The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-12-31
.FIRETRAP CUTS
OFF LIVES OF
FIVE WORKERS
'WaIls Were Strong"
Walls Owner
BY ROSE PASTOR STOKES,
(Member Of Executive Committee,
United Council Working Class
HougevVivesl


NEW YORK, Dec. 29-When the
tenement fire on East 14th street
snuffed out FIVE workers lives, the
United Council Of Working Glass
Housewives sent committee to in
vestigate. Comrades Kate Gtilow and
Rose Pastor Stokes went to the scene
of the fire. They searched in vain
for some one who would tell them
what they wanted to know. At last
they found one--a man-and he hap
pened to be But that's the
story.
First we went into store to the
right Of the brick smoke-covered wall.
The little Italian shop-keeper knew
nothing. He shrugged his shoulders
and sent us to the store on the left of
the blackened brick wall. AS we en-
tered the wretched little grocery, a
dapper young man stood before the
counter. The woman behind the
counter was waiting on another Gus
toner, so we asked the young man if
he knew anything about the house
next door.
"Sure!" he said, Il know
How old do you think it was?"
why, couldn't have ben more than
S5 years old"
'Is that all? They say the halls are
dark, the stairways rotten-so rotten
that when the fire started, it sucked
up the stairs so quickly there was no
possible escape for the tenants on the
top floor"
Some drunkard in the house start
ed it," was his irrelevant reply.
"But the house-don't you think the
city should have torn down a house
like that and erected safe one in its
placer"
Say, lady" he came back, "that
house was good house. It had strong
brick walls. I should know it was a
good house." he said, little cockily,
because my mother owned it."
Next door, stood the brick shell of
what was a fire-trap tenement. The
windows were black holes, opening in
to emptiness. To the profiteering
landlady, the house is still a good
house. No need to go to the expense
of purifying up the walls! They stand
Inside the walls, she can see a new
tinder-box arising. A few laths. lit
tie plaster, cheap labor, some window
panes and brick red paint-and she
can put up another cheap single in
place of the one stuck over the char
red doorway Furnished Rooms for
Rent"
What well-dressed well-fed young
man! And how fortunate that the
brick walls stand! For he may con-
tinue to be welldressed, well-fed
young man-so simply, so easilyi
praised be American democracy
No wonder the young man wears a lit
tie gold emblem with the stars and
stripes on it in the lapel of his tailor
made suit. He's American? You bet!
AS we left the well-dressed, well-fed
young man and the brick walls that
didn't go down with the lives of the
hve workers-the strong walls smiled
black smile and winked black wink
at every hole of window. A clay
Mary, mother of Christ stood high in
a niche of the church across the
street and answered the black smile
with holy" smile. Never mind,D
she seemed to be saying to the strong
brick wall and the landlady's son,
Don't worry. I'll keep watch. I'll
see that the workers don't revolt"
Keep smiling!" retorted the Com
mittee of the United Council Of Work
ing Glass Housewives. Keep smiling!
and we'll keep organizinel