Triangle Fire

Gr 9 Up—One of our deadliest workplace accidents, the 1911 fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Company in New York City, is depicted in this made-for-television documentary. It killed over140 men, women, and teenagers—many of whom jumped from windows to their death. The program incorporates an amazing number of archival photographs that were taken at the scene, the makeshift morgue, and the funeral that followed. Visual images of bodies may upset sensitive viewers. An off-screen narrator describes the significance of The Gilded Age—the historical period in which garment factories thrived—and sets the stage for the tragedy by focusing on unsympathetic management practices that included long hours, low wages, the hiring of children, and unsafe working conditions. Contemporary historians weigh in on failed attempts at union organizing that had begun among Triangle employees and at other factories, resulting only in infuriating management. Although allegations that Triangle owners authorized the locking of the exit door so their employees wouldn't be able to leave before their shift was over were never proven, it was a piece of pivotal information that started a groundswell of attention to unfair labor practices. Voices of young women reading letters written by the predominantly young immigrant women who worked in the garment factories add empathy to the story. March 25, 2011 was the 100th anniversary of the fire, and this is an excellent film to supplement American history classes.—Vicki Reutter, Cazenovia Jr. Sr. High School, NY