Today In History: Triangle Shirtwaist Fire

The fire sent ripples of misery in all directions. The greatest hurt, of course, was the loss of a loved one, a profound emotional shock. Yet that loved one had also played a practical role. Victims, usually daughters, had been family breadwinners. Often, too, they supported aged parents in Russia and Italy. How could those people live now? -- Albert Marrin, Flesh & Blood So Cheap , pp. 125-126.

On Saturday, March 25th, 1911 a deadly fire broke out on the eighth floor of the Asch Building, located at 23-29 Washington Place in Greenwich Village, Manhattan. The Asch Building, now known as the Brown Building and part of New York University, housed the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory on floors eight through ten -- a factory where women and girls, mostly Jewish and Italian immigrants, produced women's blouses during long hours; for very little money; and in crowded working conditions.

Caused by a lit cigarette thrown upon a pile of fabric cuttings, the ferocious blaze claimed the lives of 146 workers:  123 women and girls and 23 men, who burned, suffocated, or frantically jumped to their deaths from the windows. Elevators could only hold a certain number of workers, flames cut off exit doors, narrow aisles on the floors themselves caused bottlenecks; exits were locked; and the fire escape itself collapsed under the weight of those trying to make their way down.

Protest meetings preceded memorial services, with socialists, civic leaders, union members, and New Yorkers demanding to know who would better protect and ensure the rights of workers. The deplorable conditions of factory life were brought to the forefront, leading to state and then federal legislation that limited hours of labor, improved working conditions, and eliminated fire hazards.

The following articles are drawn from Proquest Historical Newspapers, which informs and inspires classroom teaching and learning.

• To Protect City Factory Workers: Committee of Five Pushing Its Plans to Enforce a Rigid Inspection. Triangle Fire a Lesson. An Investigation of Fire Traps Is Being Made to Here to Prevent Another Such Disaster.  (1911, Jun 12). New York Times (1857-1922) 
• Tragedy Recalls Triangle Shirtwaist Fire That Killed 145 in 1911: Past Toll in City Is in Thousands. (1958, Mar 20). New York Times (1923-) 
• Katz, R. K. (1961, Mar 25). 50 Years Ago Today, 147 Died in the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. New York Times (1923-) 
• Kernan, M. K. (1982, Feb 19). A Moving Moveable Muse. The Washington Post (1974-) 
• Serrin, W. S. (1986, Mar 25). Labor Marking 75th Anniversary of Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. New York Times (1923-) 
• Herbert, B. (1994, Dec 28). The Sweatshop Lives. New York Times (1923-) 
• Bessie Cohen, 107, Survivor of Historic Sweatshop Blaze. (1999, Feb 24). Chicago Tribune (1997-) 
• Christian, N. M. (2003, Mar 26). A Landmark of the Unspeakable: Honoring the Site Where 146 Died in the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. New York Times (1923-) 
• Gornick, V. (2003, Aug 31). From Horror, a Swelling Tide of Reform. Los Angeles Times (1996-) 
• Kehe, M. (2006, Jun 20). Before 9/11 Was the Fire at Triangle: A New Novel Sets an Examination of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire in Today's New York. The Christian Science Monitor (1908-) 
• Kehe, M. (2011, Mar 25). Classic Review: 'Triangle': Today Marks the 100th Anniversary of the Tragic Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. The Christian Science Monitor (1908-) 
• Allemang, J. (2015, Mar 25). A Moment in Time: 146 Garment Workers Die in Triangle Shirtwaist Fire.  The Globe and Mail (1936-) 

Tips:

• Bailey, Rachel A. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire : A History Perspectives Book. 1st ed., Cherry Lake Publishing, 2015. e-book.
• Marrin, Albert. Flesh & Blood So Cheap : The Triangle Fire and Its Legacy. First edition., Alfred A. Knopf, 2012.  Curriculum ; F128.5 .M122 2011.
• Naden, Corinne J. The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, March 25, 1911 ; the Blaze That Changed an Industry. F. Watts, 1972.  Closed Stacks Curr ; F128.5 .N2 1971.
• Pool, Heather. Political Mourning : Identity and Responsibility in the Wake of Tragedy. 1st ed., 2021. Temple University Press.  e-book.
• Scriabine, Christine Brendel. Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. Jackdaw Publications, 2004.  Curriculum ; F128.5 .T75 2003.
• Siefert, Christine. The Factory Girls : A Kaleidoscopic Account of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. 1st ed., Zest books, 2017. e-book.
• Stein, Leon, et al. The Triangle Fire. Centennial ed., ILR Press, 2012.  e-book.
• Weber, Katherine. Triangle. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2006.  Butler Stacks PS3573.E2194 T75 2006.

Images:

• Crowds Gather to Mourn Triangle Fire Victims the Day After the Tragedy, March 26, 1911, from The International Ladies Garment Workers Union Photographs (1885-1985), Wikimedia Commons.
• Poster Image: Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire on March 15th, 1911., Wikimedia Commons.

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