in memoriam--triangle factory fire victims (25 march 1911)

[niyad]

below is a list of the victims of the triangle shirtwaist factory fire, along with what was known about them:



http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/trianglefire/victimswitnesses/survivors.html


pictures of some of the victims:

http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/trianglefire/primary/photosillustrations/index.html?sec_id=6

[malaise]

1. Get thee to the greatest page

Solidarity Forever

[sheshe2]

2. in memoriam

[Heidi]

3. Kick!

[Brigid]

4. Never Forget.

[JimDandy]

9. Yes.

[hfojvt]

5. 146 of 500 workers died

meanwhile, over here http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=4722955

111 of 142 workers died in a much lesser known incident 36 years later.

To me, 111 of 142 is a lot deadlier than 146 of 500.

Not that anybody is having a contest or something.

[redqueen]

6. K&R

[Suziq]

7. We will never forget . . . .

[theHandpuppet]

8. Never forget...

[Mnemosyne]

10. Never forget... nt

[FailureToCommunicate]

11. "Factory foremen had locked the exit doors to keep out union organizers and to

... keep workers from taking breaks and stealing scraps of fabric. Other doors only opened inward and were blocked by the stampede of workers struggling to escape. The ladders of the city's fire engines could not reach high enough to save the employees. As a result, workers burned or they jumped to their deaths."

Many more important legacies of that fire for our time here:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/peter-dreier/triangle-shirtwaist-fire-lessons-anniversary_b_5019431.html

[TBF]

12. Triangle: The Fire That Changed America

Book recommendation:


Triangle: The Fire that Changed America
By David Von Drehle

On March 25, 1911, a fire broke out at the Triangle shirtwaist factory in New York City. Within minutes it engulfed three upper floors, burning to death -- or causing to jump to their deaths -- 146 workers, 123 of them women, some as young as 15. The garment factory was a sweatshop, employing mostly young Italian and Jewish immigrants, and was typical of thousands of other such hellholes throughout the city, complete with locked exit doors and useless fire escapes. It was the worst workplace disaster in the city’s history and ultimately led to the beginnings of workplace safety and health laws -- and an increased understanding that the presence of unions could help prevent more such tragedies.

This excellent book vividly recounts the tragic fire but also tells us of life in the city during the early 1900s and brings us into the stories of the young women who lost their lives in the blaze.

http://www.laborbooks.com/index.php?app=ecom&ns=prodshow&ref=triangle

[niyad]

17. pbs: american experience-triangle fire

this documentary on the centenary of the fire was also excellent:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/triangle/

[geardaddy]

13. ...

[RufusTFirefly]

14. Fannie Coralie Perkins was there

Frances Perkins witnessed the horror of the fire, and it changed her life. She eventually became Secretary of Labor for Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the first woman to hold a Cabinet position.

[niyad]

15. . . .

[Starry Messenger]

16. k&r

[niyad]

18. . . .

[Raksha]

19. My cousin's name is on the list of victims: Diana Gerjuoy, 18.

I knew I'd find it there when I looked, so why does it hurt so much?

http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/trianglefire/victimsWitnesses/victimsList.html

[niyad]

22. I am so very sorry for causing you pain. it seems that sometimes, seeing something in print like

that just hits us even harder, even though we already know. and I am truly sorry for your loss.

[Raksha]

23. No need to apologize - I only learned about it myself a few years ago,

I believe through one of my other relatives on geni.com. The genealogy isn't complete, though. Thanks to your link, I was able to look at her death certificate for the first time and find out whose daughter she was. That will help me fill in a few of the gaps.

More important, though: I have always taken so much pride in my Jewish working-class roots, and when necessary used my background to explain why I've always been unabashedly pro-union, urban populist, socialist in my values. Learning about Diana's death in the Triangle fire only reinforced what has been a lifelong tendency anyway.

[niyad]

24. I am glad if the link brought you some additional information, even with the pain. and I can

certainly understand that, with your background, you would be involved exactly as you are. many thanks to you for what you do.

[Raksha]

20. K & R

[Beacool]

21. It should never be forgotten.

May they rest in peace.

[niyad]

25. . . .