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On this day in engineering history, a fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City caused the deaths of 146 garment workers. This tragedy was one of the largest industrial disasters in the history of New York City, and resulted in public demand for industrial safety reforms.
Shirtwaists and Shift Work
The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory occupied the eighth, ninth, and tenth floors of the Asch Building. There, laborers produced women's blouses known as "shirtwaists." An estimated 500 workers, mostly young immigrant women, normally worked nine-hour weekday shifts and seven hours on Saturdays.
On Saturday, March 25, 1911, a fire began in a scrap bin beneath one of the cutters' tables. A bookkeeper on the eighth floor called to warn employees on the tenth floor, but there was no audible alarm to warn the staff on the ninth floor. Yetta Lubitz, a survivor who worked on the ninth floor, reported that the warning workers eventually received came at the same time as the fire itself.
Attempting Escape
The factory's ninth floor had multiple exits, including two freight elevators, a fire escape, and stairwells to Greene Street and Washington Square. Unfortunately, the fire prevented workers from using the Green Street stairwell to reach the street, and the Washington Square stairwell was locked. Although some workers used the Greene Street stairwell to reach the roof, after three minutes the stairwell became unusable in both directions.
Some workers were able to escape using the elevators for the short time they were in operation. Elevator operators were able to make three trips back and forth before the elevator bucked from the flames. The remaining factory workers crowded the fire escape, but the structure was poorly-constructed and became twisted and broken from the heat.
To the horror of the crowd in the street below, sixty-two people died after jumping or falling from the ninth floor. Others waited in the factory until smoke and flame overcame them. Despite the fire department's quick arrival, firefighters were unable to stop the flames since their ladders could not reach past the sixth floor.
Causes
The Fire Marshal later concluded that the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire was likely caused by the disposal of an unextinguished match or cigarette. Although smoking was banned in the factory, the cutters were known to sneak cigarettes and exhale through their lapels to avoid detection.
Other theories suggest that the fire was started by the engines running the sewing machines. A leading industry journal, The Insurance Monitor, suggested that shirtwaist factories were "fairly saturated with moral hazard."
Aftermath
Many citizens were outraged by the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory tragedy. As a result, support grew for labor unions such as the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. The New York Legislature also created The Factory Commission of 1911, which resulted in the creation of a Fire Prevention division as part of the fire department. Restrictions were made to prevent future fires, and to prevent the blockage of escape routes.
The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire was also a major contributor to the creation of International Women's Day.
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Today is International Women's Day!
Resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangle_Shirtwaist_Factory_fire
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