The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-11-07
New York Scene of Another
Criminal Sacrifice of Work
ers in Big Building
FIFTY INJURED In
ESCAPING FLAMES
Ten Victims Were Literally
Roasted Alive-Owners of
Death Trap Arrested on the
Charge of Homicide

Charge of Homicide
NV Teyak, Nsv. AT least IL per-
senA eight OF than girls persisted
THE Afternoon In q factory ARE in VIII
l1amsbuPg that approached In horror,
r not In the toll Of dead. the Triangle
ohirtwAist disaster OF a few years ago.
Thst several score more did not suo-
euuah 20 the flames and smoke, which
naeo caused injuries to almost nifty
ether workers In the building. was due
primarily to the thrilling resous work
q polsos and nremen combined
ADpeoximAtsy $50 parsons mostly
VomAn and girls. were At work on the
1uper noorp OF the building. n dve-
STORY brick loft structure at ass North
Dlxth 6treet---when tho blaze was d's-
covered So rapidly did the smoke and
flames spread until the entire building
was envsloped In dense cloud OF
heavy black smudge. tina, the victims
Of the fire were dead before the fire.
men had an opportunity TO effect their
rescue.
Ten Roasted Anve.
Ten Of the dead were literally roast
ed alive Seven OF them, with others,
BANNED a FIRE escape landing on the
kecond floor, one story above the side
walk Excited ne!ghhors, appalled, by
the sight OF the building nass OK
smoke, saw them crowding the nre
ESCAPE and the windows on that moor
and the floors above Then the build
Ing was blotted out by huge helches or
emoke and flames. and when the black
clouds cleared away few seconds
a,er. flames were licking the Gre es-
cape on which the terrified workers
Mood
The jam Of the arst IRE escape land
ng might not have been as disastrous.
Il developed at later Inquiries. II =
Weighted drop ladder leading from tho
andinx on tho outside Of tho build
Ing to the street below. had not stuck.
rhe girls who nrst rushed TO the es-
rape either were too excited to work
i. or were unable 70 force the drop
adder to aiant to the sidewalk.
A night patrolman. who was across
tbs street whom the Are started, saw
heir pred!cament and climbing door
hat swung out from the building elcva-
Tor shaft, lowered the ladder so that
The girls could descend
scenes Of Awful Terror.
Meanwhile the rest OF tho building
staRsd scenes OF widest terror and
Excitement Driven back from the
eront wfndow1 by the smoke and flames
NAT licked up the front wall, heating
he lodges so that they blistered fre-
nsn's hands. the girls In the upper
Horfes found escape entirely cut OF
hxoept by one stairway, on the left
hand front corner OF tho factory. The
bthsr stairway 10 the right hand cor
AAr behind an elevator shaft had al
10Y offered = favorable flue for the
~ 10 climb to the other floors ana
he roof.
TAsn they Jumped. Hair 4 dozen
nut their eyes and plunged to the
vuas1ng arms OF three or four police
IN, tho hrst to reach the building
heat When tho fire apparatus ar
1ved . life net was spread. dozen
beeapsd by jumping into the net Sew
rai more missed II and hit tho pave
neat On the loft side OF tbs build
n about fifty girls and men were
s0ousd by jumping TO a one story
rerage shed or by nremen with seal
m ladders. And IN the rear, where
Asrs were neither hre escapes or exits
& any kind three girls and two men
nopped from the third floor to shed
I'd were rescued.
O0eAals Indignant.
W3Shfn An hour after the blaze
4artsd and the first OF the bodies were
>movsd from the hre escape and Just
inside the windows leading to IL. two
>nlcial inquiries are underway. Many
acts to arouse ofi1cial indignation were
rought out, but no evidence suficiont
10 hold any one for criminal neglect
There wers but two stairways and
Sue hre escape to afford means OF exit
d the trapped workers. beside the ono
levator, but all four means we're In
NE front Of the building.
Tho two invesrig cations which were
conducted for four hours after the
Re adjourned tonight without having
ound any witnesses who saw the fire
TART and without ascertaining how
started. Firemen had then complet-
IA q search Of the demolished struc-
are with lanterns and powerful search
tights without uncovering any more
odies. Deputy Chief Laily said, how
yer, that It WAS his belief that there
Fere more bodies in the ruins, but that
hey we're probably charred beyond
Recognition.
Tonight seven of the dead had been
IDENTIFIED by relatives. or those seven.
We were girls and two men. The fol-
pwing are the identified dead;
Soloman Rricker. thirty years cid;
leila Brook, nineteen: Lena Goldfne.
fneteen: Rose Goldman. twenty: Irene
ettar nineteen; Bertha Rossman. tif-
zen: A. Wanick, eighteen
After severaf rigid Investigations
listing several hours after the fire.
Ir and Mrs. Edward l.. Diamond ow-
Ars Of the building and of candy
ompany which occupied the two low e.
oors. were arrested on charge OF
omicide. They were charged with
allure to comply with certain reguIa-
ons of the Labor and Health De-
artments. which would have tended
make the building hreproof
-------~-
We'd In Washington.
Snecial to The Richmond Virginian }
washington, D. c., Nov. 6.---Mar-
tere license: Clarence f. Noble,
wenty-two, and Stella b. Bailey.
s.enty-onc. both of Richmond, Va.
ere married here today by the Rev.
111ua m r Russell 5