On the Subject Of…

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire (25 March 1911)

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City was the site of the 1909 "Uprising of the 20,000," one of the first demonstrations of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union (ILGWU) and the Women's Trade Union League (WTUL). Factory owners Max Blanck and Issac Harris thwarted workers' attempts to unionize, and began locking the factory doors to prevent union organizers from entering. In February, 1911, a U.S. Labor Department inspection of the factory cited several hazardous conditions: the locked exits; a perilously narrow, 18-inch-wide stairwell leading to the street; doorways that swung inward, making them difficult to open in a crowded situation; oily rags and piles of flammable fabric strewn about the work areas, which also contained cutting machines fueled by gasoline...