New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-11-26
70 the Editor OF The Tribune.

To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: While the authorities are hunting for
some underling to blame for the loss OF
life at the Williamsburg factory fire, 1t may
be instructive to look for fundamentals and
see whether the laws limiting the number
of people permitted to work in the factory
and insuring safety to their lives, II en-
forced, would have tended to prevent what
happened.
Article 5, Section 79-e, of the labor law,
which covers the requirements, says speclh-
cslly, THE number of persons who may
occupy any factory building or portion there
of above the ground floor shall be limited
to such number as can safely escape from
such building by means of the exits pro-
vided in the building"
The exits provided in the building were
two stairways three feet wide, at distance
from each other accessible from each floor.
Il has been found that the average person
requires twenty-five inches width OF passage
way in which to move and the recent law
was so drafted affecting new buildings, but
as old buildings were constructed with pas
sageways on an eighteen inch unit basis, IN
stead OF limiting the number of people to
the actual capacity Of the passageways the
oxigencies of the case were considered IN
favor Of the building owner, and the average
person was considered to be only eighteen
inches wide In this building the stairs, be-
ing thirty-six inches wide, were plenty wide
enough for one person and too narrow for
TWO TO so down abreast. The actual capacity
ha ton
per aoor. But instead of this number the
law permitted three times that number in
this building, or double file of thirty on
each stairway, or sixty in all.
IL would have cost something like $4,000
to.freproof the two starways, as ordered by
the Department Of Labor. 1t would have
cost possibly $500 to install fire alarm
system, as ordered by the Fire Department.
A practical fire drill, although demanded,
would have been impossible OF development
or account OF the lack of exit facilities. II
one could have been installed 1t would have
cost more money to develop and maintain and
for the reason stated would have failed in
the emergency. So that by an expenditure of
more than $500. the owner could under
the enforcement of the orders issued, have
occurred a legal occupancy floor OF sixty
people. and if all had been in the building
when the fire occurred they could not pos
s;by have escaped from it.
But the probability is that there were
demands on the part of tenants for a greater
occupancy than sixty a floor. In fact, the
evidence given before the Coroner shows
that there were at least seventy people on
the top floor at the time of the fire. and that
on some of the other floors the occupancy
was even greater at times, so that there
L., flr f.rsT
owner to spend $4,000 in order to obtain so
small a floor occupancy as sixty
Under these circumstances what was the
building owner to do to meet the demands
Of tenants? The law states that he may
construct additional starways or fire escapes
for the purpose, but if he should construct
az additional stairway the expense would
run up to $4,000 or more, and he would get
but thirty people additional a floor, so that
the expense would be out of proportion 70
the increased occupancy secured, and so far
az safety is concerned the percentage OF
chance of escape would not be increased;
and If he should construct a fire escape we
al! know from Tong experience that fire
escape is misnomer. and It should be
entitled a human griddle.'
But the law as amended last winter offers
still another opportunity for the building
owner 10 increase the occupancy Of each
floor. II says that if a sprinkler system IS
installed. the occupancy may be increased
one hundred per cent. The Fire Prevention
Bureau, il seems, actually ordered a sprinkler
system installed in this building. but with
drew the requirement subsequently, as they
felt that the ireproofng of the stairs would
give adequate safety. But what would the
sprinkler system have accomplished and