Triangle Shirtwaist Factory
March 25, 2011
One hundred years ago, on March 25, 1911, a fire broke out on the 8th Floor. As the workers had gone on strike the year before, the exits were locked by the managers to prevent job actions, and to prevent workers from taking breaks.
With no way out, 146, mainly immigrant women and girls, some as young as fourteen burned or jumped from these windows to their deaths.
Until only a few months ago, some of the victims remained unidentified.
The alarms sounded at 4:45pm, and it being an unusually warm March day, many soon came from nearby Washington Square Park to witness the fire.
By one account, the crowd stood powerless as girls and women, and men, jumped from the building, many wept as they watched.
The only bright spot of this tragedy is that it shocked the city and nation into much needed labor reforms which exist to this day.
Today, the building houses the NYU chemistry department.
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory
March 25, 2011
One hundred years ago, on March 25, 1911, a fire broke out on the 8th Floor. As the workers had gone on strike the year before, the exits were locked by the managers to prevent job actions, and to prevent workers from taking breaks.
With no way out, 146, mainly immigrant women and girls, some as young as fourteen burned or jumped from these windows to their deaths.
Until only a few months ago, some of the victims remained unidentified.
The alarms sounded at 4:45pm, and it being an unusually warm March day, many soon came from nearby Washington Square Park to witness the fire.
By one account, the crowd stood powerless as girls and women, and men, jumped from the building, many wept as they watched.
The only bright spot of this tragedy is that it shocked the city and nation into much needed labor reforms which exist to this day.
Today, the building houses the NYU chemistry department.