The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-11-08

Continued from Fqvst Page.
ner Ernest G. Wagner spent many
hours In the morning and afternoon at
tho fire scene gathering evidence. The
attention OF the Fire Department III
cials. the Coroner and the District At
torncy was concentrated almost exclu-
sively on the charrcd trap door which
hung grimly from the fourth fioor above
the stairway leading from the third
to the fourth floors by one hinge and
staple in tho flooring.
Pound Door stiIi Locked.
"we found tho door stili locked and
In position to-day" said Commissioned
Adamson In his statement on the fire.
I'VE removed II and took II to head
quarters. Men and women who ran
down from the fifth floor 90 the fourth
floor n found this door locked fought
desperately for ten or fifteen minutes
to force II open and most of them, de-
spairing Of success, ran TO the fire es-
cape. Finally six men forced on one
hinge and made an opening in. large
enough for IA small man or woman to
squeeze through. only i've persons es-
capped In his "a All the loss of life
was among employees of the fourth and
MN floors.
ut is clear from the statements made
by Samuel Simon. president. and Samuel
Barkin, treasurer. of tho Essex shirt
Company, that this door was locked all
day saturday. They say II WAS the Gus.
tom OF the firm 10 shut the trap door Oh
closing their shop at night and fsstcn
II securely. because "A few months aga
they had a burglary. They fastened
tho door by means OF a bolt which
passed through the hasp and a screw
eye secured to the side of the stairway.
Thus the only way 10 open the door
was by unscrewing this bolt. Both
Simon and Barkin admit that they did
not unfastcn this screw on Saturday
morning. as was their custom. Barkin
says the reason for this wa that "a car-
pointer and tinsmlth Were working near
the stairway. Thus when the fire came
II found this all importan, door locked.
abraham Rifkin. $50 Metropolitan
avenue. who worked or the top floor.
gave the clcarest account of the fight
and panic among the occupants Of the
two upper floors when they found the
door locked.
How Escape Was Delayed.
The escape by the fire escape was
delayed first by the counter balanced
idlueT tTOI1 ne ttfofU npOI balcony
' catching against q door which swung
out in its path, and then 10y the lame
which came out through a transom close
TO the fire Escape and caused people on
the fire escape TO hold back. hut for
the fact that those on the first balcony
were afraid to come down past the
flames. the others above them might
have descended TO safety. But 1t was
the trapdoor covering the stairway
49, al alN --. - ILL., = 1t
fourth floor that was locked and which
cut off escape from the fourth and NTH
floors 10y the westerly stairway and the
front fire escape"
Assistant District Attorney Wilson
! expressed official and personal indigna-
ton when he inspected the ~trapdoor
that had blocked escape from the burn
Ing building.
The question OF the locked door,
said he. lis w to the occupant of the
loft or the owncr OF the building. II looks
TO me like prima facle evidence OF crimi-
nal neglect and Il charge Of manslaushtsr
or homicide will lie lodged against the
persons responsible for the boiling of
that door
So alarming were yesterday morn
ing's reports of the circumstances sur
rounding the fire tina State Industrial
Commissioners James NJ. Lynch, Louis
Wizard and Edward /. Lyon and theil
counsel. Frederick H. Cunningham
gathered ali tho brooklyn inspectors IL
their Office AZ Fourth avenue and
Twentv-sevcuth street preparatory 10
making "A statement OF their side OF the
case. The Commissioners spent all day
In their Offices hearing the inspectors
reports. Then they ave out IA state
ment showing the orders that had been
Issued TO Mrs. Diamond and her hus-
band dating back ~ far a. January p,
last. when nine OF them were issued
on the building.
The important ono Of the nine, how
ever. and the on" which dragged on
without fulillmcut for nearly eleven
months and contributed largely TO the
loss OF life in the fire. dealt with en-
closing the IVY interior stairways witt
fire resisting partitions. The owners OF
the building did not begin to comply
with this order until September ;?
They had almost finished the tireproof'
Ing on one floor. the third. 10y Satur'
day, and that work. according to the
fire prevention bureau chief. Mr.. Ham
mitt. was not adequate. q,