New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-03-27

Copyright. 1911. by An
The light for these stairs came from
windows looking out upon the court IN
which the fire escape was placed ana
filtered through dirty panes clouded oy
The thick wire that saved the glass.
After the fire the stairs were covered
with broken glass from the windows ana
the wireglass panels Of the doors INTO
Tho shop floors. but while the flames
raged only the girls on the tenth floor
could use this one possible means OF
escape. and they had 10 fight their way
through flames and smoke that poured
in through the broken windows at the
sides of the shaft.
On the eighth and ninth floors the
girls were held back by the doors tnat
opened inward and against "hlch they
pressed. only closing them the more
tightly in their frantic efforts to escape
If the doors had been built 10 open out
ward. I'm the only way that would nave
offered any hope 10 the pahicstricheN
workers. escape would have been equally
cut off. for in their desperate anxiety TO
save space the builders Of the structure
had so planned the stair shaft that the
leaves of the door would have plocked
the stairway. either UP or down, II the
doors had been properly swung FOR use
in an emergency Of life and death.
In this shaft, also useless as II was
in the other stair shaft, hung more IRE
hose. Just without the doors and where
there was no human possibility of reach
ing IT, hung coils Of hose that had never
been attached 10 the pipe couplings ana
had never been uncoiIed since it was
hung there when the building was frst
opened for use. Like the hose In the
other shaft. It had protected the walls
from the scorching of the flames that
burned the lintels Of the doors ana at
last left the way TO the stairs free when
there was no one alive 10 use them.
Iron Ladders Twisted by Heat
On the north side of the building
opening on a narrow court. was 70"
If a half dozen windows. in front Of the
middle two of which was the Are es-
cape. After the fire the iron ladders
were twisted and bent by the heat Tar
away from the building and the runss
hung by one rivet or had dropped or
entirely. The iron balconies we're twisted
and distorted and their slender ratings
had been torn from their fastenings BY
the efforts OF the maddened women 70
reach the ladders from which they were
barred by the great iron shutters. For
each Of these balconies was walled
across by two folded iron shutters that
completely blocked the passage ana
made II impossible 70 get from the lad
der coming from the upper floor to that
rec ching 20 the floor beneath
What vas left vas only dash TO the
courtyard q hundred feet below And
here was long row Of sharp iron pick
cts. on which whoever tried that means
Of safetv was certain 10 he impaled.
But II by chance the pickets we're
missed and life vas not dashed out.
rhar the unfortunate woman was i'm
rrisoned in a cage from which there was
No orening At one end was a window
With heavy steel bars opening into
building. while ar the either
was the opening Of the sub-cellar Of the
burning building. and this, TOO. was pro-
tected by steel bars set close together
and firmly bedded in cement'and stone.
In this cleverlv constructed trap hun
dreds Of women were held prisoners.
while the flames rushed ar them ana
small. inadequate hand fire extinguish-
ers laws scattered over the floor beside
IRE buckets empty of water and which
could be filed only from two little
spigots in q hand Vashstand.
Complaint from Law School
Professor Francis W Aymar. Of the
law department Of New York University.
said Yesterday that he sent complaint
70 the Buildings Department about two
months ago IN which he pointed out 70
the authorities the inadequacy Of the
exit provisions in the burned building
The New York University Law School
is I'm the same block with the burned
building and Professor Aymar could see
from the windows Of his Office how many
people were employed in that building
and how flimsy and inaccessible the
single fire escape was. He said that he
knew that there was only one narrow
stairway leading TO the roof. and de.
clared that he had called all these de.
tects 10 the attention Of the Buildings
Department
In due course Of time. Professor
Aymar added. he received an acknowl
edement of his complaint and the assur-
ance that the matter would be investi-
gated. This. he said. was the last he
had heard from the Buildings Depart
ment
Max Rottner. OF No 1901 Washington
avenue who. after identifying his
brother. Theodore. went 10 the Mercer
street police station. said that both he
and his brother were az work on the
alghth floor Of the factory building where
he FIRE originated and that he threw a
'ew buckettuls of water on the blaze
He declared that the blaze sained head
way and soon got beyond the control Of
hose who endeavored to extinguish IT,
lie said that when he found that the
Ire was rapidly spreading over the
Eighth floor OF the building he ran 10 the
stairway and down TO the ground floor
md escaped from the building. He said
hat he thought his brother was follow