Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1929-09-20
RETREAT DOWN
STAIRWAY CUT.
OFF BY BLAZE.
Thirty Found Piled
Unconscious In Tiny
Cloak Room; Hint
Incendiary Origin

DETROIT. Sept. 20.-tP-Sixteen
persons lost their lives and more
than so others were in hospitals
with injuries suffered in a fire
which gutted the Study club. night
club on the edge OF the downtown
theater district. early today.
One hundred and thirty patrons
and 40 employees. including enter
tainers. were in the night club when
flames broke through the wall at
the first floor and swept up the
main stairway. cutting off the only
means OF egress.
PatroIman James Mcguire, who
discovered the blaze. ran to a near
by fire box, and returned TO find
the flames and smoke roaring up
the staircase. Before patrons and
employees were aware of their dan
ger. the fire was upon them. "A
cigarette girl was suffocated by the
hot fumes as she stood in the center
Of the dance floor and dropped
down over her tray. Her body was
found by firemen.
Interior Ruined
Many patrons rushed for safety
into a small dressing room, seven by
fifteen feet. i'm the rear of the build
ing. Thirty or them were found
piled unconscious in the tiny space
when firemen broke into the room.
Several Of them were dead. Others
were badly injured
The interior of the building was
ruined, but the exterior presented
On almost unblemished appearance
save for broken windows and fire
escape which hung useless
Marty Cohen. proprietor Of the
club. and Robert Jackson. master Of
ceremonies. were clcseted with po-
lice this morning. Cohen attribut-
I'd the fire to rivals in business. The
Study club had been operating for
about a year and had prospered.
Situated on Vernon highway about
six blocks from the hear Of the city
and Just off Woodward Ave. the
main north and south artery Of De-
troit. it had acquired a wide repu-
tation.
Openings Covered
Cohen was not in the place at the
time of the fire. Another night
club. the Lido. had its opening last
night. and he had gone to partici-
pate. he told police.
Firemen who tried to enter the
building through windows. found
the window openings had been COW
cred on the inside with wall board.
All windows In the second floor had
th-s heen closed. they asserted.
AS firemen and volunteer res
cunrS carried out victims. taxicabs.
wh4,h had been marked in lot next
to the building took them TO hos
pitals. Suuads Of arnbulances ar
rived soon after the fire apparatus
At receiving hosDital 20 men and
80 women were checked in within
Pm hour after the outbreak Of the
fire. other hospitals In the c'l7
cared for other injured. Nurses. in
ternes and physicians were sent to
receiving hospitals to aid in treating
the injured.
Many Suffocate
Some of the victims we're dead on
arrival at the HOSPITALS. Most OF
the fatalities. physicians said. re-
suited from snffocation Identified
ton Of the dead was difficult be-
cause of the badly burned clothing
and the Disagreement which fol-
lows suffocation.
state and CITY fire commissioners
investigating the blaze with the
police declared this morning that
they could find no evidence that the
fire was Of incendiary origin. Drap-
cries and light f1imsy decorations.
they said. accounted for the rapid
spread of the flames. as did ven
tilating fans and the architecture OF
the building.