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Children Working Condiitons
Children were forced to work in factories becasue thier parents didn't make enough money, so it was basically forced on them. Some people even had children just so they can get more money to pay bills, etc. -
Working Conditions in the 1900s
Young workers toiled at the factor 13 hours a day for $0.13 an hour. Owners liked for children to work at their factories because they could fit into smaller places that adults couldn't. Also they were easier to teach and could be paid less.One girl was interviewed and said " My sister was just like me because sometimes she forgot and talked while working , and one day she forgot that they weren't supposed to talk and she lost her finger. She didn't cry until the picked her finger up. -
How the fire started
At the Triangle Shirtwasit Factory in Manhattan, around 4:30 p.m , on Saturday March 25th 1911, a fire began on the eight floor. What started the fire has not been determined , but some thoeries include that a cigarette butt was thrown into one of the scrap bins or that there was a spark from a machine of the faulty electrical wiring. Most of the people on the eight floor evacuted, and a phone call to the tenth floor led to most of those workers evacutating. Some went to another building's roof. -
The Problems on the Ninth Floor
The workers on the ninth floor , with only a single door unlocked exit door did not recieve notice, and only realizedsomething was wrong when they saw the smoke and flames that had spread. By that time the only accessible stairwell was filled with smoke and the elevators stopped working. -
The Rescue
The fire department arrived quickly but thier ladders did not reach to the ninth floor to allow escape by those that were trapped. The hoses did not reach adequaltely to put out the flames quickly enough to save those trapped on th eninth floor. -
Still trying to escape
Workers sought escape by hiding in dressing rooms or bathrooms where they were overcome with smoke or flame and died there. Some tried to open the locked door and died there of suffocation or the flames. Others went to windows, ,and some 60 of them chose to jump from the ninth floor rather than die from the fire and smoke. The fire escape was not strong enough for the weight of those on it. It soon twisted and collapsed, 24 died from falling from it, and it was not of use to others. -
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The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire
On March 25th, 1911, there was a incident that led to the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. This became the deadliest incident in a workplace. The blaze ripped through the congested loft as petrified workers , mostly young immgrant women. They desperately tried to make thier way downstairs. By the time the fire burned itself out 146 people were dead. All but 17 of the dead were women and nearly half were teenagers. -
Overall deaths
With two more dying later from their injuries, a total of 145 people were killed by the fire. The workers union set up a march on April 5th on New yorks's Fifth Avenue to protest the conditions that had led to the fire ; it was attended by, 80,000 poeple. -
The Owners
Despite a good deal of evidence that the owners and management had been horribly negligent in the frie a grand jury failed to indict them no manslaughter charges. Still, the massacre for which the were responsible did finally compel the city to enact reform. In addtion to the Sullivan - Hoey Fire Prevention Law passed that October, the New York Democratic set toook up the cause of worker and became know as a reforn party. Both were crucial in preventing similar disasters in the future. -
The affect it had on the U.S.
The fire was a catalyst for change based on the public outcry it created, said ASSE President Darryl Hill. This fire led to the creation of workplace safety laws. It started making employers aware of their workforce. More than 30 labor- related laws written Ney York Factory Investigating Commision which has been established in response to the fire and has been credited with developing a new model for worker safety in U.S mills and workshops eventually adopted by the state legislature. -
Where I get my information from
I got my info from:
www.businessinsurance.com/article/20110313/ISSUE/303139973
www.history.com/topics/triangle-shirtwaist-fire
www.womenshistory.about.com/od/triangle/a/shirtwaist_fire.htm
www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/introduction/triangle-intro/Introduction
www.
I got all of my information from those sites above.