For this blog post (due Monday, October 10th) visit Cornell University's resources on the Triangle Factory Fire (found here: http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/trianglefire).
Under "Learn About the Fire", read about the fire, view some of the original text documents, listen/read about the survivors and witnesses, and look at the photographs and illustrations of the event.
When you've spent 20-30 minutes with these resources, address the following in the comment section of this post:
1. Describe the interviews you read/listened to and the photographs/illustrations you looked at ... what do they say about their work? What do they say about the fire?
2. How is what you learn from reading/listening to interviews different from what you learn from the photographs/images?
3. What was life like for early 20th century working women? How does this relate to the Progressive Era?
1. As far as the interviews I have read, they worked eight to four, including Saturdays, with a half hour break time. In one interview she said working conditions were bearable, wage rates were decent because of the strike and shops were light and airy and some what clean.
ReplyDeleteThe fire was terrbible, innocent young lives,(most not even being 20 years old) were destroyed in the horriible Triangle fire. 146 workers were killed.
2. The stories differ from the images because in the images you can see how times were and what had happened and use your own thoughts to put pieces and stories together. However while reading most of the stories and interviews, you can actaully learn what really happened, and have a vivid picture in your thoughts to know what it was like back then.
3. Life for a women was some what rough and not the greatest. In one picture you see an Italian immigrant carrying cloths to her home on her head, and they say these would be worked on at home. Here you can tell that even after a long days work, there was still more work to be done at home. Also in another picture you could see work spaces were limited, and as the caption of the picture said, areas around there feet were very crowded
Tyler Stine
The interviews from two of the workers: Dora Maiser and Mary Domsky Abrams described the working conditions as crowded, lacking space and somewhat unclean with reference to the strewn material scraps that were discarded by the workers.Also on the day of the fire the water buckets were empty. It was also stated that this was the 3rd fire at the company. The pictures depict the women as solemn and content to deal with the circumstances that would perhaps afford them a better life. From the interview their was a social atmosphere, gaiety and a sense of unity that was present among the workers it was a shared place where ethnicity and class was shared; even though they had no contact with the bosses of the organization there was a bond amongst the group.
ReplyDeleteFrom the interview with Mr. Elhus the fire Marshall he testified that the fire escapes at the back of the building were inadequate too small and too light. The ninth floor was overcrowded with machines. The material used was highly flammable. The signaling system, local fire drills should be compulsory and the exits in factories should be clearly marked. Overall the owners were responsible for the 146 deaths that occurred on March 25, 1911. Life for the early 20th century woman highlighted the inhumane working condition to which industrial workers were subjected to. Women as young as 14 years old who were mostly Italian and European immigrants worked for little money long hours and were often humiliated verbally by their superiors. Owners frequently locked doors claiming that workers stole materials. Garment workers were typically not allowed to talk or sing on the job. Supervisors docked pay for late arrival, talking or taking too long in the rest room or missed Sunday shifts.
This relates to the Progressive Era - Victims celebrated as martyrs at the hand of industrial greed. In 1909 the Triangle Fire incident caused spontaneous walkout of 400 employees. Unions such as ILGWU had a sudden upsurge in membership due to the successful strike.Women's suffrage became mainstream and name such as Anna Shaw and Alice Paul became synonymous with the term. A theme was achieving efficiency in every sector by identifying old ways that needed modernizing and emphasizing scientific, medical and engineering solutions.
oops the above comment was posted by M. Sylena Mangum :)
ReplyDelete1. Interviews and photographs from the Triangle Factory Fire all convey the same basic messages. It is noted from many sources how there were limited usable exits within the factory with the reasoning being that the women had to have their pocketbooks searched before leaving work in order to prevent stealing. Along with this, it was also noticeable in the images how crowded the work spaces were, which was also a safety hazard. As well as the front doors being locked there were also the fire escapes which ultimately fell apart when the workers tried to utilize them, which can also be seen in some of the photographs. The interviews all describe the same scene in which the workers all frantically tried to escape the building, all finding most of the exits to be out of use due to them being locked or damaged from the fire (elevators and fire escapes). It is described in the interviews how many of the doors remained locked because the women had to have their purses searched before they could leave, and only a few exits had people stationed to perform these searches. These exits were only in the back. All stories also described the fire to have come from seemingly nowhere and to have spread in an instant. This caused the lack of exits to become a serious issue and cost many lives in the ordeal.
ReplyDelete2. What could be learned from both the photographs and interviews differ, but can be combined to complete the story of the Triangle Factory Fire. Within the interviews it is learned which exits are accessible to workers (and how this affected them during the fire), how the fire began and each individual story of how the interviewee escaped from the fire. Those interviewed also made a point to how they had testified against the owners; Blanck and Harris. The interviews helped point out the lack of concern for the workers the two owners had, as they twisted the words of workers who testified against them in order to avoid legal trouble and losing money. The photographs on the other hand don’t speak in favor for either the workers or the owners, instead they shed some visual evidence that can be taken for what it is. Photographs show scenes of workers all crowded in small work spaces, the after effects of the fire and victims of the fire. Though the photographs and interviews can be comparable in a sense that the working conditions explained by those interviewed can indeed be seen within the photographs.
3. Life for 20th century working women was not only a struggle but it was also tragic. With events like the Triangle Factory Fire being a risk, women in these poor working conditions indeed lived a harsh life. Safety of these working class women was put second to financial concerns to the owners of these factories. Considering where many exits were locked because the owners did not want the women stealing anything yet at the same time these locked exits were an extreme safety hazard which was proven to be so during the events of the Triangle Factory Fire. This can all be connected to the Progressive Era because it shows a dire need for change. The Progressive Era helped steer the working class from these horrible conditions and kept them away from such life threatening risks.
-Taylor Knoedl
1. Their work was very hard. There was no alarm system if there was ever a emergancy. They worked long hours. The men and women said that the fire was horrifiying, they also believe that they were locked in by the owners because the owners thought they were stealing.
ReplyDelete2. From the pictures all you really saw was them sewing. From the readings and interviews it tells a deeper story about the work that they put in, such as long hours and very little pay.
3. The working life for a women in the 20th certury was hard. They had to stuggle with making a living, in very poor conditions, as well as take care of their children. This relates to the progressive era because with women having a voice and using it created many unions and they tried to provide better working conditions.
-Erica Kreusch
1.Describe the interviews you read/listened to and the photographs/illustrations you looked at ... what do they say about their work? What do they say about the fire?
ReplyDeleteThey describe their work as crowded, cramped, unsafe, and unsanitary. They were checked over at dismissal time to ensure they weren’t stealing any materials. They were poorly treated but didn’t have much of a choice since the little wages was very important to them and their families. The fire was described as nothing serious at first glance but quickly was out of control. All accounts of the fire was the describing the girls bodies falling to the ground. The survivors or witnesses that experienced that horrific sight all seem haunted by it.
I was also so surprised to learn the building is now New York University.
2. How is what you learn from reading/listening to interviews different from what you learn from the photographs/images?
What I learned from reading/listening to the interviews differed from what I learned from the photographs/images in that through the readings/interviews I could envision what the experience what was like. Hearing the voices was remarkable. To hear the actual voice of someone who survived this ordeal; their broken English, the emotion in their story; it made it so much more intense. Through the photos/images you are able to picture or imagine what it was like. You can almost put yourself into the building when looking at the photos of the charred rooms.
3.What was life like for early 20th century working women?
How does this relate to the Progressive Era?
Life for the women of the early 20th Century was difficult. For those who were immigrants it meant working at ages as young as 12 to provide money (sometimes the only source of income) to support the entire family. The conditions in which they had to work under were long, laboring, unhealthy and tedious. This relates to the Progressive Era because it was because of these trying times that inspired the need for reform and modifications to ensure fair and equal conditions. The exploitation of not only women but immigrants and the poor created the need for resolution, thus spawning the Progressive Era.
Jessica Radesco-Verdi
1. Interviews had many people stating that they worked normal hours, such as 8 to 4 but worked as much as 6 days per week. They we're given break time similar to what is given today in our work environments. Work is said to be bareable, and not too far out of line, the fire however was described as terrible and as many as 20 people were injured.
ReplyDelete2. The stories and pictures differ from one another, many assumptions are to be made when looking generally at solely pictures of what was going on, you don't know first hand exactly how something happened or how it was by looking at a picture, the stories and interviews tell first hand what went on in this time period, putting the stories and pictures together I believe help you find an unbiased truth in what was actually going on.
3. Woman did not have the greatest life experience in the prog. era. Life was tough for them, you can see immigrants carring clothes on their head as she goes home.In one other picture you can tell that even after work, once they got home there was still more to be done, work space as well as living space was limited, and over crowded.
Bryan Sandora
1. What i got from the interviews is that these women worked basically 8 hours, 6 days a week with very little pay. Working conditions were horrible, they were cramped into rooms with material piled all over the pace. They said that there was no way to escape the fire, the owners of the buildings kept all the doors locked so there wasnt really a way to escape. Most people just remember people's bodies jumping from windows escaping the flames.
ReplyDelete2. From the readings and the interviews you get so much more the story, hearing peoples experiencings of what had happened makes you more emotional then looking at the photographs.
3. 20th century working women didnt really have such a good life, there pay was bad and they worked 6 days a week. The working conditions were very hazardous. The 20th century working women almost paved the way for progressive, because it really showed how things had to be reformed and that things could no longer stay the same in the working industry.
-Elizabeth Irrgang
Bryan Redmond
ReplyDelete1. The story looked pretty straight forward as being unenforced fire codes by cheap bosses resulting in mass death of employees. The people got trapped in the upper levels of the building. There was a fire escape that rusted and also a ladder but it only reached the sixth floor. It was obvious the conditions were brutal from seeing the pictures plus it was dangerous.
2. Hearing interviews and listening and seeing pictures are different because of the effect that can be portrayed. A picture is said to say a thousand words. The story gets across stronger with the pictures.
3. Life seemed hard for a working class woman in this day in age. The conditions they had to work in were terrible and they got paid little. This relates to the progressive era because the progressives would want to change this. The progressives would be fighting for change.
1) From the interviews and pictures you come to the conclusion the work conditions were atrocious. It was unsanitary, no alarms in case of an emergency, and long hours. They worked so much to recieve no real respect in the end. Expecially after the trial to have only got $1.50 yet one girl said she couldn't work for a year. They described the fire as big and scary. It burned people alive and in no time 146 people were dead.
ReplyDelete2)From reading and hearing interviews you seem to intearact with the person. Not physically but emotionally. You feel what they feel and there stories are easily portrayed, rather than guessing, because a picture can really be said in a thousand words.
3)Life for the women during the 20th century was not just difficult but it required great work. They worked in environments that were so gruesome. Conditions were unsanitary, and hazardous, works was long, 6 days a week, and the pay at the end wasn't even great. This lead to the progressive movement because they wanted to change this and for things like the Triangle fire to never happen. They fought to make a change, to have people work in better and safer conditions and to make work and actual working environment.
-Jessica A. Yanza
1. From both the interviews and information about the fire, one can tell it was a very hard life for the working class people. Many of them were immigrants or young women who, even though were recieving low wages, were afraid of speaking up because they were still adjusting to the culture and were in need of a job. In the interviews and pictures it discusses and shows how difficult their work was. They had long hours with little pay, and dirty and cramped working conditions. In the interviews they explain how scary and horrible the day of the fire was. The people were paniced and were frightened as they all were rushing to escape the fire.
ReplyDelete2. The pictures and the interviews are similar in some ways. From reading the interviews and looking at the pictures one can tell the strenuous work that was involved and how tight the working conditions were. But by reading the interviews, a deeper story is learned. One example is from Sarah Dworetz, who said how difficult it was to exit the factory even after a normal regular day at the factory because all of the workers had to line up and get their bags inspected to make sure they were not stealing and how that was the only exit available.
3. Life was demanding, harsh and scary for women of the early 20th century. The amount of work they did in factories and also in their homes was unimaginable and endless. Many women were afraid to speak out against how they were treated. This relates to the Progressive Era because this was a time when change was needed. Safer conditions for all was demanded. The Triangle Factory Fire was a factor that sparked the movement of many women protesting against the terrible treatment and conditions.
- Nicole Baumann
1-) The images and interviews shows us that these people were hard workers, they were being paid very low, the working conitions were unsanitary and they all were working long hours. from the fire they said that there were only four elevators and most of the people couldn't get out of the building, some of them saw may kids died on the fire. i believe there were 146 people killed.
ReplyDelete2-) the images give you an idea of how things were back then, and they show how difficult things were during this time. from the interviews you get a better picture of how hard things were and it makes you realize how lucky you are by not being in their shoes.
3-)women during the 20th century went through an extrmely hard time. they had to support their famiies and they had to make sure that their children had food on the table. the conditions where they were working on were not safe, and unsanitary and on top of that they were getting very little money. this relates to the progressive because the working conditions were inhumane and they would be fighting to change this.
- Ramon Alfaro
1. The interviews convey to us that the working conditions were horrible. They worked insanely long hours, got almost no pay, and the working conditions were unsanitary. The work places were dirty and small, they were very cramped. The owners would lock them inside so on the day of the fire, there was no way for them to get out. Some of the workers that survived only did so by jumping out the window. They said that the fire was very scary and 146 people died that day.
ReplyDelete2. The pictures really make you see how things were back then. You can see that the working conditions were by no means ideal, and you really see how cramped they were. However, the interviews paint a better picture of their daily lives and the day of the fire.
3. The lives of women during this time were not easy. Most women worked all day then had to go home and take care of their families. They receieved little pay and had no say in their lives. This relates to the Progressive Era because it shows that a change needed to occur and life needed to be better for women.
~Alyssa Palma
Diandra Fluker
ReplyDelete1. From the interviews and photographs you can see that they worked in poor working conditions. The spaces were small and crowded and unsanitary. The fire was described as a horrible incident. Alot of the doors were locked or destroyed by the fire so they couldnt get out. 146 people died
2. The pictures show you what it really looked like back then but with the interviews you can hear in detail what it was like and hat happened that day.
3. Women's lifes were hard because they had to work in a bad unsafe environment for little pay then they had to take care of their families. This relates to the progressive era because they needed a change.
1. From looking at the pictures, the working conditions looks very cramped. In that small of a space, work must have been done very quickly. They said the conditions were bearable and it was that they were making a good amount of money because of the strikes. What is so sad about the photos and interview is that everyone felt like it was just another day. There was no warning about the horrible event that was about to happen.
ReplyDelete2. The pictures are much more powerful than the first hand accounts of what had happened. You can read as many interview as you want talking about the fire and the death tolls, but it doesn't hit you until you look at the pictures that go along with the stories.
3. Work was very rigorous for women in the early 20th century. The working conditions weren't the greatest, they didn't notice that they weren't being paid enough, and they worked long hours in factories to support their families. This relates to the progressive era because the progressives wanted to reform work conditions. This fire was its death toll was a perfect example of why everything in work should be regulated from hours worked to the condition of the building they are working in.
-Paige Weber
1. The interviews I read were very sad but they were detailed. They worked in very poor conditions,small spaces and really had no room to breath. The machines weren't the greatest and were very dangerous. The pictures showed a lot of women and kids working together. They were all bunched up and were all different ages. They didn't look happy at all in any of the pictures. They said that the fire was a tragedy. The doors were locked so a lot of people couldn't get out and that's why so many died. People were jumping from the ninth floor of the building because there was no other way out because the building didn't have fire exits.
ReplyDelete2. You learn from these interviews because you hear different perspectives about the incident. How it affected peoples lives and what they feel could have prevented this and how things should be changed. The pictures gives us visuals of what they had to go through. The small space bad conditions and how children were used for cheap labor.
3. Life was very difficult for women in this time. They were treated different, didn't have to many rights and were seen as lower in value compared to men. They were exploited in factories. This relates to the progressive era because thay now form unions and programs to help out women and other groups to get rid of some of these inequalities.
Jerry Loggia
1. the pictures i looked at showed poor working conditions, young children working lots of hours, Lots of women working. The interviews said they had to work long hours with very low pay. the working condition's were unbearable.The fire was a scary and 146 people died that day.
ReplyDelete2.The images also showed what really happened. A picture is a million words. the interviews had many different views and perspectives.
3. Women had too work many hours wit very minimum pay in the 20th century. Working conditions were un-sanitized and a unsafe environment. This relates to the progressive era because it showed how women had unequal rights and worked in bad conditions and proved that it need to be changed.
JOON KIM
1.The working conditions were bad, they were cramped and had long hours with little pay. From reading the interviews, the people weren't even expecting the first to happen, it was so sad..
ReplyDelete2. While reading the interviews, you could only imagine how bad the working conditions were and the photos put that vision to life.
3. 20th century working women were always busy with either work or their family. The progressive era helped put laws through that we still abide by today, that prevent bad working conditions, hours, and wages.
~Kristin Boyle
1. The interviews of some of these women talked about how they would work 8 to 4, and with a half hour break. They also talked about how crampt the work place was and their minimum wage pay. They also spoke of how scary and horrible the fire was, 146 people died that day during the fire.
ReplyDelete2.I thought the images gave it a lot more real because it actually showed the women sewing in the factories. They also showed how young some of these women were and how poor the working conditions were.
3.During the progressive era, the working woman was plagued with long exhausting hours, low pay and then a family at home to take care of.Being a woman during the early 20th century would have been difficult and extremely tiring.
Anthony Policastro