New-York tribune., 1911-03-26
WHITMAN WILL PROBE
Will Make Searching Inquiry
Into Causes of Disaster.
TO FIX RESPONSIBILITY
District Attorney Will See to 1t
That Conditions All Over
City Are Known.

District Attorney Whitman. following q
talk with Firc chief Croker. said last night
that he would conduct an exhaustive in
vuiry 20 find out in tho first place, whether
the lccal safeguards against fire and loss OF
lie In New York buildings were sufficient.
and secondly. whether thsS" legal require
ments were lived up 10. Tho District At
torney. sc soon as he received word Of the
fire at washington Place and Greene
street. Jumped into a tsVicab in front o'
TIE Hotcl Iroquois. I'm Vest ti'h street
where he lives. ana sped 10 the scene.
While ffty-three bodies lay round about
him On the sidewalks ~ viewed the dovas-
tatior. In this setting he and Chief Croker
talked
This Is .he creates loss of lie at any
fro have ever known remarked the
chief y have prophesied oTer and over
scain aha; ,ust such thing VAS bound
10 happen in some loft building or Office
building They CAP them hroproof. and
So think no FIRE escapes are necessary.
81: they're not freIroof. they're only slow
burning Such safeguards save the build-
Ing. but not human life'
One arc escape decor8tes the building AZ
No . 20 ~ Nashington Place. II leads
from two closely shut'ored wlnooNS ON
each floor into an airsaaft. ending abruptly
some thirtv-fvc feet above sink y @hich
last night was black With water and bodies.
But the Chiof was sure only few loft
snd Office building iu The city had even
such insdequste mems oi escape. II was
his argument that tho Fire Department
should have exclusive jurisdiction over h'c
safeguards on.s1l buildings in all boroughs'
instead Of q division of responsibility. as
~ present. between the Bureau Of Buildings
and The Tenement House commission.
II vas recalled that tho Fire Department
? reported 10 the Superintendent of Buildings
q month ago that an exhaustive inquiry
showed that seven thousand lot and factory
buildings in the five borou-hS had insult
cient FIRE safeguards and escapes. As z re-
suit the Bureau Of Buildings sent word to
The proprieiors Of orc thousand of these
huildings that tanks should he erected on
fhe roofs and sprinkers installed on every
Sccr. Last Thursday number of real es-
tate owners rct at No. Il Wall street 10
protest soainst such requirement There
were no sprinkiers. ~ was said. in the build
.ng which furnished yesterdays disaster
Two months ago. in his annual report 20
Mayor Gsynor. Tire Commissioner Waldo
wrote: II believe that the question II fire
prevention should receive the most serious
consideration. and that 4 bureau of fire
prevention Of the Fire Department should
he established. This bureau should he
spart from the uniformed force and under
an Official reporting directly 10 the Com
missioner
The BureaI.-of Fire Prevention should
p. subdivi5ed into:
% A division Of auxiliary fire appli-
snces. which should have charge of the in
stallation Of such auxiliary fire appliances
and IRE escapes as may be required IN Nari-
GUS buildings. including automatic surink-
lsrs. standripes. tank, pumps eXtinguish-
Prs etc This division should be in charge
of competent engineer"
Tho Commissioner continues:
THE law suould give the Firc Depart
neut the authority 70 control all matters
with reference 10 Ere escapes. Fire escapes
arc weed not only FOR the purpose Of escape
90 q OF fire. but also for fire fighting.
nder the present system the Fire De-
rartmeut has no authority over then. In
some case, 0ro escapes aro under control
cf tire Buildings department. and in other
cases uuCer tGo Tenement House Depart
me0t
necessary power to make and enforce segu-
iatiore fo~ the prevention of fire and the
Inning of the damages thercfrom. The
Fire DhtatJnitn' sho0id have tho same
rorer rs is now granted 20 the Health De
rarimeqt ;O-dc.I with hazardous conditions
tepeciaily where life and property are in
danger Undor tho present law tho penalty
.or noncompliance is nominal iine' which
cannot bc collected until after many
months. and IN no way cornpcls compliance
with regulations.
IT should be borne in mind that while
r,snv buildings are hrcpfoof, tho contents
OF same are not. Therefore, hre escapes
should also be required Oh freproof build
jn9e. except where provided with inciosed
freproof stairways.'
The District Attorney directed last night
that no arrests ho made, as no prirna facle
evidence Of criminality existed Joseph
yito. one o. the passenger elevator boys III
the burned building was arrested ana
taken before him while he was comforting
with Chief Croker. but Mr.. whitman dls-
missed him immediateiy. The District At
,ornev was impressed with The youth
s-o~v that hr had made twenty trips 70
.he burning floors after the FIRE started,
End continued bringing carloads OF girls
dovn 20 safety until stopped by the names.
The District Attorney Office VIII be rep
ressrtso ~ the Coroner's inquest. the hrst
oA7cial fnvestigs tion into the cause and CIR
I.r,etsnces Of the nre. IN the mean time
rovever Mr.. Whitman win have Charles
r Rostwick and Robert ii. Nanley, two
,-vestiestors on his staff. sconr the city
Coz evidence oS building conditions. 10 nc
used later IN. a grand jury Investigation.
The subject will come Up before new
gand jury appointed in General Sessions