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From Petticoats to Prohibition:
TRAGEDY STRIKES!

The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire

In 1909 over 20,000 clothing factory workers went on a general strike; 4/5 of these workers were women. A slight wage increase resulted from this strike. Dangerous safety conditions continued, such as poor ventilation, overcrowding, unsafe machinery and inadequate emergency exits. These unsafe conditions led to the tragic fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Company.

Sweatshop - A shop or factory where employees work long hours for low wages under poor conditions.

Immigrants comprised the majority of sweatshop workers at the turn of the twentieth century.  New to America, desperate for work and unaware of social reform movements, immigrants worked long hours in crowded, filthy factories with inadequate emergency exits.

March 25, 1911

One hundred and forty six women died in one of the worst fires in New York City on March 25, 1911.  The Triangle Shirtwaist Company occupied the top three floors of the ten story Asch Building, which was the setting for this tragic event.

The Triangle Shirtwaist Company employed 500 women, mostly immigrants aged 13 to 23, from southern and eastern Europe. Its workers on the ninth floor could not escape due to several factors:

  • Employers locked the exit doors.
  • The rear fire escape collapsed, killing many and taking away an escape route for others. 
  • Frantic workers slid down elevator cables falling to their death.
  • The New York City Fire Department’s ladder only reached the sixth floor.
  • With their clothes on fire, desperate women jumped to their death.
  • The Fire Department life nets could not support the weight of more than three women at a time.

 

Charged with manslaughter, the Triangle Shirtwaist Company was acquitted.  In 1914 a judge ordered the Company to pay $75 to each of the 23 families of the victims who sued.  The fire led to the creation of the New York State Factory Investigating Commission (FIC). The FIC conducted hearings and inspections, bringing about improved safety conditions for all factory workers.

 

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