New-York tribune., 1911-03-26

vav into the foot of the elevator shsft
Firemen tried to stop the man, but he
cried out that Ne knew how To run th"
car and was allowed to pass.
Gregory then took charge ARD made at
least ten trips 10 the tenth Noor each
time carving down at least thr;N girls
Hs stopped only when the me echsn'sm OF
the car failed as II reached the third
floor on one Of its downward trips. Greg
ory tried with frantic strength 20 send
tho cage down the remaining floors by
rraspipg the steel cables AT the side. Tie
vac unsuccessful however. and then
orened the door and allowed ne women
to maxi their way down 10 the street h!
the stairway
After all the elevators had been de-
serted because cf the heat on IN" upper
floors Gregory slipped out into the crowd
and vas not seen again.
Robert Manner. another oraooker in
the great crowd that surged about the
foot Of the building. who arrived just as
the first Of the women began t. jump
said tha. AT first he could nos believe
the objects dropping from the windows
were human beings. There was some
thing uncanny in the way i'm wfcch the
bodies we're showed from the windows,
some Of them flame and others stripped
OF all clothing Manner thought that
the women were clothing dummies that
we're being thrown out II was not until
he got closer that ho saw they were torn
and crushed human beings.
According 70 this witness and Captain
Dorinick Henry. Of the Mercer street
station. who arrived within TWO minutes
after the alarm was sent in. many of
the girls who had climbed 10 the narrow
window ledges were forced still further
out by the women behind them. Some
o. these girls. confronted 10y death IN
two terrible forms, tried to avert either
hv hanging 10 the ledees by their fin
gers Some Of them managed 10 retain
their grasp for three minutes or more
only 10 drop 10 the street below with
cries Of terror and pain.
The sight of their fellow workers max
ing the fatal leap seemed - fill the
other women with insane horror. They
stood for a. while as though fascinated,
then plunged down 70 their own death.
MANY Of those who were killed in this
way did not wait until the arrival of
tho fremen. They knew that escape 10y
way Of the elevators was impossible be-
cause OF the mad mob that crowded
around the doors. The stairways were
useless as a means Of exit, the dense
over them like wall, Many who at
tempted 20 take the stairvays were
overcome by smoke and spared the hor-
-or OF worse death.
Life Nets Made Useless.
IN one instance tho crowds on the
Greene street side Of the building sa"
four or five f1remen spreading life net.
They were strong men. and braced them
selves with all their strength as they
signalled TOR the women 10 make the
leap. Had those VINO stood in terror on
the window lodges kept their heads
some among them might have lived. But
IN the death dealing scramble for pos
sible safety the girls did not wait 10
jUrlp by ones OF tvos. they leaped fve
and SIX at time. and the result was
that the life nets were torn from the
grasp Of the firemen and the women
were dashed TO death.
At the corner of Greene street and
washington Place six girls made their
oav along the cornice Of the ninth floor
twayins and trying to balance them
sslves while others in the windows At
the re5c. tried 10 push them off, intent
On gaining relief from the furnace with
in Seeing the nuddled group, flremeu
got ? life net and made reparaticns -
catch the girls as they jumped. Before
they could spread the net. however. t'io
unfortunate girls were literally forced
from their slight point Of safety Vle7
they found that those behind were
slowly pushing them on the ledge they
ClssDsd hands ana took The leap 81 the
ssn1e time
30 sudden vas their move that moth
ine could he done 70 s9vo them They
landed SCREAMING. tortured heap If
ipmsnitv. on ths steel and glass Tagging
of the Sidewalk winch serves as 4 cellar
So enormous wss The impact with which
they landed that the stout steel frame
uork gave va with p crash and 2 hole
'pentv feet iu length vas made
Through 'his the sV bodies were hurled
70 he found later by hremen.
Fn ihc narrow airshast i'm tho interior
~ The hiv building scenes 20 outrivaI tho
tcrrcr cf those being enacted on the
Greene street and Washington Place
siGes were being enacted. There were
only hsndful # eyewitresses 10 see
these sights hut from their meagre de-
scrirtipns II is thought that the toll Of
death there must have ben terrible
The Deadly Airshst.
This airshaft serves to light IN" north
srn windows Of the building and the
southern windows If the buldins on the
Vsverley Place siGe lit is narrow
Chasn. scarcely tVeutv-dv feet in width
end about seventy FIVE IN length. Tic
lone fire escape takes IN only two rows
of win0ovs and ends abruptly az the
second floor. Below This is = dark court
yard. divided by p cement wall on top
Of Witch is p tail iron spiked fence
A. FAR as can be learned. every win
doH facing this fire escape was closed
from the eighth floor down. \ tenant IN
the Waverley Place Building said that
ne iron shutters on these windows mad