The Jewish Chronicle
On this day: The Triangle Shirtwaist fire
March 25 1911: Deadliest industrial disaster in US history
March 25, 2011 09:00
March 25 1911: Deadliest industrial disaster in US history
March 25, 2011 09:00It was late on a Saturday afternoon, the end of the working day, when the first flames were spotted at the Triangle Waist Company factory in New York.
The tragedy left 146 people dead and more than 70 with injuries, prompting the introduction of improved regulations on factory safety.
Most of the victims were Jewish and Italian women and children, recent European immigrants to the United States attempting to work their way out of poverty and out of the tenements of the Lower East Side.
Fires often claimed victims, but casualty numbers in the incident were so high because the workers had no way of escape. The managers had locked the doors to the factory, leaving the only route out to jump, helplessly, from seven or eight floors up.
