Many immigrant families depended on these girls to help put bread on the table. It was backbreaking work. They had little room to move, and were covered with dust from the fabric. Shirts were suspended from the ceilings, bolts of fabric lined the walls, trimmings and cuttings littered the floor. It was a disaster waiting to happen. On March 25, 1911, that disaster did happen.

It was the most tragic fire in New York's history. It probably started from a cigarette. The fabric caught fire and the blazes spread. A few of the workers tried to put the flames out with water, but a can of machine oil exploded. The entire floor was instantly engulfed in flames.

One hundred and forty-six people died that day. The owners, Isaac Harris and Max Blenck, thought it was better to save money than to keep people safe. They refused to install sprinklers or exterior fire escapes. They failed to fix the elevators. They locked most of the exit doors (because they thought people would steal from them). Harris and Blenck tried to say that their building was fireproof. But they forgot that people are not?

The fire was a terrible thing because so many girls died while trying to escape. People tried to escape through the windows, but fell to the ground and died. Others suffocated. Others burned. A few girls made it to safety by climbing across a human bridge to another building, but the men helping them got too tired and fell to the ground too. People outside saw all of these horrors. They were outraged.

They demanded that new laws be passed to protect workers and create fire safety. These laws required fire escapes, sprinklers, fire alarms, and exit signs above doors. More laws kept children from working, kept the workday from being too long, and required clean places to work and eat. These laws helped to make the U.S. one of the safest countries to work in.

Unfortunately, we are not perfect. There are still "sweatshops" like the Triangle Shirtwaist Company today. Nike, Reebok, and The Gap have all been guilty of employing sweatshop labor. Experts think there are as many as 10,000 more right here in the U.S. There are some things you can do to change things. You can support organizations that combat these social ills, like the National Mobilization Against Sweatshops. You can also write a letter to your congressman. Of course, one of the best ways is to not buy from companies that use sweatshops. We can make a difference.

Stephanie

Please email me at: stephanie@ustrek.org