Triangle Fire

This entry from the PBS-aired American Experience series coincides with the 100th anniversary of a horrific incident that led to major changes in workplace safety in the United States. Producer-director Jamila Wignot combines dramatic re-creations, eyewitness accounts, and insights from labor historians to tell the story of the tragic event that occurred on March 25, 1911, when the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory erupted in flames, taking the lives of 146 people (mostly young immigrant women) in New York City's then-worst accident to date. For several years, the workers had been agitating for shorter hours, higher pay, and better working conditions, but the owners at Triangle and other garment factories were equally determined not to endanger their profits by making any concessions. Newspapers denounced the protestors, rallies were broken up, and participants were beaten by policemen and anti-labor goons. Despite some support from society matrons, the situation remained unchanged on the day a carelessly tossed cigarette ignited the inferno. Frantic employees rushed to escape but found exit doors locked, and fire company ladders were too short to reach the plant's upper floors, so victims fell down elevator shafts or tumbled to their death from windows and rickety fire escapes to the sidewalk, as onlookers watched in horror. In the end, the owners were tried but acquitted for manslaughter, although guilt-stricken legislators eventually passed dozens of safety-related laws. Distressing, compelling, and informative, this is highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (S. Rees)