Suicide

Celluloid Comb Factory
Library of Congress

My buddy Robert Baptista – Colorants History.org– found this image and forwarded me some historical anecdotes pertaining to this former Brooklyn business (celluloid combs) that are reminiscent of the famous Triangle Factory Fire. Thanks Robert!

Hi Frank- I was looking at Brooklyn photos at the Library of Congress web site when I came across the attached photo with an interesting story behind it. The photo shows a celluloid comb factory at 150-152 Columbia St. that was hit by a devastating fire on Nov. 8, 1909. According to a New York Times article of Nov. 17, 1909 the fire claimed ten lives. The building had no fire escapes and iron bars on the second floor windows prevented workers from escaping.

The owner of the business, Robert Morrison, lost his son William in the fire. William was trying to rescue other workers. A despondent Robert Morrison committed suicide at his Brooklyn home on Nov. 18, 1909.

I don’t know if the building is still there. If it is, it would make a good then and now feature at your web site.

Best regards,
Robert

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The Biome’s Blog posted a piece about “who we lost in 2007.” Vonnegut was the image chosen. I wrote:

Funny you chose Vonnegut [in context with my last posting]. I was a huge fan growing up in the 70’s. Oddly enough, I got to meet him in a very intimate setting, his daughter Lily’s third birthday party. An ex-friend Janet and I were all dressed up for a formal party, so I was wearing a tux and she a gown. Janet used to babysit for Kurt and Jill (Krementz). When we got to the party, everyone got really quiet because Janet and I looked so good. My old friend Lou Miano (Larry Kramer fashioned the character Lou Marino “Anthony Montano” [thanks Larry for the correction!] after him for his biting and bridge-burning novel Faggots) was there and there was that “what are you doing here?” exchange of glances and then comments. Lou worked for a major advertising agency before getting fired, and later sued [and won according to Larry] for age discrimination.

Well, as soon as he could, Kurt came over to introduce himself and because of the way Janet and I were dressed, he assumed we were an engaged item. Kurt was also two-sheets to the wind with a few clothes-pins missing. So he took me outside to give me the fatherly talk. He told me what a good girl Janet was and how I needed to treat her right. Then almost immediately he told me that he was thinking of committing suicide.¹ I turned and without blinking an eye I said – “Well, you’ve been writing about it for years and with your family history, why haven’t you done it already?” He lit up a cigarette and told me sometimes suicide takes time. Then he laughed and said, “I was just trying to see if you read my stuff.” We (Janet and I) left shortly afterwards.

¹ According to Wikipedia: Vonnegut reportedly smoked Pall Mall cigarettes, unfiltered, which he claimed is a “classy way to commit suicide.”