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triangle factory fire
The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City on March 25, 1911 was the deadliest industrial disaster in the history of the city, and one of the deadliest in US history. -
The end of the day
As the workday was ending on the afternoon of Saturday, March 25, 1911, a fire flared up at approximately 4:40 pm in a scrap bin under one of the cutter's tables at the northeast corner of the eighth floor -
a mistake..
Beneath the table in the wooden bin were hundreds of pounds of scraps which were left over from the several thousand shirtwaists that had been cut at that table. The scraps piled up from the last time the bin was emptied, coupled with the hanging fabrics that surrounded it; the steel trim was the only thing that was not highly flammable -
the fire..
The first fire alarm was sent at 4:45 -
the fire started to spread
A bookkeeper on the eighth floor was able to warn employees on the tenth floor via telephone, but there was no audible alarm and no way to contact staff on the ninth floor According to survivor Yetta Lubitz, the first warning of the fire on the ninth floor arrived at the same time as the fire itself. -
a way out
Although the floor had a number of exits, including two freight elevators, a fire escape, and stairways down, flames prevented workers from descending to the stairway, and the door to the stairway was locked to prevent theft by the worker the locked doors allowed managers to check the women's purses Dozens of employees escaped the fire by going up to the roof. Other were able to use elevators while they continued to operate.
