Essay On Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

Improved Essays
The tragedy that was the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire (Triangle Fire) could be attributed to a plethora of cumulative factors that brought about the deaths of numerous factory workers. The event referred to as, “The Fire That Changed America” (Argersinger 1), occurred just a short time after the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory strike (Triangle Strike), which addressed the horrific conditions faced by the factory workers and their right to unionize; and confirmed the claims of the Triangle Strike women workers. Despite factory owners across New York City giving into the demands of the factory workers right to unionize, have higher wages, and less hours; resulting in the strikes ending, the triangle shirtwaist factory owners abstained from coming …show more content…
“[I]f you are allowed in the ‘loft’ itself, you will find yourself in a single great room, its floor area that of a concert-hall, filled from end to end with men and girls working at motor-driven machines” (Argersinger 40). The ceilings were designed much higher than normal apartment buildings, which provided Triangle Factory owners, Max Blanck and Isaac Harris, also known as the “Shirtwaist Kings” (Argersinger 4), with additional square footage per worker, though the extra space was not allocated as the law intended. “The New York factory laws say that every factory worker shall have 250 cubic feet of air” (Argersinger 41). The raised ceilings of the lofts allowed The Shirtwaist Kings to increase the square-foot of air space, but in reality, the workers faced cramped working spaces. “Considering the very great amount of floor area always taken up by tables, men and girls and machines could be packed as closely as the chairs could be put and the factory owner still be within the law” (Argersinger 41). The loft-style appearance also kept the horrid interior working conditions unobserved from the outside environment. To further contribute to the dangerous conditions, baskets of shirtwaist materials littered the factory floor, as well as finished products hanging above the factory machines. “The fire was spreading faster now, feeding itself on piles of shirtwaists, wooden tables, even the fabric dust that hung in the air” (The American Experience: Triangle Fire). Close working quarters associated with highly flammable material, crowding of the factory floor, and improper allocation of air space all contributed to create fire hazards beyond common belief. The Triangle Strikers witnessed the hazards far beyond what the common passerby could see because they worked directly within the conditions; fire prevention

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Yesterday, March 25, 191 at 4:40 pm, a fire at the Triangle Waist Company 10 floor building in New York city broke out and killed 146 young workers who were mostly immigrants. The fire started when someone threw either a match or cigarette int0 the waste bucket. Someone smelled smoke and told the manager who then started to throw water onto the fire, but it was already too late. Everyone began to panic and run for the door, but the door was too small and could only fit one person through at a time so people began to jump out the windows. The 10th floor was notified about the fire but the 9th floor wasn't.…

    • 527 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the early 1900’s, were there legitimate ways to prevent fires like we do today? Albert Marrin’s non-fiction story, “Flesh And Blood So Cheap” uses both explicit and implicit evidence and examples in his excerpt to convey his theme that The Triangle Fire that took place in 1911 was caused by many unsafe practices and standards, which led to 146 deaths in the large fire. Fortunately, this fire prompted people to want to work for reforms to improve safety standards which we still use to this day. The first kind of evidence Albert Marrin uses in his story to convey his theme is implicit evidence.…

    • 544 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    What laws were made? Did anything happen to the owner? The Triangle Factory fire was a devastating situation: 145 people out of 500 died. It was a hard situation for many parents.…

    • 336 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire Carlos Gonzalez Prof. Ursic 22 April 2024 Abstract The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911 perfectly shows the aftershocks of labor exploitation, ignorance of factory safety. Such as a lack of sprinklers, and a lack of any fire resistant materials. There was a lack of safety exits, as the majority of the doors were locked. It is unknown how the fire started, but there are assumptions that it started with a lit cigarette.…

    • 737 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    A socialist and union activist, Rose Schneiderman speaks up and says something extremely important, “What happened at the Triangle was outrageous-this was undeniable and beyond politics. It was preventable, but it happened anyway because of complacency and greed.” The fire “changed America,” as Von Drehle argues to an extent seeing as it altered politics and gave rise to urban liberalism. The fact that nine years later woman earned the right to vote was a major accomplishment.…

    • 819 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Triangle Fire Analysis

    • 557 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The fire at the Triangle factory had led to deaths from the ninth floor. The owners fled their way out without warning the factory works downstairs. That is why emergency exits and the doors must be open always during business hours today. All of the safety measures and monthly safety check exists. Everyone in the workplace today are required to know where fire extinguishers are located and…

    • 557 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    People began to think of the “What ifs”, what if the door would not have been locked? What if the fire department had better equipment? What if there was a way to make everyone aware of the fire? This fire also brought attention to the working conditions the women had to endure almost every day. This fire is what lead the Factory Investigation Commission, or FIC, to be created.…

    • 946 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    These chapters allow the readers to visualize the pain, struggle and panic that the works of the Triangle factory have to go through during the fire. The transcript provides complete details of the clothes, people, tables, roofs, exit doors and elevators of the Shirtwaist…

    • 1809 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Bruce Watson, author of the book Bread and Roses explains to the reader an overview of a strike caused in Lawrence, Massachusetts by textile workers in 1912. Immigrant workers who came from all sorts of lands such as Italy, Ireland and Germany and many more started working in Mill working areas. They came to America for the American Dream. Sadly, these immigrants were working in horrible working conditions. These conditions led workers to die or grow sick.…

    • 1264 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Organized Labor DBQ

    • 901 Words
    • 4 Pages

    During the period from 1875 to 1900, organized labor was unsuccessful in improving the conditions for its workers. All of the work that was done, mostly to vain. Some labor unions such as Knights of Labor and the American Federation of Labor tried to improve many working conditions. They also tried to make the work days shorter with less hours, and have higher wages. One of the reasons why organized labor was not a success was the public had many bitter opinions about the labor unions.…

    • 901 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Why Is The Gilded Age Bad

    • 606 Words
    • 3 Pages

    the time when the work conditions where really bad was one time there was a fire at this clothes factory…

    • 606 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    During the immorality of the Gilded Age of 1865 through 1900, no other group felt the corruption more intensely than the American industrial worker class. Commonly referred to as the slaves of the north, the American industrial workers were brutally treated, working long, gruesome hours and receiving a meager pay. Naturally, this injustice led to advocating for better conditions. Although several factors attempted to improve the lives of the American industrial workers, they ultimately resulted in worse conditions: technological change begot increased work loads; poor government actions allowed for exploitation of loopholes to dismiss the workers’ pleas; and inefficient attempts at unionization culminated in increased internal conflict among…

    • 937 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Triangle Changed America

    • 954 Words
    • 4 Pages

    “The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire” by Donna Getzinger is similar to Von Drehle’s monograph in that it discusses the history of the workers before and after the fire, the safety laws put into place after the fire, the…

    • 954 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In Stein’s monograph “The Triangle Fire” it elaborates on how the Triangle Waist Company fire was devastating and also how it relates to the right of workers “A work of history relevant for all those who continue the fight for workers' rights and safety” (STEIN 2010). This is related to the “Triangle The Fire That Changed America” due to the evidence about the workers in the Triangle Waist Company “Get the manufacturer's to give you what you…

    • 897 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Essay On Dbq Fire

    • 446 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The fact of the matter is that the working environment should have been maintained strictly. The workers were dealing with cotton fabric, which is very flammable, meaning that the supervisors should have made sure that any scrapped material should have been thrown away outside of the building, especially if there are any open flames in the work area. The building was not prepared for the event that took place and neither were those directly involved. The lack of a safety code was a major benefactor as to why the fire was so devastating to the victims. Another crucial piece to this event was the lack of an escape plan.…

    • 446 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays