The 1911 Triangle Factory Fire in my opinion was one of the worst tragedies for

workers in the 1900s. It shows how much greed ruled the corporate world and how
people wanted profits and they didnt care how they got it. It shows how working
conditions were inhumane for industrial workers and that rights and conditions of
workers were easily violated to secure profits. Things like locking the doors during
business hours because owners were afraid of employees stealing material and also fire
escapes that lead to nowhere were issues that caused factory workers to not be able to
get out of the factories to reach safety when the fires broke. (University, 2016 ). When
the fire engulfed the fire escape of the Triangle Factory there was no way out for a lot of
people who worked in the upper levels in the building. In the Story of the Fire they
explained that people jumped out windows to their death because they didnt want to
burn with the building. (University, 2016 ) People inside and outside of the building
watching were changed forever and Cornell even explains that sweatshops are still
happening today in New York and Los Angeles. (University, 2016 )

One the website for the Triangle Factory Fire there are newspaper articles about
first accounts of the fire, letters, and transcripts of the public trials of the criminal case
against the owners of the building. Out of all of the information on the website about the
event and aftermath I felt that the photos were the most informative of the event and
the aftermath. I think that when you see photos they tell a story of the workers and the
conditions that they worked in. The first 28 photos the website shows are of the workers
and the working conditions they are in. The first thing I noticed were the floors in the
garment shop were always cluttered full of scraps from the material they were working
with and they all looked cramped and dark. I think that the seventh photo in this series
stands out the most. It shows a girl and a boy working with material in the shop. There
is material all around them and it is very cluttered. They were both underage and

should not be working for this company. The caption in the picture explains that the
stations they worked at were dark and cramped which was dangerous to be working in.
The caption also explained that if inspectors checked out the working conditions they
were told to hide in boxes out of sight (University, Photo's and Ilustrations (Workers and
Working Conditions), 2016). This picture is great at showing what it was like to work at a
factory. There are plenty of photos showing men and women working in the same
conditions. There are other photo libraries like the strikes they had at the Shirwaist
Factory as well as other strikes. The investigation and trial of the owners, reporting and
the commemoration at the 50th year anniversary of the fire. They found really good
pictures that show a story of before and after the fire itself, but I think that the most
important photos are of the event itself. The photos are graphic and I think they need so
that you understand how horrific this event was. There are 20 photos in this section that
show the owners, the fire fighters that try to put out the fire, and the aftermath from
people jumping out the windows of the fire. The first photo that stands out to me is the
second photo of the group. It shows the Triangle Waist Company owners who are Isaac
Harris and Max Blanck with a group of people who are probably touring the facility.
(University, Triangle Fire Photos and Illustrations, 2016). In the photo it looks like both
owners are smiling like they are proud of the building they own. I feel that this photo
just shows how the owners didnt care about what was going on in the building. They
just cared that they owned a big building in New York that was making them rich.
Another photo that shows in detail shows officers look up at the building in shock at
workers in the Triangle Shirt Waist Fire who are going to jump to their deaths because
they would rather die from jumping out of a building instead of being burned alive
within it (University, Triangle Fire, 2016). It also the people at their feet who already
have jumped and fallen to their death. This is really hard to look at because their bodies
look broken. I think by looking at these photos you really get a sense of what happened.

Photos of the incident were being used in more and more publications because I
feel that the people who were putting the photos in their publications were wanting
people to not only read the story, but also see what exactly happened. When you look
at the photos and see the burning building and firefighters not being able to reach the
fire you are able to see the struggle of the firefighters trying to put out the fire. You also
see photos of fire escapes that are not usable because they are twisted and burnt and
unable to be used. This would show what the workers were up against when they were
trying to get out of the building. Then the photos of the aftermath like rooms that have
been turned to ash, and police men holding jewelry, pocketbooks, and wallets in baskets
carrying them to the station to help identify bodies. I think that words alone cannot
express what photos show in a story. That was why I felt that it was the most important
part of the resources of this website and I believe the publishers knew that it was
important to put the photos in their articles.

With all of the horrible deaths and tragedies in the Triangle Factory Fire there
were some good that came out of it. There were a lot of reforms resulting from people
who witnessed and were sympathetic to the victims of the fire. One of those people was
Frances Perkins, who at the time was the secretary of the New York City Committee on
Public safety and she became the Secretary of Labor under FDR (University, Legacy
Reform At State and Local Level, 2016). Frances Perkins actually witnessed the fire and
decided to take action so it would not happen again. She helped established the Factory
Investigative Commission which investigated factories for things like working conditions
and low pay and other worker violations (University, Legacy Reform At State and Local
Level, 2016). They also drafted numerous bills in the state of New York to combat
working conditions of factories. I feel that this was important because this was where
the factory fire happened and there were many other factories that could have had the
same fate of the Triangle Factory but they didnt because of action taken by Frances

Perkins. I think that she felt obligated to help because actually witnessing the fire. I
think that she also paved the way so that people today could have good working
conditions today. I am thankful that I have never had to work in the conditions like the
people at the Triangle Factory had to.

Even though it was a tragedy I think that by reporting and photos along with the
witnesses of the fire people knew that things needed to get better. Good working
conditions are a right of everyone and no one should have to die when an emergency
happens at work. We all should have the same protections under the law so that
everyone can be safe at work. Most people spend more time at work then they do at
home and they should be able to come to work and leave work safely every day.

Works Cited
University, C. (2016 , November 23). Remembering The 1911 Triangle
Factory Fire. Retrieved from cornell.edu:
http://trianglefire.ilr.cornell.edu/story/introduction.html
University, C. (2016, November 23). Legacy Reform At State and Local Level.
Retrieved from Remembering The 1911 Triangle Factory Fire :
http://trianglefire.ilr.cornell.edu/legacy/legislativeReform.html
University, C. (2016, November 23). Photo's and Ilustrations (Workers and
Working Conditions). Retrieved from Remembering the 1911 triangle
shirt factory fire:
http://trianglefire.ilr.cornell.edu/primary/photosIllustrations/slideshow.ht
ml?image_id=840&sec_id=8#screen
University, C. (2016, November 23). Triangle Fire. Retrieved from
Remembering the 1911 Triangle Factory Fire:
http://trianglefire.ilr.cornell.edu/primary/photosIllustrations/slideshow.ht
ml?image_id=898&sec_id=3#screen
University, C. (2016, Novembers 23). Triangle Fire Photos and Illustrations.
Retrieved from Remembering the 1911 Triangle Factory Fire:
http://trianglefire.ilr.cornell.edu/primary/photosIllustrations/slideshow.ht
ml?image_id=898&sec_id=3#screen