Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Victim. The Maiale family, including then 15 year old Frances (Francesca) and 13 year old Bettina (Elesabetta), immigrated to the United States, setting sail from Naples, Italy on the SS Konig Albert on April 13, 1906 and landing at Ellis Island on April 26. A little less than 5 years later, 19 year old Frances and her younger sister Bettina were garment workers at the Triangle Waist Company on the 9th floor of the Asch Building in New York City.
The company made women's blouses, known as "waists" or "shirtwaists", and it's workers were mostly recent immigrant German, Italian and European Jewish girls, some as young as 13 years old, although older women and men and young boys were also represented. Their working conditions were far from safe. They worked 14 hour shifts among heaps of flammable bolts of fabric, scraps of which piled up in bins, baskets and on the floor around them; tissue paper patterns hung from racks above their worktables. The workrooms were lit by open flame gas lamps and the cutters, mostly men, were allowed to smoke as they worked. Brought on by a New York garment workers strike in 1910, many had joined the fledgling International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. At the conclusion of the strike, most companies had signed agreements with the union improving working conditions. The Triangle Company, however, refused to sign and was under no obligation to abide by established safety rules.
On March 25, 1911, around 4:30pm, fire broke out on the 8th floor. Most on that floor and the executives on the 10th floor were able to escape, but workers on the 9th floor, who had not been alerted to the fire, found themselves trapped. Of the four 9th floor exits, the elevators made as many trips as they could but were commandeered by 8th floor workers and then stopped working altogether, one stairwell door was soon blocked by fire and smoke, the other stairwell door had been locked (although denied by the owners in their subsequent trial, it was common practice to lock factory workers in to prevent them from stealing) and the only fire escape collapsed under the weight of the escaping workers. Many died from being overcome by the smoke and flames quickly filling the building, some leapt down the elevator shafts, but 62 workers realized there was no other means of escape and jumped from the windows to the pavement 9 stories below. Or worse, they were pushed toward the open windows by the panicked crowd and had no choice. The fire department responded quickly, but their hoses' spray could not reach the top floors and ladders of the time were unable to reach above the 6th floor. By the time the fire was extinguished, 141 people had lost their lives. In the next few days, 5 more would die from their injuries.
From her documented injuries and cause of death, Frances was overcome by the smoke and flames and never escaped the burning building. Her body was identified on March 27 by her uncle, Pietro Dalio. Bettina also perished. From their family of seven, only Bettina, Frances and brothers Francesco and Giuseppe were wage earners. The Maiale sisters, one of nine pairs of siblings to die in the fire, appear as Case #53 in the April 1912 Final Report of the Red Cross Emergency Relief Committee: "Two girls, 21 and 18 years old, were killed. They had been earning together $27.00 a week. Their father, able-bodied and 49 years old, considers himself too old to work. The mother is an invalid. There are two sons, 26 and 22 years of age, also able-bodied, and a boy of 12 or 13. There was life insurance amounting to $500.00. $500.00 was given on April 7, and later, on the urgent recommendation of the Italian Consul General, $500.00 more. In January the father applied for more assistance. He acknowledged that neither he nor his sons had made any effort to secure employment since the fire, and that they had lived on the $1000.00 which had been given by the Red Cross Committee and the $500.00 received from the insurance company, in the expectation that when this money was exhausted more would be given on request."
Public outrage following the tragedy and subsequent acquittal of the company's owners paved the way for a flood of legislation to improve factory safety and hastened the growth and clout of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. A bystander who witnessed the workers jumping from the windows was inspired to a life of public service fighting for the rights of factory workers; Frances Perkins went on to become the first woman appointed to a Presidential Cabinet position as Franklin Roosevelt's Secretary of Labor. The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire was most deadly workplace disaster in New York City until the attack on the World Trade Center in 2001.
The company made women's blouses, known as "waists" or "shirtwaists", and it's workers were mostly recent immigrant German, Italian and European Jewish girls, some as young as 13 years old, although older women and men and young boys were also represented. Their working conditions were far from safe. They worked 14 hour shifts among heaps of flammable bolts of fabric, scraps of which piled up in bins, baskets and on the floor around them; tissue paper patterns hung from racks above their worktables. The workrooms were lit by open flame gas lamps and the cutters, mostly men, were allowed to smoke as they worked. Brought on by a New York garment workers strike in 1910, many had joined the fledgling International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. At the conclusion of the strike, most companies had signed agreements with the union improving working conditions. The Triangle Company, however, refused to sign and was under no obligation to abide by established safety rules.
On March 25, 1911, around 4:30pm, fire broke out on the 8th floor. Most on that floor and the executives on the 10th floor were able to escape, but workers on the 9th floor, who had not been alerted to the fire, found themselves trapped. Of the four 9th floor exits, the elevators made as many trips as they could but were commandeered by 8th floor workers and then stopped working altogether, one stairwell door was soon blocked by fire and smoke, the other stairwell door had been locked (although denied by the owners in their subsequent trial, it was common practice to lock factory workers in to prevent them from stealing) and the only fire escape collapsed under the weight of the escaping workers. Many died from being overcome by the smoke and flames quickly filling the building, some leapt down the elevator shafts, but 62 workers realized there was no other means of escape and jumped from the windows to the pavement 9 stories below. Or worse, they were pushed toward the open windows by the panicked crowd and had no choice. The fire department responded quickly, but their hoses' spray could not reach the top floors and ladders of the time were unable to reach above the 6th floor. By the time the fire was extinguished, 141 people had lost their lives. In the next few days, 5 more would die from their injuries.
From her documented injuries and cause of death, Frances was overcome by the smoke and flames and never escaped the burning building. Her body was identified on March 27 by her uncle, Pietro Dalio. Bettina also perished. From their family of seven, only Bettina, Frances and brothers Francesco and Giuseppe were wage earners. The Maiale sisters, one of nine pairs of siblings to die in the fire, appear as Case #53 in the April 1912 Final Report of the Red Cross Emergency Relief Committee: "Two girls, 21 and 18 years old, were killed. They had been earning together $27.00 a week. Their father, able-bodied and 49 years old, considers himself too old to work. The mother is an invalid. There are two sons, 26 and 22 years of age, also able-bodied, and a boy of 12 or 13. There was life insurance amounting to $500.00. $500.00 was given on April 7, and later, on the urgent recommendation of the Italian Consul General, $500.00 more. In January the father applied for more assistance. He acknowledged that neither he nor his sons had made any effort to secure employment since the fire, and that they had lived on the $1000.00 which had been given by the Red Cross Committee and the $500.00 received from the insurance company, in the expectation that when this money was exhausted more would be given on request."
Public outrage following the tragedy and subsequent acquittal of the company's owners paved the way for a flood of legislation to improve factory safety and hastened the growth and clout of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. A bystander who witnessed the workers jumping from the windows was inspired to a life of public service fighting for the rights of factory workers; Frances Perkins went on to become the first woman appointed to a Presidential Cabinet position as Franklin Roosevelt's Secretary of Labor. The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire was most deadly workplace disaster in New York City until the attack on the World Trade Center in 2001.
Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Victim. The Maiale family, including then 15 year old Frances (Francesca) and 13 year old Bettina (Elesabetta), immigrated to the United States, setting sail from Naples, Italy on the SS Konig Albert on April 13, 1906 and landing at Ellis Island on April 26. A little less than 5 years later, 19 year old Frances and her younger sister Bettina were garment workers at the Triangle Waist Company on the 9th floor of the Asch Building in New York City.
The company made women's blouses, known as "waists" or "shirtwaists", and it's workers were mostly recent immigrant German, Italian and European Jewish girls, some as young as 13 years old, although older women and men and young boys were also represented. Their working conditions were far from safe. They worked 14 hour shifts among heaps of flammable bolts of fabric, scraps of which piled up in bins, baskets and on the floor around them; tissue paper patterns hung from racks above their worktables. The workrooms were lit by open flame gas lamps and the cutters, mostly men, were allowed to smoke as they worked. Brought on by a New York garment workers strike in 1910, many had joined the fledgling International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. At the conclusion of the strike, most companies had signed agreements with the union improving working conditions. The Triangle Company, however, refused to sign and was under no obligation to abide by established safety rules.
On March 25, 1911, around 4:30pm, fire broke out on the 8th floor. Most on that floor and the executives on the 10th floor were able to escape, but workers on the 9th floor, who had not been alerted to the fire, found themselves trapped. Of the four 9th floor exits, the elevators made as many trips as they could but were commandeered by 8th floor workers and then stopped working altogether, one stairwell door was soon blocked by fire and smoke, the other stairwell door had been locked (although denied by the owners in their subsequent trial, it was common practice to lock factory workers in to prevent them from stealing) and the only fire escape collapsed under the weight of the escaping workers. Many died from being overcome by the smoke and flames quickly filling the building, some leapt down the elevator shafts, but 62 workers realized there was no other means of escape and jumped from the windows to the pavement 9 stories below. Or worse, they were pushed toward the open windows by the panicked crowd and had no choice. The fire department responded quickly, but their hoses' spray could not reach the top floors and ladders of the time were unable to reach above the 6th floor. By the time the fire was extinguished, 141 people had lost their lives. In the next few days, 5 more would die from their injuries.
From her documented injuries and cause of death, Frances was overcome by the smoke and flames and never escaped the burning building. Her body was identified on March 27 by her uncle, Pietro Dalio. Bettina also perished. From their family of seven, only Bettina, Frances and brothers Francesco and Giuseppe were wage earners. The Maiale sisters, one of nine pairs of siblings to die in the fire, appear as Case #53 in the April 1912 Final Report of the Red Cross Emergency Relief Committee: "Two girls, 21 and 18 years old, were killed. They had been earning together $27.00 a week. Their father, able-bodied and 49 years old, considers himself too old to work. The mother is an invalid. There are two sons, 26 and 22 years of age, also able-bodied, and a boy of 12 or 13. There was life insurance amounting to $500.00. $500.00 was given on April 7, and later, on the urgent recommendation of the Italian Consul General, $500.00 more. In January the father applied for more assistance. He acknowledged that neither he nor his sons had made any effort to secure employment since the fire, and that they had lived on the $1000.00 which had been given by the Red Cross Committee and the $500.00 received from the insurance company, in the expectation that when this money was exhausted more would be given on request."
Public outrage following the tragedy and subsequent acquittal of the company's owners paved the way for a flood of legislation to improve factory safety and hastened the growth and clout of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. A bystander who witnessed the workers jumping from the windows was inspired to a life of public service fighting for the rights of factory workers; Frances Perkins went on to become the first woman appointed to a Presidential Cabinet position as Franklin Roosevelt's Secretary of Labor. The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire was most deadly workplace disaster in New York City until the attack on the World Trade Center in 2001.
The company made women's blouses, known as "waists" or "shirtwaists", and it's workers were mostly recent immigrant German, Italian and European Jewish girls, some as young as 13 years old, although older women and men and young boys were also represented. Their working conditions were far from safe. They worked 14 hour shifts among heaps of flammable bolts of fabric, scraps of which piled up in bins, baskets and on the floor around them; tissue paper patterns hung from racks above their worktables. The workrooms were lit by open flame gas lamps and the cutters, mostly men, were allowed to smoke as they worked. Brought on by a New York garment workers strike in 1910, many had joined the fledgling International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. At the conclusion of the strike, most companies had signed agreements with the union improving working conditions. The Triangle Company, however, refused to sign and was under no obligation to abide by established safety rules.
On March 25, 1911, around 4:30pm, fire broke out on the 8th floor. Most on that floor and the executives on the 10th floor were able to escape, but workers on the 9th floor, who had not been alerted to the fire, found themselves trapped. Of the four 9th floor exits, the elevators made as many trips as they could but were commandeered by 8th floor workers and then stopped working altogether, one stairwell door was soon blocked by fire and smoke, the other stairwell door had been locked (although denied by the owners in their subsequent trial, it was common practice to lock factory workers in to prevent them from stealing) and the only fire escape collapsed under the weight of the escaping workers. Many died from being overcome by the smoke and flames quickly filling the building, some leapt down the elevator shafts, but 62 workers realized there was no other means of escape and jumped from the windows to the pavement 9 stories below. Or worse, they were pushed toward the open windows by the panicked crowd and had no choice. The fire department responded quickly, but their hoses' spray could not reach the top floors and ladders of the time were unable to reach above the 6th floor. By the time the fire was extinguished, 141 people had lost their lives. In the next few days, 5 more would die from their injuries.
From her documented injuries and cause of death, Frances was overcome by the smoke and flames and never escaped the burning building. Her body was identified on March 27 by her uncle, Pietro Dalio. Bettina also perished. From their family of seven, only Bettina, Frances and brothers Francesco and Giuseppe were wage earners. The Maiale sisters, one of nine pairs of siblings to die in the fire, appear as Case #53 in the April 1912 Final Report of the Red Cross Emergency Relief Committee: "Two girls, 21 and 18 years old, were killed. They had been earning together $27.00 a week. Their father, able-bodied and 49 years old, considers himself too old to work. The mother is an invalid. There are two sons, 26 and 22 years of age, also able-bodied, and a boy of 12 or 13. There was life insurance amounting to $500.00. $500.00 was given on April 7, and later, on the urgent recommendation of the Italian Consul General, $500.00 more. In January the father applied for more assistance. He acknowledged that neither he nor his sons had made any effort to secure employment since the fire, and that they had lived on the $1000.00 which had been given by the Red Cross Committee and the $500.00 received from the insurance company, in the expectation that when this money was exhausted more would be given on request."
Public outrage following the tragedy and subsequent acquittal of the company's owners paved the way for a flood of legislation to improve factory safety and hastened the growth and clout of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. A bystander who witnessed the workers jumping from the windows was inspired to a life of public service fighting for the rights of factory workers; Frances Perkins went on to become the first woman appointed to a Presidential Cabinet position as Franklin Roosevelt's Secretary of Labor. The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire was most deadly workplace disaster in New York City until the attack on the World Trade Center in 2001.
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