Essay On Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

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Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire In March of 1911 the deadliest industrial fire disaster in the history of New York City and one of the deadliest in US history occurred that changed the world. Men and women who were working hard in the Asch building, ready to be released in five minutes, burned to their death in a matter of minutes. By the senseless actions of a worker throwing his cigarette into a bin filled with scraps of inflammable clothing, the whole building suffered. On this day 105 years ago, 145 employees lost their lives (OSHA par 1). Because of the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire and the people harmed, new regulations and machinery have been incorporated to ensure the safety of all workers. When the fire broke out, men jumped up to help, reaching for the fire hose however it had been rusted through being useless as was the fire escape. Only one out of the four elevators worked causing a traffic jam leading many women to jump out the windows to their deaths (History Staff par 2). By the time the fire department arrived, many women had already burned to death and the factory was on its way to ashes. When the fire hose was extended to put out the fire, the hose unfortunately could …show more content…

When the building was searched, the inspectors found that the building shows hardly any signs of the events that had occurred a day before. The walls seemed to be as good as ever, as were the floors. Looking at the building from the outside, everything seemed in place but what happened inside that building is what damaged many people. A policeman on sight, Chief Crocker, said that the fire was one of the worst things he has ever seen. Adding that he plans to call a meeting addressing safety regulations to enforce better methods of protection for employees in case of a fire (NY newspaper par 37). Confidently Chief Crocker will help save the lives of many worker to