Everything Everywhere Daily: History, Science, Geography & More - The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

Episode Date: December 17, 2021

On March 25, 1911, one of the deadliest industrial disasters in American history took place. In the middle of Manhattan, a fire broke out in a garment factory that killed 146 people. Most of the deaths were totally preventable, and the legacy of that incident had repercussions that still exist today. Learn more about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire and its legacy, on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On March 25th, 1911, one of the deadliest industrial disasters in American history took place. In the middle of Manhattan, a fire broke out in a garment factory that killed 146 people. Most of the deaths were totally preventable, and the legacy of that incident had repercussions that still exists today. Learn more about the Triangle Shirt Waste Factory Fire and its legacy on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Do you ever climb into bed ready to sleep only to have your mind start racing the moment your head hits the pillow? thoughts bouncing around, replaying the day or jumping ahead to tomorrow? That is exactly why Catherine Nikolai created Nothing Much Happens. Each episode is a gentle, cozy bedtime story where, well, nothing much happens.

No drama, no tension, nothing you need to follow closely. Just soft narration, calming repetition, and soothing sensory details designed to help your mind slow down and your body relax. It's not about entertainment, it's about rest. And millions of listeners around the world use it every night to quiet their thoughts and finally fall asleep. If you've ever struggled to shut your brain off at night, this might be exactly what you've been missing. You can listen to Nothing Much Happens wherever you get your podcasts.

Episodes are every Monday and Thursday. Before I get started talking about the Triangle Shirt Waste Factory Fire, I probably need to explain exactly what a shirt waste is because it isn't a word that most people are familiar with anymore. A shirt waist was a woman's garment which was a type of blouse, with elements taken from men's shirts such as cuffs and a collar. A waist was a general term for a woman's top, which is a use of the word which is no longer used today. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, shirtwaists were worn by most women of that era.

If you see any photos of women from this period, such as suffragettes, they are most probably wearing a shirt waist. With that being said, Manhattan was a very different place 110 years ago. Today, it's almost entirely residential and white-collar businesses. Back then, however, it was a hotbed of industrial activity. Newly arrived immigrants could get work, albeit low-paying work, at any number of factories in Manhattan. Garment factories were popular places for young immigrant women to find work. These factories were much better known as sweatshops. The Triangle Waste Company was founded in 1900 by two Russian Jewish immigrants, Isaac Harris and Max Blanc,

who became known as the Shirt Waste Kings. The woman's shirt-waste business was a huge industry. Ready-made off-the-rack clothing became popular with women who were just beginning to enter the workforce. The Triangle Factory was located on the 8th, 9th, and 10th floors of what was then known as the Ash Building in Greenwich Village, on the corner of Green Street and Washington Place. The building, especially the upper levels, was not designed to be a factory. It was originally built to be a warehouse. The space used by the Triangle Shirt Waste Company took up about 27,000 square feet. The workers in the factory were almost exclusively girls and young women, some as young as 14 years old.

The workers were also almost all recent Italian and Jewish immigrants. There were approximately 500 people who worked there. They would have to work 13-hour days with very few breaks. They were also discouraged from talking or singing during their shift. The average worker made about $6 to $12 per week, or the equivalent of about $175 to $350 a week in inflation-injusted dollars. The factory was subject to a strike in 1909 by the International Ladies Garment Workers Union

to demand higher wages and better working conditions. Many of the garment factories in New York recognized the Union, the triangle shirt waste factory held out. The shop floor was filled with wooden benches, fabric, and fabric dust, which was everywhere. The events in question occurred on March 25, 1911, at about 4 p.m. local time. From what we know from eyewitness accounts, the fire broke out in the northeast corner of the factory on the 8th floor. The cause is not definitively known, but many people in hindsight think it may have been caused by a cigarette from a cutter. The cutters in the factory were exclusively men. They were responsible for cutting the cloth,

and there would have been a large bundle of scraps under their table as the workday was ending, and the bins hadn't yet been emptied. The cutters would sometimes be known to smoke while working, even though smoking was not allowed anywhere in the factory, and at that time, very few women smoked. The entire factory was a giant tinderbox, almost literally. The fabric and the dust from the fabric was everywhere and was highly flammable. At 4.45 p.m., within five minutes of the fire starting, the fire department was notified by passers-by on the street who saw smoke coming from the eighth floor window.

The workers inside the factory immediately tried to flee when they saw the smoke and flames, but there was a problem. All of the doors, save for one, were locked. The owners of the factory regularly locked all of the doors except for the main entrance, so their employees wouldn't take unauthorized breaks and leave without approval. There were no fire extinguishers or sprinklers installed in the building. The only fire measures in the factory were buckets of water that were hanging on the wall, and most of them were empty. There was a fire hose on one of the floors, but had not been maintained, and the valves were rusted

shut. The floors in question only had one fire escape, and that was small and went to an inner courtyard. One of the bookkeepers on the eighth floor phoned the 10th floor to tell them of the fire because there were no alarms and no other way to notify them that they were in danger. The fire spread incredibly fast, and there was panic. everyone began to rush to the one exit which became jammed with bodies. Many women were trampled to death. Others rushed to the windows and eventually jumped to avoid being consumed by the flames.

Those who managed to make it to the fire escape overwhelmed it and it collapsed. Even then, it turned out that the fire escape ladder didn't reach the ground. When the fire apartment did arrive, they didn't have the equipment to fight the fire. Their ladders only reached the sixth floor and the fire was on floors 8 through 10. Many of the workers on the 9th and 10th floor did manage to escape to the roof, and from there crossed over to other buildings to safety. The entire fire was over in just 18 minutes. The contents of the factory were so combustible that allowed the fire to burn hot and fast. The final death toll from the fire was 146 dead, 123 women and 23 men.

62 people jumped to their deaths to avoid the flames. The two owners of the factory were actually on location when the fire started, and they managed to survive by 5.5.000. fleeing to the roof with the others. The tragedy shocked New York City and the entire nation, and led to widespread changes in many areas. A few days after the fire, an estimated 350,000 New Yorkers took part in a funeral procession for the victims. An emergency meeting was held at the Metropolitan Opera House, which packed the venue. One of the results of the fire was an increase in the growth of the membership of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union, or ILGWU. They became the largest union representing garment workers across the United States.

If you're old enough, you might remember them best from the Look for the Union label advertisements they used to run in the 70s and 80s. With the collapse of the garment industry in the United States, the union eventually merged with other unions and no longer exists. Another major change was the strengthening of fire codes in their enforcement. The truth was, there really wasn't any fire codes at the time. The owners weren't guilty of breaking any fire codes because there weren't any. The New York State Legislature created the Factory Investigating Commission, which looked into the disaster to suggest new laws to make sure that this didn't happen again. The commission powers were widespread and looked into many businesses beyond just the garment industry. The Tammany Hall political machine in New York City,

which will be the subject of a future episode, was one of the main drivers behind the commission and implementing its ideas. They saw the drive for reform to be a popular political position and threw their weight behind it. It led to 54-hour workweek legislation in New York, as well as rules regarding improved toilet and dining facilities at workplaces. The new fire regulation included mandating sprinklers in high-rise buildings, fire extinguishers improved fireproofing, doors that swung outward, alarm systems, and rules about the width

and number of stairs and large buildings. Enforcement of fire codes was also stepped up as well with stricter enforcement and penalties. The New York City Fire Chief identified over 200 factories in the city where a similar fire would have been possible. The American Society of Safety Professionals was founded in New York City

just months later as a direct result of the fire. As for the owners of the factory, They were charged with second and third degree manslaughter, but were acquitted. They later lost a civil trial for wrongful death and had to pay $75 to the family of each person who died in the fire. Just two years later, one of the factory owners, Max Blanc, was caught locking the doors of his factory during working hours, the very thing that killed so many people in his fire. He was fined the minimum fee of $20. The memory of the fire is still kept alive.

During the centennial of the fire in 2011, there were many events that were held, including a march on the fire's anniversary. There's currently a fundraising drive to create a memorial to the victims of the fire. The building where the fire took place is, believe it or not, still standing, while the fire gutted the inside or remain structurally sound. It's now known as the Brown Building and its own by New York University. A plaque on the outside of the building honors the victims of the fire. The triangle-shirt-waist factory fire remains one of the worst industrial accidents in American history. While the number of lives lost was horrific and totally unnecessary, the fire did result in a plethora of changes in fire safety and labor standards,

which undoubtedly prevented many other such disasters from being repeated. The associate producers of Everything Everywhere Daily are Peter Bennett and Thor Thompson. If you'd like to support the show, please join the list of patrons over at patreon.com. And also remember, if you leave a review or send me a question, you two can have it read on the show.