Surviving the Triangle Fire: Women's Labor Activism in the Progressive Era
Rosey Safran was one of the many women who fought for better and safer working conditions in industrial areas. She partnered with Women's Trade Union Labor and International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union in order to protest and fight for those who died in the Triangle Fire. She was a Jewish immigrant from Galacia who worked as a garment worker in the Triangle Shirtwaist Company held in the Asch Building. On April 20, 1911 she wrote a letter in which she stated that she witnessed the death of many of her coworkers along with her friends. She also implied how many of the garment workers could have been saved if they had been in a building with safe working conditions. Since she was in the building on the day that the fire broke out, she was able to describe what she saw and paint her audience a picture in terms of how the industrial system works. (478) The purpose of this letter was to grasp the attention of those in the industrial workforce and fight for better working conditions. Since she worked alongside women, she believed that it was not right for them to have to worry that in the future the building was going to get caught on fire. Although she worked with women, her target expanded beyond women. In fact she targeted young children and male workers since many of them worked in similar factories like she did at the time of the fire.
The Asch Building was known to be one of the safest buildings in New York City until the Triangle Fire. (479) While some burned to death and others jumped to save their lives; the question arises to who were the ones responsible for this crisis. According to Safran's description, the owners of the building were the ones responsible for the deaths of the garment workers due to the lack of safety and working conditions provided. Safran also mentions that the bosses played an important role in this crisis, since locked the only door available in fear that the workers would steal garments. (478) If the door would have been unlocked a significant number of workers could have been saved, however it was not until that obstacle that made them realize how unsafe it was to work in a factory building like the Asch Building. As described in this passage, their working conditions were unsafe in terms of the way the building was set up. The door, in this case was the main focus because it happens to be the only door in that floor. One door is all these workers had and yet it was still not enough for two hundred and thirty workers to go through. In addition to only one door being available, it was made of half wood and half thick glass, which was impossible for the workers to break down with their own bare hands. They had to use machinery in order to make a large enough space to allow people to go through. (478) The use of words used in this section emphasizes the struggles these workers had to go through. For instance, machinery was used to break down a door as opposed to the weight of the workers hand, body, and formation. This section implies that the way the owners built the building made it impossible for anyone to get out in case of an emergency. In addition to the one door in the eighth floor, the ninth floor had a similar problem however it was with a window. Annie Rosen, known as Safran's friend, tried to break down a window, however it was stuck. Once she was able to open the window she was able to go through a "little fire escape." (478) The little fire escape described in the passage makes it seem as if it was hard for Rosen to go through. If it was hard for one person to use that fire escape, it must have been hard for all the others who attempted to take the same route. This can then explain how the lack of safety in the building caused many of the workers to burn to death or jump to death.
In addition to the owners being suspected for the Triangle Fire, they also had to deal with the responsibilities that came after the crisis. For instance, while Safran described how the owners were responsible for the crisis, those same descriptions could also be used as arguments for the protective labor legislation. As mentioned in chapter 15, the protective labor legislation was called for due to lack of safety in the Asch Building along with other factories dealing with the same working conditions. The Women's Trade Union League held hearings in order to propose laws as a way to protect and prevent accidents in industrial areas. If the proposed laws were to be passed, it would require factory inspections and owners to build buildings based on safety and working condition considerations. (477) In this case Safran could argue that the floor she was in only had one door with no fire escape exit. To start off with her argument she could complain about the number of doors available since one was not enough for a floor filled with about two hundred and thirty people. That one door could have saved lives; however that one door would have still not been enough for everyone to go through. She could also argue that the door was closed and made out of thick wood and glass. The fact that it was thick implies that the building was secure enough to provide safety however it was not secure enough to allow people to get out of even if body weight was being used. When she stated that they had to use machinery in order to make an opening, it implies that this door was too strong to allow any interaction. Another argument that Safran could claim is the lack of fire escapes in the building. Many of the workers were in the eighth, ninth, and tenth floor which would have been time consuming to get out of it the stairs were being used. In this case they could not get to the stairs because the fire started from the top of the building and quickly escalated causing no time for many of the workers to react. If there were fire escapes, the workers could have climbed out of the building with enough time to allow others to use the fire escape as well. Here is where Safran's descriptions would be used as an advantage to propose laws causing factory inspections and better working conditions for future factory workers. The data and the facts were all written and under her power at that time causing a stronger argument.
During the Progressive Era, women began standing up for their rights; whether it was through sit ins, protests, petitions, or public hearings. When the Triangle Fire occurred, women saw this as an advantaged and started raising their voices in order to fight for better working conditions. Unions were formed and hearings were held as many industrial workers joined to demand for safer working environments. Although women did not have the right to vote, they were allowed to form arguments in their own grounds and invite the public to hear them. In this case, Safran became an important aspect to public hearings, because she along with many of the other garment workers who survived, were able to state their story. This was their way of being able to fight for something they believed needed a change. In addition to public support, unions were able to take their argument to protective labor legislation and propose laws, in which, would benefit them and those working in industrial areas. Facts and data were all there, it was up to the public (men at the time) to decide whether to go through with it or not. In a bigger aspect to women's history, the Triangle Fire was seen as an epiphany for many women. This crisis made women realize how their voices needed to be heard. It allowed them to become eager and fight for a change in society. Women were the ones who dealt with this crisis, while men dealt with other crisis. Although there may have been men in that building, the Triangle Fire seemed to affect women more than it did to men. This crisis allowed them to gain courage and make them feel important. It allowed them to state that if it wasn't for them witnessing what they did, some buildings could go through the same situation.
Source: Rosey Safran, “The Washington Place Fire,” The Independent 70 (April 20, 1911): 840-41
The Asch Building was known to be one of the safest buildings in New York City until the Triangle Fire. (479) While some burned to death and others jumped to save their lives; the question arises to who were the ones responsible for this crisis. According to Safran's description, the owners of the building were the ones responsible for the deaths of the garment workers due to the lack of safety and working conditions provided. Safran also mentions that the bosses played an important role in this crisis, since locked the only door available in fear that the workers would steal garments. (478) If the door would have been unlocked a significant number of workers could have been saved, however it was not until that obstacle that made them realize how unsafe it was to work in a factory building like the Asch Building. As described in this passage, their working conditions were unsafe in terms of the way the building was set up. The door, in this case was the main focus because it happens to be the only door in that floor. One door is all these workers had and yet it was still not enough for two hundred and thirty workers to go through. In addition to only one door being available, it was made of half wood and half thick glass, which was impossible for the workers to break down with their own bare hands. They had to use machinery in order to make a large enough space to allow people to go through. (478) The use of words used in this section emphasizes the struggles these workers had to go through. For instance, machinery was used to break down a door as opposed to the weight of the workers hand, body, and formation. This section implies that the way the owners built the building made it impossible for anyone to get out in case of an emergency. In addition to the one door in the eighth floor, the ninth floor had a similar problem however it was with a window. Annie Rosen, known as Safran's friend, tried to break down a window, however it was stuck. Once she was able to open the window she was able to go through a "little fire escape." (478) The little fire escape described in the passage makes it seem as if it was hard for Rosen to go through. If it was hard for one person to use that fire escape, it must have been hard for all the others who attempted to take the same route. This can then explain how the lack of safety in the building caused many of the workers to burn to death or jump to death.
In addition to the owners being suspected for the Triangle Fire, they also had to deal with the responsibilities that came after the crisis. For instance, while Safran described how the owners were responsible for the crisis, those same descriptions could also be used as arguments for the protective labor legislation. As mentioned in chapter 15, the protective labor legislation was called for due to lack of safety in the Asch Building along with other factories dealing with the same working conditions. The Women's Trade Union League held hearings in order to propose laws as a way to protect and prevent accidents in industrial areas. If the proposed laws were to be passed, it would require factory inspections and owners to build buildings based on safety and working condition considerations. (477) In this case Safran could argue that the floor she was in only had one door with no fire escape exit. To start off with her argument she could complain about the number of doors available since one was not enough for a floor filled with about two hundred and thirty people. That one door could have saved lives; however that one door would have still not been enough for everyone to go through. She could also argue that the door was closed and made out of thick wood and glass. The fact that it was thick implies that the building was secure enough to provide safety however it was not secure enough to allow people to get out of even if body weight was being used. When she stated that they had to use machinery in order to make an opening, it implies that this door was too strong to allow any interaction. Another argument that Safran could claim is the lack of fire escapes in the building. Many of the workers were in the eighth, ninth, and tenth floor which would have been time consuming to get out of it the stairs were being used. In this case they could not get to the stairs because the fire started from the top of the building and quickly escalated causing no time for many of the workers to react. If there were fire escapes, the workers could have climbed out of the building with enough time to allow others to use the fire escape as well. Here is where Safran's descriptions would be used as an advantage to propose laws causing factory inspections and better working conditions for future factory workers. The data and the facts were all written and under her power at that time causing a stronger argument.
During the Progressive Era, women began standing up for their rights; whether it was through sit ins, protests, petitions, or public hearings. When the Triangle Fire occurred, women saw this as an advantaged and started raising their voices in order to fight for better working conditions. Unions were formed and hearings were held as many industrial workers joined to demand for safer working environments. Although women did not have the right to vote, they were allowed to form arguments in their own grounds and invite the public to hear them. In this case, Safran became an important aspect to public hearings, because she along with many of the other garment workers who survived, were able to state their story. This was their way of being able to fight for something they believed needed a change. In addition to public support, unions were able to take their argument to protective labor legislation and propose laws, in which, would benefit them and those working in industrial areas. Facts and data were all there, it was up to the public (men at the time) to decide whether to go through with it or not. In a bigger aspect to women's history, the Triangle Fire was seen as an epiphany for many women. This crisis made women realize how their voices needed to be heard. It allowed them to become eager and fight for a change in society. Women were the ones who dealt with this crisis, while men dealt with other crisis. Although there may have been men in that building, the Triangle Fire seemed to affect women more than it did to men. This crisis allowed them to gain courage and make them feel important. It allowed them to state that if it wasn't for them witnessing what they did, some buildings could go through the same situation.
Source: Rosey Safran, “The Washington Place Fire,” The Independent 70 (April 20, 1911): 840-41
"I got out to the street and watched the upper floors burning, and the girls hanging by their hands and then dropping as the fire reached up to them. There they were dead on the sidewalk.It was an awful, awful sight, especially to me who had so many friends among the girls and young men-who were being roasted alive or dashed to 'death. I can't describe how I felt as I stood watching. I could see the figures, but not the faces; the police kept us all too far back"
Source: Rosey Safran, “The Washington Place Fire,” The Independent 70 (April 20, 1911): 840-41
Rosey Safran was one of the few people that were able to escape the Triangle Fire. Above is a quote from her letter in which she stated the feelings, emotions, and thoughts she was going through as she saw many of her coworkers and friends get burned to death. The significance of this quotes reveals the damages that the owners of the Asch Building caused. While many of them were focused on making money, they did not realize how much it was going to affect them in the future. For instance, this was the pivotal point in which factory workers realized that they were not working in a safe environment. This scene became a primary reason to why women began demanding better working environments and consolidations. They realized that many innocent people died due to the faults of the managers, when it could have been prevented if the building was built better.
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The Asch Building was known to be one of the safest buildings in New York City until the Triangle Fire occurred. (478) The image above shows how unsafe the building was at the time of the fire. In this image there are no fire escape exits and there is no form of an easy way out. The building looks old, however it was not old enough to allow several workers to escape from. As seen in this illustration, the fire started from the top of the building and quickly escalated to the bottom of the building, however this image does not show the entire building. The significance of this image helps those studying this crisis visualize how the tragedy looked like the day it occurred.
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While women argued that they had no way to get out, this image illustrates that argument. As the fire started from the top of the building and quickly escalated to the bottom of the building, many realized that there was no way out. The only door they had was locked and the fire had already reached the fire escape exit once workers reacted to it. If one looks closely there is a women on the top left hand side with a look of confusion. One could also say that she is frighten at the fact that her only was out is destroyed in which she will have to find another way to escape.
The significance of this image allows garment workers and unions to fight for better working conditions and provide facts that makes their argument stronger.
The significance of this image allows garment workers and unions to fight for better working conditions and provide facts that makes their argument stronger.
The image above is a photo of a few of the women that either burned to death or jumped to death. While many believed that they were going to survive such tragedy, that was not the case. The significance of this image illustrates the lives of the innocent people that were affected by the Triangle Fire. While images like these were in the news and newspaper, it made it easier for unions to argue their case against the owners of the Ash Building. On the personal perspective of this photo, one can see people in the background trying to identify the bodies of those who died. Those people were family, spouses, and loved ones who found out about this tragedy moments after it happened.
Cornell University
After the Triangle Fire crisis occurred women began to raise their voices and protest against their safety and the safety of other industrial workers. The image above shows a group of men and women fighting for safer working environments. Different unions came together and joined many of the garment workers who were involved in the Triangle Fire. The significance of this image illustrates the determination both men and women had in order to gain better working conditions. This was their way of stating the facts to the protective labor legislation in order to propose and pass laws that required factory inspections and working consolidations.
Cornell University
The locked door! The one door that could have saved several lives, was what helped workers realize how unsafe it was to be working at a factory building with only one door for each floor. Both images above show the difficulties that the garment workers had to go through in order to break down a single door. If one looks closely, both images show garment workers on the floor with the impression that they gave it all they had in order to unlock the door.The image on the left illustrates several workers trying to break down a door with their bodies, arms, and formations. The image on the right shows the same concept, however a man is standing behind the door making sure that no one gets out. The image on the right also shows the corrupt ways the industrial system was set up. The significance behind both these images show that the owners and managers only cared about one thing, business.
John Sloan
In comparison to the image above, this image also shows the corrupt ways the industrial system worked. On one side of the triangle it reads "profit" with a business man behind it. Here John Sloan is letting his audience know that making profit was the main concern the owners of the Asch Building had. They did not care how they got their money as long as they did. On the other side of the triangle it reads "interest" with a women burning on the floor. The interest of these owners were to get as much money off of those who needed a place to work. While women spent countless days and nights working at factories, they did not think that their working environment would be in danger. These owners tried to save as much money as they could and if that meant eliminating safety then that was what they were going to do. The last side of the triangle reads "rent" with a human shaped skeleton implying the death of the garment workers. This side of the triangle implies that in the end whether the workers were dead or alive, the profit and interest that was gained still helped provide rent. The significance of this image allows society to see how the industrial system worked in terms of gaining what was beneficial to factory owners and managers.