Triangle Fire 1911
The Triangle Fire of 1911 Near closing time on Saturday afternoon, March 25, 1911, in New York City a fire broke out on the top floors of the Asch Building in the Triangle Shirtwaist Company. One of the worst tragedies in American history it is known as the "Triangle Shirtwaist Fire". It was a disaster that took the lives of 146 workers, most of which were women. This tragedy pointed out the negatives of sweatshop conditions of the industrialization era. It emphasized the worst part of its times the low wages, long hours, and unsanitary working conditions were what symbolized what sweatshops were all about. These conditions were appalling, and no person should ever be made to work in these conditions. Sweatshops were originally set up to produce a large quantity of mostly clothing items, with cheap labor wages for its workers. Sweatshops more often than not were cramped buildings with few windows or fans. The people who worked in these sweat shops rarely received breaks, and would on average 10-12 hours a day, seven days a week. The places were so unsanitary many did not have proper plumbing facilities to accommodate all those who worked there, and no way of cleaning or bandaging a cut or wound if injured on the job. Although these were the common standards of sweatshops the Asch Building, where the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory was located was a very large building, with nine floors. This building was large but cramped due to all the workers, material and machines. Every inch of viable space was used to put either a machine, material or another worker. Sadie Frowne, a swear shop worker from New York City stated "The machines go like mad all day because the faster you work the more money you get. Sometimes in my haste I get my finger caught and the needle goes right through it. It goes so quick, though, that it does not hurt much. I bind the finger up with a piece of cotton and go on working". This was the mind set of most of the workers in the
Bibliography: Famous Trials. The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Trial 1911. (website). http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/triangle/trianglefire.html The Triangle Factory Fire By: Cornell University ILR School (website). http://www.irl.cornell.edu/trianglefire/ U.S. Fire Administration/National Fire Data Center. Nightclub Fires in 2000. (PDF File). http://www.emergency-management.net/pdf/FemaResearchNightclubFires2000.pdf