Tyler Grove

Lynn Pohl

Woman’s History in America

November 18, 2004

The Triangle Trade Union Relief

The front page of the March 26th, 1911 New York Times read “141 Men and Girls

Die in Waist Factory Fire; Trapped High Up in Washington Place Building; Street

Strewn with Bodies; Piles of Dead Inside”. The article described the one of the most

horrific fires in a New York City Factory. It all started at Greene St and Washington

Place, at the Triangle Waist Company factory near closing time on Saturday March 25th.

The building was 10 stories tall and housed 500 factory workers. By the end of the day,

146 would be dead. This horrific event would forever change factory procedures in the

United States.1

The factory had been a catalyst for activities associated with unionization. In 1909

a spontaneous walkout of 400 people had occurred.2 Workers at the Triangle Shirtwaist

factory describe that they grew up together. “…Newman was assigned to a corner know

as “the kindergarten,” where workers as young as eight, nine, or maybe ten year olds

worker trimmed threads from finished garments.” She labored from 7.30 AM to 6.30 PM

“if it wasn’t busy.”3

1 “141 Men and Girls Die in Waist Factory Fire; Trapped High Up in Washington Place Building; Street Strewn with Bodies; Piles of Dead Inside” New York Times, March 26, 1911, p. 1. (available online @ http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/trianglefire/texts/newspaper/nyt_032611_5.html)2 http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/trianglefire/narrative2.html3 Annelise Orleck, “From Russian Pale to Labor Organizing in New York City” Women’s America: Refocusing the Past.(Oxford: Oxford University Press,2004) 314.

The next day the New York Times article described in sensational detail the

events as they unfolded. The building was described in the article of being the “most

modern construction and classed as fireproof”.4 Although the building was described as

fireproof, according to the article the sheets hung around the sweatshops provided many

flammable items.

It was a four alarm fire, and by the time the first fire engine arrived spectators

described with horrifying detail the jumping of some workers who were stranded in the

building. The Fire engines ladders only reached the 6th floor and the lack of water

pressure hampered the ability to send water up to the highest floors.

The New York Times article highlighted the tragic scene that unfolded…“There

is just one fire escape in the building… In Greene Street, where the terrified unfortunates

crowded before they began to make their mad leaps to death, the whole big front of the

building is guiltless of one. Nor is there a fire escape in the back” The article exclaimed.

In graphic detail the article described “A heap of corpses lay on the sidewalk for more

than an hour.”5

The building was owned by Max Blanck and Isaac Harris, but much of the work

was from the workers of subcontractors. Individuals would hire their own workers,

supervise them and pay them separately from the owners. Through this system the

subcontractors in order to make the most profit would hire newly arrived immigrants and

pay them as little as possible. These subcontractors made many stringent rules to find

other ways to dock pay from their workers, many of whom had no other employment

options and were vulnerable to exploitation.

4 “141 Men and Girls Die in Waist Factory Fire; Trapped High Up in Washington Place Building; Street Strewn with Bodies; Piles of Dead Inside”5 abid

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The primary document entitled “The Triangle Trade Union Relief” was published

in the American Federationist in the July 1911 edition. The document highlighted Union

activities that aimed to aid the workers and their families. Despite that most of the

workers had not been union members, most were newly arrived in this country and were

unaware of labor movements, or too scared to join them for fear of losing their jobs. The

document deals exclusively with responses to actions after the fire. The document

describes the inability to find next of kin for many of the workers “A number of the dead

girls left not a single relative in this country.” 6

A joint relief committee was set up that that included the Ladies’ Waist and Dress

Makers' Union, United Hebrew Trades, Workmen's Circle, Women's Trade Union

League and Jewish Daily Forward. This joint committee had a three pronged approach to

aid workers and their families as victim from the fire, This approach included a relief

committee, arrange for a funeral protest demonstration, and criminal prosecution for

owners of the factory. All these organizations with the exception of the Women's Trade

Union League were from the east side of New York City and were Jewish in origin. 7

The Committee heard the cases of every worker to determine appropriate

compensation and Mailly points out that “the one startling fact of all was the large

number of girls who had been the main, and oftentimes the sole, support of families in

Russia or Italy.”8 He points that many of these young girls lived alone with the sole

responsibility of sending money to their families overseas. “The chief problem

confronting the relief committee lay in providing for these dependent families abroad.”9.

6 William Mailly, “The Triangle Trade Union Relief” American Federationist, (July 1911), 544-547. (available online @ http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/trianglefire/texts/newspaper/af_0711.html)7 abid8 abid9 abid

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The committee attempted to place injured workers in the best possible locations,

sending the orphan girls to the Clara de Hirsch Home for Girls which was regarded as “an

excellent trade school”, or if injured they were sent to the Solomon Loeb Convalescent

Home “to stay until well”.10

Max Blanck and Isaac Harris would be acquitted of any wrongdoing in the trial

eight months after the fire. Though individually twenty-three lawsuits would be brought

against the owners, they would eventually settle for on average $75 per life lost.11 The

result of this devastating fire would result in some of the most sweeping legislation aimed

at making working conditions better for factory workers. But these would only result

after years of successful passing of safety and hour regulation laws in state law bodies.

But the lasting impacts of this fire would be seen for decades to follow.

10 abid11Leon Stein, The Triangle Fire (New York: A Carroll & Graf/Quicksilver Book, 1962), 150.

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