PBS tonight/ the Triangle FIRE!

American Experience 9PM

the 100th anniversary of this tragedy is March 25,
there will be 2 specials

Back in 1911 this was a way of business as usual, not a secret sweatshop operation but business as usual in the garment district.
Rescue ladders stocked at the time to fit the low buildings of an eariler Century did not reach the more than 6 floors- this happened on the 9th floor.

It was a 20 minute fire that did it's deadly work and started the labor laws we take for granted now.

By the way-- Harris & Blanck, the owners of the business- escaped to the roof without unlocking the factory exit doors or even informing the workers there was a fire were acquited of manslaughter by an all male jury who then collected a HUGE insurance settlement and re opened their business.

Triangle Fire argues persuasively that a country needs to care before a tragedy happens, not just after..

HBO also got 4 stars for their version Monday March 21st:
Triangle Remembering the Fire

I am so there!!

So if you go to the shop on the second or third floor at the Cosmopolitan and see ALL those hundreds of sewing machine in the glass walls- that's what the workers used...

As a fourth grader I went to a wax museum that had a display featuring this fire. i'd never heard of it before and ended up doing a book report on it.

Thanks for the reminder, J-M. Years ago I read a novel set in NY at the time of the fire. It was about 2 sisters. I think one of them worked at Triangle and survived the fire. I cannot recall the author or title of the book, and it's driving me crazy, LOL. But that era interests me, and I'm going to watch the program.

Please remind me about the HBO show when it's time, because I know I'll forget. I'm old!

I'll be looking for it.
I just hope it doesn't conflict with "Real Housewives of Des Moines, Iowa"

Now I understand more..
With picketing and striking the year before- and location (right on Washington Sq Park)- were a thousand people were enjoying the Sunday-- during a light 8 hour shift- those 1,000 witnessed exactly what those girls and womans had been complaining about.

Before 9/11, this was the single most horrific event to happen to New York and the new laws became the standard all through America
Enjoyed the photos and rare footage of that time- poor horses..

I will remind you Sue- have it on my calendar-- do you get HBO?

Yes, I get HBO. Last night's show was well done, I thought.

I caught last night's show.
I would have liked to seen a little more, especially in the years that followed.
The most striking statement: the husband that had been to the morgue three times looking at dozens of burned bodies and still hadn't found his wife.

The most telling fact which is what they started with: 1 out 10 people in New York came out for the funeral procession.

.....yes,
They said 400,000 lined the streets for the funeral procession- back in 1911.
That's a lot of people.

I also heard 3 of the victims were never claimed or identified.

and one worker was there with her 13 year old daughter. I totally agree the need for protection of workers safety. OSHA was party to some overreaching, but unions have been diluted so much, that one needs to remember triangle to realize how USA came from barely above the third world status. I salute workers, have never broken a strike/been a scab, and today, offered to pay a coworkers first months union dues in the AFGE. and , good luck!