The story of the

Triangle factory fire

and the girls w

ho changed Am

erica By Kristin Lew

is

OUT OF

FLAMES

THE Flam

es clawed

at her b

ack. Sm

oke ch

oked

the air. W

aves of

fire curled

across th

e roo

m an

d

up

the w

alls.It w

as March

25, 1911. Katie

Wein

er, 17, was trap

ped

on

the

nin

th flo

or o

f a bu

rnin

g bu

ildin

g in

New

Yo

rk City.

Mo

men

ts earlier, fire had

bro

ken

ou

t at the facto

ry wh

ere Katie w

orked

. N

ow

the flam

es were sp

readin

g fast. W

ith th

e fire com

ing clo

ser, Katie h

ad

to m

ake a terrible ch

oice: stay an

d

die o

r dive in

to a sin

king elevato

r and

h

op

e to su

rvive.Sh

e do

ve.

Gary Hanna

Nonfiction

OUT OF

FLAMES

THE

NARRATIVE

NONFICTION

nonfiction that uses

literary techniques

6 SCHOLASTIC SCOPE • NOVEMBER 2018

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hawking newspapers. She would

have seen laundry hung out to

dry. She would have smelled fresh

bread from bakeries.

Almost everyone on the

Lower East Side had come from

another country. In the early 20th

century, hundreds of thousands

of immigrants were coming to

the United States every year.

Katie’s own family had come to

New York City from Russia when

Katie was about 5. They had faced

violent religious persecution in

their home country—and so they

came to the U.S. with the dream

of a better life.

To many immigrants, America

seemed a place of hope where

jobs were abundant, where

anyone willing to work hard

could get ahead. But newcomers

quickly learned that things were

not as rosy as they had expected.

Life was tough, especially

on the Lower East Side.

Families lived in tiny tenement

apartments. Most worked long

hours in dangerous jobs for little

pay. Keeping food on the table

was hard.

Triangle Waist CompanyAbout a mile from the Lower

East Side stood the Triangle

Waist Company, one of New

York’s largest clothing factories.

It occupied the top three floors

of a skyscraper called the Asch

Building.

When Katie arrived there on

March 25, she would have taken

an elevator to the

ninth floor—one

large room packed

with 288 sewing

machines, plus a

small dressing room

and a bathroom.

As the elevator

carried Katie

skyward, she could

not have known

that she was about

to be caught in a

deadly fire that would

change her life—and

America—forever.

Death TrapAlong with about

500 other workers,

Early that morning, Katie

had walked through the streets

of the Lower East Side, the

neighborhood in New York

where she lived with her mom,

brother, and sister. It was

unseasonably warm, a relief after

the bitter days of winter.

Katie was headed to the

Triangle Waist Company. She

and her sister Rose, 23, worked

there making shirtwaists. These

fashionable women’s blouses

were all the rage at the time. Like

many teens in 1911, Katie had to

work to help support her family.

As always, the Lower East Side

buzzed with life. Katie would

have heard the clatter of horse-

drawn wagons, the thunder of

steel trains, the shouts of boys

Why was the Triangle fire so devastating?As You Read

New York City’s Lower East Side,

around 1915

Coming to AmericaFrom 1830 to 1940, some 40 million immigrants streamed into the U.S. Many settled in New York City. The Lower East Side, where Katie lived, became home to many immigrants. By 1900, the Lower East Side was one of the most densely populated places on Earth.

6 SCHOLASTIC SCOPE • NOVEMBER 2018

Kirn

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Katie spent upward

of 10 hours a day,

six days a week,

making shirtwaists.

These button-down

women’s blouses

were very popular.

The owners of

Triangle, Max

Blanck and Isaac

Harris, had

become rich.

They were

nicknamed

the Shirtwaist

Kings.

But for

workers like

Katie, there

was nothing

royal about factory life. Katie

made only about eight dollars a

week—or $200 in today’s money.

And her bosses were always

looking for an excuse to pay her

less. If she pricked her finger and

blood dripped on the fabric, the

cost of the ruined material could

be deducted from her wages.

In factories at the time, bosses

regularly worked their employees

to the bone while paying them

as little as possible. Sometimes

these factories, or sweatshops as

they were called, seemed almost

like prisons. Doors were locked

to keep workers from taking

breaks. If you went to the toilet, a

supervisor would follow to make

sure you didn’t take too long.

Talking, laughing, and singing

were often forbidden. Bosses

were known to shout and insult

the piles of flammable fabric

on the factory floor. There had

already been several small fires

at Triangle. Luckily, these had

occurred at night, when few

people were in the building.

A fire during the day would

be catastrophic. Workers were

jammed elbow to elbow amid

heavy machinery, making a

quick escape nearly impossible.

And there were only two exits,

each just a narrow staircase. City

inspectors had reported these

fire hazards, but Blanck and

Harris did nothing.

Frantic WorkersAt about 4:45 p.m., Katie was in

the dressing room, getting

her coat and hat. Tomorrow

SCOPE.SCHOLASTIC.COM • NOVEMBER 2018 7

workers. If you didn’t work fast

enough, you could be fired on

the spot.

In spite of these hardships,

Katie probably felt lucky to have

a job. After all, even a small

amount of money was better

than no money at all.

Still, working at Triangle was

a struggle. And, as Katie would

soon learn, the factory itself was

a death trap.

Fire HazardsFires were a big problem

in garment factories. It took

only one tiny spark to ignite

A U.S. garment factory around 1910

The Shirtwaist KingsThe Triangle Waist Company produced shirtwaists, which were as popular as jeans are today. And at $1 a shirt, they were affordable enough that most women could buy one.

Max Blanck (left) and Isaac Harris

rushed to the window and put

her face out to breathe in fresh

air.

“Fire!” she shouted.

Behind her, panicked workers

surged toward the window,

gulping for air. Fearing that she

would be pushed out, Katie

fought her way back through the

crowd.

There had never been a fire

drill at Triangle, and no one knew

what to do. But Katie knew she

needed to get out.

The two exits were stairways

on opposite sides of the room.

One stairway led to Greene Street

and the other to Washington

Place. Katie decided to go for the

Washington Place exit.

But when she got to the door

and turned the knob, the door

wouldn’t budge.

It was locked.

Precious seconds ticked by.

Trapped in the BlazeThose inside Triangle had only

seconds to make life-or-death

decisions. Some workers climbed

out onto the fire escape. But it

was in disrepair. It collapsed

under their weight, sending them

to their deaths on the ground.

Others, including Blanck and

Harris up on the 10th floor, ran

up to the roof. They were lucky:

A New York University professor

in the neighboring building saw

the fire. He and his students

turned a ladder into a bridge

that allowed the trapped workers

to get from one rooftop to the

other.

Many trapped in the blaze

chose to jump from the windows

rather than die in the fire. It was

a 95-foot fall to the sidewalk.

None survived.

Down on the street,

firefighters pummeled the

8 SCHOLASTIC SCOPE • NOVEMBER 2018

Women Fight BackIn 1909, female garment

workers united to protest their awful working conditions. Some 20,000 women went on strike in New York City, meaning they refused to work until their demands were met. They marched, held rallies, and delivered speeches.

Not all their demands were met, but at Triangle, Blanck and Harris agreed to raise wages, shorten the workweek, and not fire workers for joining the union. (A union is an organization of workers formed to help them get better pay and improved working conditions.)

would be her only day off all

week, and no doubt she was

eager to leave the factory and get

home.

But at that moment, one floor

below, a bin of fabric scraps had

burst into flames, likely the result

of a cigarette carelessly tossed

aside.

The flames spread to the

tables. Frantic workers threw

buckets of water, but that didn’t

quench the blaze.

The fire kept growing. Within

minutes, it reached the ninth

floor.

That’s when Katie heard the

screams.

Precious SecondsDucking out of the dressing

room, Katie saw thick black

smoke. She looked for her sister

Rose but couldn’t find her.

Choking on smoke, Katie

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SCOPE.SCHOLASTIC.COM • NOVEMBER 2018 9

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building with water. Some

lifted their ladders to give

workers a way down. But

the ladders proved to be

useless—they reached

only to the sixth floor.

As for Katie?

Turning away from the locked

door, she saw the elevator. This,

she knew, was her chance.

During a fire, heat can

damage elevator equipment

and passengers can get trapped.

Elevator operator Joseph Zito,

27, knew the risks. (Back then,

elevators were not automatic;

they had to be operated

by a person.) But Zito was

determined to save as many

workers as he could.

He took the elevator up and

down, again and again. With

each trip, he did not know if the

flames would spread into the

car or if the elevator would get

stuck, baking everyone inside—

including him.

This time, when Zito opened

the doors, Katie joined the

workers pushing their way

inside. But there were too many

people. Katie couldn’t get in.

The elevator began its descent.

Katie knew it would not come

back. The fire was now too

strong.

If she stayed where she was,

she was doomed.

And so she dove.

Reaching out, Katie grasped

the thick wire cable that ran

up through the elevator car.

She landed on the heads of the

workers inside. Her face smashed

into the tangle of bodies. Her

feet stuck out the door, painfully

smacking on each floor as the

elevator went down.

The TrialThe fire engulfed three floors

in 18 minutes. It claimed the lives

of 146 people. Most of them were

teen girls and young women, and

nearly all were immigrants.

Diving into that elevator saved

Katie’s life. Tragically, Rose did

not survive.

News of the fire spread across

New York. People were outraged

by what was clearly a preventable

tragedy. How many would still

be alive if the door hadn’t been

locked? If the factory had basic

fire safety features? If the owners

had bothered to have a fire drill?

A crowd gathered at the

Metropolitan Opera House to

demand better fire safety laws—

and justice for Triangle victims.

On April 5, some 120,000 people

joined a funeral march through

the streets to remember those

who had perished.

A few weeks after the fire,

Blanck and Harris were charged

with manslaughter. During

the trial, their lawyer did his

best to discredit the survivors.

He insisted they speak English

instead of speaking their

native language and using

The DestructionThough the building itself was

fireproof, everything inside the Triangle factory was destroyed.

Inside the Triangle factory

after the fire

10 SCHOLASTIC SCOPE • NOVEMBER 2018

An exhibit about the Triangle fire is opening in your town, and you’ve been asked to give a speech. Your speech should summarize what happened and explain why it’s important to remember this tragedy. Send your speech to Triangle Contest. Five winners will get Uprising by Margaret Peterson Haddix.

Get this activity online.�

Writing Contest

a translator. He wanted to make

it hard for them to tell their

stories.

But Katie would not be

intimidated. In court, she

delivered scathing testimony

about the locked door on the

ninth floor.

In the end, the jury did not

convict Blanck and Harris. It was

proved that the Washington Place

door on the ninth floor had been

locked, but no one could prove

that the two men had personally

locked it on the day of the fire.

Someone else, the jury decided,

could have locked the door

without the owners’ knowledge.

The Legacy Today, the building that

once housed the Triangle

factory is owned by New York

University. Only a small plaque

commemorates the tragedy.

Each day, New Yorkers pass by,

perhaps unaware that they are

walking along the very sidewalks

where so many young lives were

cut short.

Yet the legacy of Triangle can

be found everywhere.

The Triangle fire

forced Americans to ask

tough questions. What

rights should workers

have? How much should

our government do to

protect the vulnerable?

Where is the line

between ambition and

greed?

Because of that

fire, laws were passed

requiring factories and

offices to be safe. Many

of the fire safety codes

we have in the U.S.

today can be traced to

the aftermath of the

Triangle fire. So too

can many of the legal

protections workers

have in the U.S.

For the survivors of Triangle,

life was forever changed. But

many went on to live full lives.

Katie married and had a son.

She and her husband, who

became president of a union,

lived in a house in Brooklyn,

New York. And she lived to see

how the awful events of March

25, 1911, helped galvanize

Americans. Many were inspired

to join the crusade for workers’

rights, which would fight in the

coming decades for all workers

to be treated with dignity and

fairness. •

Who Makes Our Clothes?Today, labor laws in the U.S. protect workers from the kinds of

abuses that the women of the Triangle factory endured. But most of our clothes are no longer made in the U.S. Most are made overseas.

In some countries, clothing factories are not so different from the sweatshops of the early 1900s. In recent years, some clothing

companies have taken steps to end the abuses that take place in the overseas factories they use to make their clothes.

The Rana Plaza building collapse in 2013 in Bangladesh claimed the lives of more than 1,000 workers. The building, which housed five garment factories, was known to be unsafe.

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