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Historians to probe historic 1911 New York City fire
The Advocate
Historians Roundtable will convene at noon Feb. 25 in Room 1608 to discuss the impact of the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire on March 25, 1911, in New York City that resulted in 146 deaths.
"The fire remains the worst industrial accident in NYC history, and led directly to a host of new worker safety and workers' compensation laws," said history instructor Pat Casey.
The fire occurred in the over-crowded and supposedly fireproof Triangle Building located on the corner of Greene Street and Washington in lower Manhattan.
The majority of the victims were younger girls working assembling women's shirts. They were Jewish, Italians, Germans, all working overtime on a Saturday in order to supplement the $6 a week they made. Had they left earlier, they might've lived; instead, many flung themselves from eight, nine and 10 stories high.
At first, bystanders thought the bodies were bolts of cloth only to find out that they were the corpses of these young women.
Several fire engines arrived to fight the fire, yet the hoses and escape ladders could only reach to the seventh floor, hence the decision to jump.
"We went with a February date to avoid trying to compete with finals week and the days leading up to it in March. Also the actual anniversary, March 25, falls during spring break," said Casey.
Casey and Elizabeth Milliken choose roundtable topics based on upcoming anniversaries, historical, and/or cultural events. With them on this panel will be history instructor Jim Barnes, who is a former Teamster negotiator and organizer.
Each roundtable begins with a short presentation from the panel, and then they answer audience questions for the rest of the period, said Casey.
Roundtables are hosted by Milliken and Casey once or twice a term.
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