Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire
Date | March 25, 1911 |
---|---|
Time | 4:40 PM (local time) |
Location | Manhattan, New York City, U.S. |
Deaths | 146 |
Injuries | 71 |
The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City on March 25, 1911, was the deadliest industrial disaster in the history of the city of New York and resulted in the fourth highest loss of life from an industrial accident in U.S. history. It was also the second deadliest disaster in New York City – after the burning of the General Slocum on June 15, 1904 – until thedestruction of the World Trade Center 90 years later. The fire caused the deaths of 146 garment workers, who died from the fire, smoke inhalation, or falling or jumping to their deaths. Most of the victims were recent Jewish and Italian immigrant women aged sixteen to twenty-three;[1][2][3] of the victims whose ages are known, the oldest victim was Providenza Panno at 43, and the youngest were 14-year-olds Kate Leone and “Sara” Rosaria Maltese.[4]
Because the managers had locked the doors to the stairwells and exits – a common practice at the time to prevent pilferage and unauthorized breaks[5] – many of the workers who could not escape the burning building jumped from the eighth, ninth, and tenth floors to the streets below. The fire led to legislation requiring improved factory safety standards and helped spur the growth of the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union, which fought for better working conditions for sweatshop workers.
The factory was located in the Asch Building, at 23–29 Washington Place, now known as the Brown Building, which has been designated a National Historic Landmark and a New York City landmark.[6]
- 1 Fire
- 2 Aftermath
- 3 Consequences and legacy
- 4 Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition
- 5 In popular culture
- 6 See also
- 7 References
- 8 External links
Subscribe or “Follow” us on WAMMToday.org. For the TC EVENTS calendar and the ACTIONS AND ACTION ALERTS click on the tab at the top of the page and click on the item of interest to view. WAMMToday is also on FACEBOOK! Check the WAMMToday page for posts from this blog and more! “Like” our page today. Find us on TWITTER at WAMMToday (@touchpeace).
2 Comments
Comments are closed.
Ah, this is WAMMToday, The Blog of the WAMM Media Committee, not the official WAMM website. We publish items about all systems of oppression in line with WAMM’s mission statement, and particularly about the oppression of women. To remember these women who worked in sweatshop conditions and died because they really had no choice–had to earn a living–is very important. The Triangle Factory Fire led to improved conditions for all working people. The least we can do is remember them once a year. Thank you for reading WAMMToday.
This is a sad story worth telling but is WAMM the right forum?