Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Anniversary

[GateXC]

Today is the 95th Anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire in New York City. The fire, at the corner of Greene and Washington just East of Washington Square Park, claimed the lives of 146 garment workers, mainly young women from the Lower East Side. The building now houses the NYU science labs, but at the time it was being used as a sweatshop. When the fire broke out, it quickly spread through all the flammable fabrics piled up in the factory. The owners of the shop had locked one of the two existing exits, preventing many of the women from escaping. The single fire escape soon collapsed under the weight of people trying to get out of the building, and many of those that were left inside were forced to jump from the upper floors. No one survived the fall.

The owners of the building escaped criminal charges for the deaths, but did have to pay civil penalties. The American Labor Movement was already in full swing by 1911, but in the aftermath of the fire, it gained a lot of support. This led to the development of many of the labor protections we currently enjoy in the United States-- perhaps the only good thing to come out of the tragedy.

The following link is for an eye-witness account:

http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/trianglefire/texts/stein_ootss/ootss_wgs.html?location=Fire!

 

[scotrace]

Thanks for the reminder - this event and the Cocoanut Grove fire in Boston in 1942 are probably the two pivotal events that created some of the safety standards in buildings we take for granted today. Occupancy ratings, clearly-marked exits, outward-swinging doors. And you never see a revolving door today unless it's flanked by two regular, outward-swinging exit doors - a direct result of the Cocoanut Grove disaster, where bodies piled up in front of the useless, jammed revolving doors.

It's ghastly that so many lives had to be lost in each case for common sense to prevail. LOCKED exit doors? Or in the case of the Boston fire - doors WELDED shut!!!

 

[Deleted member 259]

A much Earlier case - But I've got to mention the Great Baltimore Fire of 1904.


Within 2 years after the inferno the hazardous conditions that precipitated the rapid spread of the fire were corrected. Narrow streets were widened, electrical lines were put underground, and the City's sewer system was modernized. In only two years nearly the entire Burnt District was rebuilt and downtown was once again the business center of Baltimore.

 

[Vladimir Berkov]

An interesting sidenote to the Cocoanut Grove fire was also that the owner of the nightclub was criminally convicted of two counts of manslaughter in Commonwealth v. Welansky.

 

[scotrace]

And after serving a portion of his sentence, was pardoned by the MA Governor, who was at the time of the fire... Mayor of Boston. The very Mayor who permitted the rather lax enforcement of the codes in place that led directly to the disasterous fire.

 

[Doh!]

It's apparently not available on video, but there was a 1979 movie-of-the-week that was pretty good as I recall:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080048/

 

[skyvue]

The Triangle Factory fire happened 99 years ago today.

For those unfamiliar with the events of that day, this commemorative and educational web site, operated by Cornell University, is well worth checking out, as is David von Drehle's book, Triangle: The Fire That Changed America.

 

[Mojito]

One of my friends, a social historian, has done a lot of work on the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire...the material he has collated - the photos, eyewitness accounts etc - stay with you long, long after he's packed the files away.

 

[Wire9Vintage]

I remember very clearly watching that 1979 movie... I was 10 at the time. It has stuck with me all these years. Such a terrible tragedy.

 

[Atinkerer]

A Slap On The Wrist For A River Of Blood In The Gutter

After the Triangle Shirtwaist fire, inspectors started to be sent to regularly inspect factories and make sure that fire exit doors remained unlocked. However, they discovered that the owners of the now defunct Triangle Shirtwaist factory had opened a new sweatshop, and had locked all the doors shut once again.

 

[LizzieMaine]

After the Triangle Shirtwaist fire, inspectors started to be sent to regularly inspect factories and make sure that fire exit doors remained unlocked. However, they discovered that the owners of the now defunct Triangle Shirtwaist factory had opened a new sweatshop, and had locked all the doors shut once again.

I worked in a factory where the fire exits were blocked -- in 1987. And that wasn't the worst of the violations. A green handshake for the inspector makes all the problems go away.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

100 years later. The Triangle Shirtwaist fire happened today in 1911.

 

[Feraud]

I think PBS just ran a documentary about it and the local news gave a mention.
Our local historical society held a roundtable discussion.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/21/nyregion/21triangle.html

 

[B.J. Hedberg]

Another article commemorating the anniversary.

http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/2011/03/23/triangle-shirtwaist-factory/​

Behind the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. This column is based on eyewitness accounts, trial transcripts, testimony, and information from the New York City Fire Dept. and the New York Historical Society.

 

[skyvue]

Another article commemorating the anniversary.

http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/2011/03/23/triangle-shirtwaist-factory/​

Behind the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. This column is based on eyewitness accounts, trial transcripts, testimony, and information from the New York City Fire Dept. and the New York Historical Society.

From that story:

A year later, in 1913, Blanck, would be fined just $20 for locking the doors to another factory.
The owners lost a civil suit in 1913, but they paid only about $75 per victim. Later, they got an insurance check for $60,000 more than they had reported as losses -- the two owners earned about $411 per victim.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Something to think about on this anniversary: the overwhelming majority of clothing sold in the United States today is manufactured in factories not under the jurisdiction of the workplace and fire safety regulations enacted here over the past century.

Just because it won't happen again *here* is no sign it won't happen again *there.* Just a few months ago, at least 27 young women were killed in a Triangle-like fire in an unsafe, unregulated garment factory in Bangladesh, making clothing for The Gap. Think about that the next time you visit the mall.

 

[BinkieBaumont]

Yonks ago I know, but do admit its funny

[video=youtube;aEthufRsObs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEthufRsObs&feature=related[/video]

 

[Undertow]

We're coming back up on the anniversary; thought I would give this a bump. 146 employees died in this incident.
:bump2:

 

[scottyrocks]

It's ghastly that so many lives had to be lost in each case for common sense to prevail. LOCKED exit doors? Or in the case of the Boston fire - doors WELDED shut!!!

Yes, no forethought back then. It was 'acceptable' practice to do such things to prevent employees from taking 'unauthorized' breaks during the day.