A dropped match sparked a fire that killed over a hundred people trapped inside. The American factory would never be the same. The Triangle Shirtwaist fire sparked an awakening of the nascent labor movement for better working conditions.
The Asch Building, now called the Brown Building, still stands, unknown author, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
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From NYC Data: " There were two major flaws in the Triangle shirtwaist factory building. First, there was only one fire escape even though two more were needed. Second, all the exits had doors that opened inwardly rather than out. As women ran down the fire escape, it began to buckle under their weight. There were two exits and two elevators located on each end (Green Street and Washington Place) of the flat on the ninth floor. The Greene Street stairway was blocked by flames, and the Washington Place stairway was locked. It had become common practice for the factory to lock the Washington Place to prevent employee theft. As a result, the only escape routes left for victims were the elevators. The ineffectiveness of the firemen revealed many flaws in the fire department that would later be addressed. For example, had the ladder been long enough to reach the top three floors and the water pressure strong enough to reach the floors, many of the victims could have survived the event. A few years after the incident, the fire department developed a stronger water pump and added an extra ladder as a precaution. " The twisted fire escape courtesy of Kheel Center, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. |
62 people fell or jumped from windows, Brown Brothers, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, .
The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire and Sweatshop Reform in American History
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