
ton Of this section OF the law
Nellie ventura. Of No. i25 East lfH
street. one or the survivors OF tho fire IN
the Asch Building on Saturday, told last
night how sho had managed 10 max. h'"
ESCAPE I'm the terrible struggle that toll
lowed the first cry of "F'ire." She is th'
ONLY girl who worked on tho ninth floor
who has yet been found Unlike IN"
other two girls. she said she thous an
the doors wero kept open. bu; she T. not
sure. The little italian giri-she is only
about eighteen years oid-was still ror-
vols as u result OF her ordeal Her large
ewes still reflect som. Of tho terror ~
those first moments when the m ddoned
girls were hghting for their iiv"s
II was on the ninth foor. putting ~
nv hat and furs," said tn" girl when
heard somebody cry Fire. There had
been several scares before in tho build
ing. sometimes scare II fire and soms.
times for other reasons. You know.
some of the boys who worked there used
10 smoke cigar, ties in the Railways
When | he. rd the cry of Fire. this time
looked around and saw puff Of smoke
coming from the hallway on the Greene
street side Of the building
AT the same instant that ! saw The
smoke coiling up the stairway ] also sav
the girls make "a rGsh for the hallway at
tie head of the stairs. You see. every
time before when there was such a scare
the girls would make a habit of rushing
20 these stairs and running down 10 The
next floor or perhaps further down. until
tlev we're sure tha, there was no longer
any danger. They had got in the habit
of doing that. and never waited for the
] al IN Of H.. ct
they wanted 10 get out In a hurry
Il ran at once 10 the window opening
OH the fire escape on tho ninth floor
and cried To the other girls 70 follow m.
| don't know what happened then. but
stepped out on the ladder and looked
Pwith red tongues of fame showing
through. at the eighth floor At first I
was too frightened to Try 10 run through
the fire. for thought | would be burned
/ To death When | heard the screams Of
the other girls and heard the roar of tho
fire in back OF me. knew had to go
down that ladder or die there
Il pulled my boa tight about my face
and went on: il seemed a. though I
never would reach the end. No. do not
know how | got down into the courtyard
at the bottom of the shaft. perhaps
jumped, perhaps somebody carried me
down. don't remember anything much
after that, except that some fire,nen I'D
me through a hallway and out into tho
street. Then wandered about the
streets. not remembering where lived
on i4th street. \ policeman took me
home after awhile"
Tie girl showed the reporter hcr fu-s
which were badly singed. and her righ,
hand. which VAS branded with an ugly
burn
According 10 tho descrin,icn given by
the two girls. the door 10 the Washing
ton Place stairway was always kept
locked. while before the other stairway
was wooden PARTITION. with an open
Ing only wide enough 10 allow two girls
10 pass at once when the door Nas not
closed. \ man stood In the opening q,
night and searched the handbags and
lpaoksge ges OF the girls as they went cu,