The Triangle Fire Essay - 1186 Words

In an era of a rising unionization, The Triangle Fire, calligraphy written my Leon Stein, describes one of the worst industrial disasters in the nation’s history that ended up killing 146 of the 500 Triangle Shirtwaist Company employees, which happened to be female immigrant workers. These immigrants came to the United States with their families in search for a better life. Instead they found themselves working long hours only to receive low wages along with horrendous working circumstances with very little freedom. This thrilling event happened in New York on the late afternoon of March 25, 1911. The tendentious Max Blank and Isaac Harris owned the top three floors in the Triangle Shirtwaist Company in the Asch Building. Most of†¦show more content†¦When the fire department arrived â€Å"the crowd began to yell raise the ladders†(18). The Fire Department did all they could do to help these women, but their equipment was not very helpful because the fire depart ment did not have a ladder long enough to reach past the sixth floor. A mechanist and patrolmen made life nest to catch the woman but to their surprise â€Å"woman fell with such force that they went right through the life nets landing on the pavement† (17). This tragic fire demonstrated how the fire inspections and precautions were noticeably lacking safety for these workers even though â€Å"a little more than five months before the tragedy Firemen Edward F. O’Conner made a routine inspection and said the Asch Building was ‘good’ and the building was ‘fireproof’†(28). The fire finally died down with over one hundred dead bodies piled along the streets. Sunday morning â€Å"thousands of people began to form into a slowly moving parade around the city blocks†(89). The people were walking in honor of these workers and would go around trying to identify the bodies and confiscate any items the bodies my have possessed for reminisce nces. On the other hand, the departments felt immediate quilt for not stepping in to fix the Asch building before, because the departments knew of the horrible safety and health precautions the Asch building had but nobody emphasized the problems. â€Å"But who was to blame?† (113). Chief Croker was quick to blameShow MoreRelatedHistory the Triangle Fire Essay2608 Words   |  11 PagesConstant Fall 2011 History 162 Modern America Dr. Bittel PAPER OPTION #1 The Triangle Fire The terrible fire that revealed a harsh reality to the world Nowadays, it is almost impossible to find a building that does not have exit signs or fire extinguishers in America. Whether in a university or at the work place, exit signs and fire safety instructions can easily be found by anybody. Fire drills are regularly practiced to ensure the least amount of casualty will occur if somethingRead MoreThe Triangle Factory Fire Of 1911948 Words   |  4 PagesThe Triangle Factory Fire of 1911 The Industrial Revolution is remembered as a major turning point in U.S. history. During this time, there were advancements in technology, an abundance of natural resources, cheap labor and investment capital. Industrialization led to the development of factories, which led to the increase in jobs for many immigrants. These advancements clearly overshadowed the harsh working conditions for many of these factory workers. In 1911, The Triangle Factory Fire was aRead MoreEssay about Triangle Shirtwaist Fire1710 Words   |  7 Pages Triangle Shirtwaist Fire nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Near closing time on Saturday afternoon, March 25, 1911, in New York City a fire broke out on the top floors of the Asch Building in the Triangle Shirtwaist Company. One of the worst tragedies in American history it was know as the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. It was a disaster that took the lives of 146 young immigrant workers. A fire that broke out in a cramped sweatshop that trapped many inside and killed 146 people. ThisRead MoreTriangle: the Fire That Changed America Essay1432 Words   |  6 PagesThe infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Fire occurred that day, and left one hundred and forty-six people dead in its wake. While many at the time thought the story would soon pass, and with it all the potential bad publicity, the story of the fire spread quickly, and outraged many people. As a result, the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire ended up changing many business and political practices of the time. In his book Triangle: The Fire that Changed America, David von Drehle argues that the fire largely impactedRead More Triangle: The Fire that Changed America Essay1615 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"The ‘Triangle’ company, â€Å"With blood this name will be written in the history of the American workers’ movement, and with feeling will this history recall the names of the strikers of this shop- of the crusaders† (Von Drehle 86). Even before it happen, the Forward predicted the terrible disaster of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory that occurred one year, one month, and seventeen days later (86). Triangle: The Fire that Changed America, by David Von Drehle tells the story of the horrible fire. DavidRead More Triangle Fire 1911 Essay example2502 Words   |  11 Pages The Triangle Fire of 1911 nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Near closing time on Saturday afternoon, March 25, 1911, in New York City a fire broke out on the top floors of the Asch Building in the Triangle Shirtwaist Company. One of the worst tragedies in American history it is known as the â€Å"Triangle Shirtwaist Fire†. It was a disaster that took the lives of 146 workers, most of which were women. This tragedy pointed out the negatives of sweatshop conditions of the industrialization era. It emphasizedRead MoreTriangle: The Fire That Changed America Essay1282 Words   |  6 PagesOn the afternoon of March 25, 1911, a fire broke out in the 10-floor Asch Building, a block east of Manhattans Washington Square. This is where 500 mostly young immigrant girls were producing shirts for the Triangle Shirtwaist Company. Within minutes, it spread to consume the buildings upper three stories. Firemen at the scene were unable to rescue those trapped inside: their ladders werent tall enough. Exits were locked, and the narrow fire escapes were inadequate. Panicked, many jumped fromRead MoreThe Triangle Shirtwaist Company Fire Essay example1460 Words   |  6 Pagesfollowing is a short excerpt of those who fought and died due to the Triangle Shirtwaist Company Fire. â€Å"The â€Å"Triangle† Company†¦ With blood this name will be written in the history of the American workers’ movement, and with feel will this history recall the names of the strikers of this shop—of the crusaders.†Ã¢â‚¬â€ Jewish Daily Forward (Drehle) On March 25, 1911, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire broke out. Proper workers’ rights and fire prevention installations were not in place or were not followedRead MoreEssay about Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire1676 Words   |  7 Pagesand disaster did strike in March, 1911. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York set on fire, killing 146 workers. This is an important event in US history because it helped accomplish the tasks unions and strikes had tried to accomplish years earlier, It improved working conditions in factories nationwide and set new safety laws and regulations so that nothing as catastrophic would happen again. The workplace struggles became public after this fire, and the work industry would never remain theRead MoreThe Tragedy Of The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire1773 Words   |  8 Pagesconquer anything life threw at her. After graduation, Frances struggled to find something meaningful to do with her life; That is the tragedy of The Triangle S hirtwaist Factory fire. Witnessing the tragedy first hand, and listening to the emotional speech of Russian immigrant, Rose Schneiderman (the representative of those that perished in the fire) Frances set out to change the laws of labor rights all over the country. 2. What did they do to make a difference and why did that resonate with you