Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire: What additional information did the Survivor Interview you read give you beyond the 'story of the fire?' Please inform your readers as to whose interview you read and respond to two of your classmates comments.
I read the entry of Rose Indursky. She worked as a sleeve setter on the ninth floor of the Triangle Shirtwaist factory. At the time of the fire, she was only sixteen years old. Indursky had several very interesting recollections of the day’s events. One in particular that stuck out to me went as follows: At the time of the fire, there was in fact a working elevator armed with an elevator man. However, it only traveled to save the bosses from the top floor. At the same time, countless women and girls where burning and suffocating. This is a perfect example of how society values those with money over the poor. This time period was supposedly “chivalrous” too...quite hypocritical if you think about it. Money seems to trump any sort of moral code. Who knows how many innocent lives could have been saved had the elevator was used in a manner which would save the most lives, not just a few of the rich ones. Instead, women either burned or were forced to jumped to their death.
The interview I read about also mentioned a similar comment about the elevator, though did not mention that it only helped bosses from the top floor. The woman in my interview also worked on the 9th floor and I see a lot of similarities in their stories. I think the money over morals also translates into the trials and consequences that were placed on the factory owners. They were the ones who held the money and suffered the least, and the poor suffered the greatest and received no justice.
It is very interesting that you bring up the point of how many women would be saved if the elevator went to the areas with the most women. I think this incident probably also contributed to the safety factor of having stairs in all work places so if there is a fire workers do not need to rely on elevators and have a fast and safe way to escape the building.
It is very interesting that the elevator escape was designated for bosses only. This shows how inconsiderate the wealthy people from this incident were. As if they were too good to be waisted, or to be saved with the poor factory workers. A life is a life no matter what social status.
Dora Salka also mentioned the elevator and also implied that the staircase wasn't generally used. I wouldn't be suppressed if it was dangerous in the same way as the fire escape.
This interview reminds me of the ridiculous status ideology that was very similar on the Titanic. All of the immigrants on the lower deck were saved for the very last, including women and children immigrants. The interview I read was also on the 9th floor, it seems that this floor was probably one of the most populated and/or the most able to escape.
The interview that I read didn't mention that the elevators were used to save only the bosses. I'm so glad you brought that point out. It is absolutely horrible that those with money are favored over those who are poor. All should be viewed as equal and all have the right to have their lives saved.
Very pleased with the ability of students to make connections in these comments to other sources or other historical events. Excellent compare and contrast analytical skills.
Plus, there was the dangerous, rusty and broken fire escape that hurt more people than it helped. The company could have saved so much money had they invested in the proper safety gear to prevent the death of so many people in the fire.
I also did not know that the elevators were used to save only the bosses. It is terrible to think how many lives could be saved if certain regulations and safety precautions were implemented equally for everyone, not just the rich. In the interview I read, Sylvia did not know that the fire escape was even a fire escape, more than likely because they did not feel the need to implement safety, out of a prejudice standpoint.
I read Rose Hauser's survivor interview. The information I learned additionally from the interview, was the personal devastation this fire caused to so many like Rose. The mental and emotional distress affected her for the rest of her life. She lived with nightmares, sleep deprivation, and a form of survivor's guilt. Mothers who lost children in the fire blamed her for not saving their children. She testified against the factory owners but faced immense frustration in dealing with their defense lawyer. She said "I could have killed him. I could have scratched his eyes out." She felt in testifying she would bring justice to the atrocities. She witnessed people jumping and falling from windows, and continued to be tormented by those images for the rest of her life.
Hi. Very interesting analysis of Rose Hauser's interview. I think it is incredibly sad the family members blamed Hauser for the deaths of their children. Even people who were directly involved in the tragedy could not see the situation for what it really was; selfish unsafe labor practices by rich business men lead to the death of many women. Society still likes to find ways to blame unfortunate situations on the underdog, even though Rose was the victim.
My survivor was so mentally and emotionally distorted by the event that after the trials he plotted to kill the owners when he went to pick up his next paycheck. The only thing that stopped him was that he did not have enough money to buy a gun and a union worker convinced him that killing the owners would only make the situation worse for himself and all other victims and survivors. He admitted the factory paid better than the others, in fact one woman stood in the window holding her paycheck afterwards but was too afraid to jump from the 9th story window.
These interviews really do showcase how this was an extremely traumatic experience, and based off of these descriptions and also Dora Salka's description of what sound like flashbacks to the fire almost impeding her ability to work and getting her in trouble with future bosses fall in line with common symptoms of PTSD.
Very significant here is the long-term consequences of these tragedies, not only economically and societally, but emotionally as well to the individual persons affected by the tragedy. It is also interesting to note the different responses, including one man contemplating violent revenge as individuals try to seek some closure or justice from such experiences.
Interview with Josephine Nicolosi In this interview, Josephine Nicolosi told of how Blanck tried to bribe her $1,000 to lie and change her testimony against him. He questioned her and tried to pay her off when she told the authorities that the doors to the factory were locked. She also describes how quickly the other women were willing to jump and one was even killed on the street by getting hit by a falling body. Josephine painted a picture of horror and fear at the inability to do anything to help relieve the problems going on around her.
I think it is very interesting the company was trying to pay her off in the testimony. Thankfully she had good moral values and decided to tell the truth of what had happened. It is also very sad that someone died from a falling body because they were probably very glad they escaped the fire and they still were killed.
In the previous stories money plays a big factor in the resulting trials and consequences for the fire. It seems as if the owners with the money suffered the least and escaped with merely a slap on the wrist, while the poor suffered through the devastating fire and received no compensation, not even in the form of justice. The money over morals theme is also illustrated in your story.
I find it truly disgusting and heartless that the owners would try and pay off the people that were testifying against them, it should put a sense of realization that they were a key factor into the destruction caused by the fire. To the courts, it should show that these men knew about the horrible things like locking the doors and inadequate escape routes, this should give them a more hefty punishment than a fine.
I was wondering if there was any corruption there because Dora Salka hinted at it but never outright implicated wether or not she knew that was what was going on. That's terrifying but also not surprising.
This event typifies why there was such a progressive reforming spirit in this time period, whether the issue be workplace safety, exploitation of new immigrants, or corruption in the court system.
I read the interview of Anna Pidone who was a forelady on the ninth floor. She went through many horrors due to this incident. Her sister Mary died in the fire after falling through the fire escape. She felt responsible for her neighbors death since she got her the job only a week before. These victims saw many atrocities such as women jumping from windows. They only used the freight elevators so many of the workers did not know there was a fire escape. There were thirteen men who died in the fire. One of the women who died was supposed to be married that Sunday. Pidone sued for her sisters death and she received $25,000 for it. She had to be on the stand for two and a half hours in this case stating how the door would not open for her. Pidone liked working at Harris and Blank but knew that what happened could have been prevented and she would have not lost her sister if the conditions were better. She was forever emotionally scarred from the incident.
I read the same interview as well; I thought it was very interesting on how right when the fire started, women began to jump out of the windows. I also thought it was interesting how Anna Pidone considered suicide herself, but did not have the "courage." Luckily for not having that courage, she saved herself, but it is weird to think how without that hesitation, she would have jumped.
Your response elucidates well the very human effect that big businesses had. Although they often failed to recognize the lives and families they were destroying right under their noses, the impact was devastating both financially and emotionally
Your post very well documents the personal stories and tragedies that occur when a tragedy like this happens, particularly one that could have easily been prevented.
In the interview with Abe Gordon, he mentions seeing a man jump over the side in front of him, and explicitly details the moments leading up to the man taking his life. It is more than obvious that what the people went through in this horrible event stayed with many of them, almost hauntingly.
Ida Kornweiser had a job as an Operator and sleeve setter on the 9th floor in the factory. At this time she says she must have been a child, because every time an inspector came, she was hidden in the toilet. When the fire started, Ida tried to exit the building but could not exit the normal way, or from the fire escape. This shows how the safety of workers was not properly thought out in the construction of the building. Ida exited through the roof and was able to escape to the building beside the factory. She did not realize how serious this incident was. When taken to the hospital, she ran home to check on her sick mother, and returned to work in a different building shortly after. Through the whole incident, Ida was more concerned about the new hat she had just bought that was left in the dressing room, and her weeks pay in her stocking. Obviously the workers were not being payed enough to worry about their own lives over their weeks pay to support their family.
The article I read also mentioned how important the weekly pay was to them. She was willing to go back to a different location, an empty store, very quickly after the event in order to receive pay which was held back from her. That was also very smart of Ida to head to the roof and escape to a different building. She is lucky that she did not have to be in the streets to see the falling bodies
Your analysis of Ida Kornweiser's experiences exposed a profound truth of human nature. It is so sad that a child was put in such a gruesome situation, only to be put back to work shortly after the fire. What is even more sad is that a child, so soon, learned that society values money and possessions more than the welfare of people.
One of the things that I find interesting in your post is the length that managers and employers would go to to cover up safety or child labor violations, such as hiding this child "in the toilet." Despite the lengths that they clearly went to and the clear violations, very little justice was carried out.
After reading the about Eraclio Montanaro's interview, it gives you a greater sense of how horrifying the situation was. He goes into detail about the horrors of watching women jump from many stories up, just to avoid the imminent death awaiting them, if they were to stay. Montanaro also talks about how sickening it was to watch as all the people around him were covered in blood, screaming as they would make a leap of faith hoping they would be saved by the firemen nets. This was too gruesome for him to watch so he later ran home because he could not bear what he was seeing. On top of the people he saw leaving the building, he talks heavily about the firemen that were helpless in the situation. The nets they would hold for people leaping from the building would be ripped from their hands, leaving them in agonizing pain and bleeding, as they continued to help as much as they could. All in all, the interview gives you a more vivid description of the atrocities that were witnessed on this devastating day.
Josephine, the girl whose article I read, mentioned a similar scenario for a young boy on the block that she knew. He was near the fire, so he jumped in to help escort Josephine and another of the worker girls to their homes. All three of these people were covered in blood exactly as you mentioned in your article's description
My interview as well mentioned a lot about the fire fighters and their efforts. Many forcing others down the stairs to save their lives even if a loved one was above. They tried desperately but their ladders and hoses could not reach the upper levels of the building, resulting in the leaps from the windows.
The article I read had also mentioned the helpless situation these people were in and how they were willing to do anything in order to survive, even if that meant jumping out of an elevator shaft in the hopes of gripping a cable and sliding all the way down, risking severe burns on their hands or worse, a fall to their death as many experienced.
These are very powerful interview stories that all of you mentioned here. Whether it be the shock of witnessing the event, the lengths that people went to to survive, or the efforts of the firefighters, these powerful stories did eventually lead to pivotal changes in workplace safety.
Anna Pidone worked as Forelady which was in charge to hand out paychecks. When the fire had started she was about to leave since the work day had been over, but another woman came and cried fire. She worked on the 9th floor, but when she went to the door, it was locked, so she began to look for her sister, who was also on the same floor. Immediately looking around, people began to fling themselves outside through the windows of the 9th story floor; however, Anna ran to a freight elevator to see if it worked, but it did not. However, she used a staircase that was only known by her, because of her job status. This is interesting because she recalls not seeing a single soul, so this was kept as a secret, but she was privileged to have this knowledge because of her job status, a luxury other girls did not have. Later would suffer from PTSD to the degree that whenever she heard a fire engine she would shake. For all of this pain, she sued winning about $25,000.
I think the fact that her sister worked with her and she was not able to save her is a very powerful story. I believe that stories like this should be shown to judges to display how situations like these are deeper than a $20 law suit.
In the interview I read about, it talked about how the freight elevator had broken as the interviewee was on it due to the amount of weight it was carrying. The weight had caused the elevator to fall down and how the interviewee had to jump out and grab the elevator cable in hopes of sliding all the way down onto the now collapsed elevator. If more had known about this staircase perhaps the atrocities would have been cut in half.
I also read the article of Anna Pidone. Reading her interview made me realize not only the tragedy of the lives that were lost, but the PTSD that followed. The PTSD is often overlooked when talking about events such as this one, but it helps to show what an impact the events had.
I read Dora Appel Skalka's interview. She was a blouse maker on the top floor, where the fire broke out. In fact, if she hadn't had followed her friend's advice to leave early, she was certain that she would've been the first victim, as her machine was right next to the cutting machine that started the fire. I thought it was interesting that she mentioned a fire escape because I was always under the impression that there were none, but there were, they were just not usable. I also found it interesting that she was called by the District Attorney to testify that the doors were open, told the truth that they were in fact locked, and they never called her in to testify during the actual trail. You have to wonder how many people they did this with, young women and girls such as those who worked there especially, immigrants especially, scared of repercussions if they tell the truth, that this was done to before they got somebody who'd say what they wanted to hear. Also interesting was the fact that after the fire, Skalka had reoccurring fears of being caught in another fire, to the point of feeling like she needed to quit her livelihood because it. That detail really speaks to the depth of the trauma these people suffered.
Dora Skalka's interview is very eye-opening considering the fire started right next to her. It seems to be reoccurring that the workers did not know about the existence of the fire escape, and it makes me wonder how many lives could have been saved if they knew about a proper plan to escape in case of a fire.
I think you both make some very key observations: witnesses accounts ignored or not provided, due to fear of repercussions, and the idea that this could have easily been prevented with some easy safety training. How could you not as a manager of human beings not value their safety!
Upon reading Max Hochfield’s interview I learned more about the conditions of the Factory and how the building was ill-equipped to deal with such a disaster. At the end of the work day all of the ladies are forced through one exit on one side of the building so that their purses can be checked to see if they stole any materials. In order to prevent stealing the owner would lock the other doors, some of which led to fire escapes. Communication between floors was also fairly poor. When the fire had began, no one above the 8th floor had known. As Mr. Hochfield descended the stairs to the level below at the end of the day his sister, who normally took the elevator, went to the dress room on the 9th floor. As he descended the stairs he saw the entire 8th floor engulfed in flames. On every floor there were fire hazards everywhere. wood floors that were soaked in oil, wicker baskets filled with material, and material waste left around the room in large heaps. Mr. Hochfield tried to go back up the stairs and save his sister only to be stopped by a fireman who didn’t allow him. He was forced to exit the building down a single staircase as others went down a fire escape. Had the doors on the 9th floor been unlocked, he and his sister could have possibly gone through the doors onto the fire escape. The fire escape however was in no better condition was it swayed under the weight of the people on it. Mr. Hochfield’s sister was burned alive to the point beyond recognition. Only her boyfriend could recognize the charred remains. He attended meetings which had spies from the firm in them that once it came time for the trial would say that the workers were coached into saying certain things. Mr. Hochfield was only asked his name and how long he was in the country during the trial, nothing else about his story of the factory. He tried to tell his story and asked for an interpreter but was denied. After the trial he plotted to kill the owners but did not have enough money to buy a gun.
To add to the incredible disrepair you mention, in my article, I learned that the fire escape was incredibly rusted and actually fell off the building at some point during the fire. It's clear from your examination and the collective testimonies that this building certainly could have been in better shape
It is very interesting to me that upon trying to tell the story of the fire, he was denied. This shows just how far a company will go to protect its self. Obviously the company was in the wrong in this situation. Instead of owning up to their mistake of having poor facilities unequipped for an emergency, they hid the testimonies and left families with no justice. This detestation clearly led family members to do things they may never have done, like buying a gun to kill the owners.
I read the interview of Ida Kornweiser. Ida was an operator and sleeve setter who worked on the 9th floor. She stated that in the moment, she didn't realize how large of a tragedy this fire would be. She even said that she took the time to put her pay in her stockings rather than rushing out of the building. However, she was a quick thinker. She took white lawn and wrapped it around herself, bolted through the fire up to the top of the building, and as the lawn caught flame, she quickly rolled it off of herself. I found this pretty clever. She crossed over to the top of a different building on a makeshift bridge made with the help of other women. She was asked afterwards if the door had been open and she said no - the door was always closed for fear of the workers stealing. Once she got down to the street, the police officers would not let her see cross over to the burning building.
I find it very interesting how much money mattered to these workers, that would put up with the working conditions and also delay leaving the building despite the fire to store the money they had earned. That was very clever and brave of her to wrap herself like that and go through the fire to the top of the building to avoid the unsafe fire escape and the elevators.
Hi Maddie! Ida Kornweiser seems like a very brave woman. Her character reminds me of another survivor, Sarah Dworetz. Sarah was the first women to grab hold of the cable attached to the elevator. She took a huge risk, by being the first person to slide all the way down in hopes of survival. Both of these women, were fast thinkers in a huge tragedy. Fortunately, their quick actions resulted in them surviving this terrible event in history.
One thing that strikes me over and over in these comments is the doors being locked. How the owners were not held more accountable is beyond me. This lends credence to the class and immigrant prejudice that existed at the time, as well as the corruption of the court system.
I am amazed by how quickly she was able to come up with a plan to save herself. It is startling how little the workers were trusted, undoubtedly out of prejudice.
The woman who I read about, Josephine Nicolosi, was actually able to escape through a locked door. She explained that there was one person on her floor that had a key. It was a known fact to all of the workers that the doors stayed locked, they quickly thought to find this man, but with one door to go out of, and the commotion and fear in all of the people screaming and trying to find a way out, obviously not many were saved. I would not feel safe working in a one story building with locked doors, let alone a 9 story sweatshop with wicker baskets and cloth with locked doors.
I like your story description and the personal connection you make by describing how you would feel in this situation, Joey. It is always good to be able to put ourselves "in the shoes of others." Leads to better understanding.
I read the story of Abe Gordon. He was 16 when he started working at the factory. A hard, committed worker, he earned a raise after a “while” (about 3 years) working their upon request, but then was instructed that he must not tell the other workers about this. He worked on the 9th floor on which there were about 400 others on 400 machines. He remembers the 9th floor as being very unsanitary, cluttered with waste. He was fortunately able to escape, but upon discovering of his arrival, his superiors immediately sought him ought to be a witness for their side. Although he was never called to the stand, he felt manipulated by attorney’s who wanted adamantly for him to say and think certain things about the incident. His lasting memory of the place was the floor caked with oil and grease.
The story of Anna Pidone also had her working on the 9th floor, and she mentioned how the floor had oil barrels there. She recalled how when she managed to escape, she heard an explosion that had occurred due to the barrel. It is interesting because I was curious about the organization of the floor and why there was a barrel hanging around there, so the unsanitary aspect contributed to the fire.
To me, this shows just how corrupt these people were to get out of the atrocities they had committed. They basically sought to find anyway out of the charges put upon them, whether that be manipulating workers, or by simply paying them off. It also shows how they lied about everything in the building being adequately looked upon and "fireproof" even though Mr. Gordon said the floors were unsanitary, cluttered with waste, and even caked with oil and grease.
Josephine Nicolosi experienced a similar feeling when she was bribed with $1,000 to change her testimony. It shows that there was a clear attempt to hide the problems.
Unfortunately, cover-up was a big part of the response to this tragedy by management. This can often lead to lack of justice and full recovery, including lessons learned, from such tragedies.
After reading the interview with Sarah Friedman Dworetz, I was able to gather additional information beyond the 'story of the fire.' Sarah was working on the 9th floor and just about to leave as the fire broke out on the 8th floor. She was waiting in the lobby when all of a sudden the smoke, and then the fire, began to come up the elevator shaft. Then she turned to run back to the other end of the shop where the freight elevator was in order to get on it and hurry to the 1st floor. The elevators were going up and down frantically, and she had finally gotten onto the elevator, knowing this was the last trip up or down for the elevator. The elevator was too heavily loaded and it started to go down. The elevator door was still open so she, being the first of many, grabbed the cable on the outside of the elevator and began to slide down the cable. She slid down the cable and ended up on top of the elevator and lost consciousness. Others landed on top of her. When the rescue workers came to the shaft they pulled her out and laid her out on the street. They had thought she was dead, like many others in the shaft with her. However, she awoke I had a broken leg, broken arm. Her skull had been injured, along with one of her hands burned by friction. This interview gave a firsthand look at the horrors of this fire and ultimately showed the importance of having accessible fire escapes along with the importance of fire protection/inspections in the workplace.
The injuries Sarah received from others falling on top of her unconscious body on top of the elevator were really severe and show the horrors of the victims of the fire. I agree this story shows the importance of a well maintained fire escape and fire escape plans in the work place.
Hi Ryan! I read Sarah Dworetz's interview as well and found it to be very interesting. It is heart wrenching to hear her story of the helpless situation that she was in. I found Sarah to be very brave for being the first person to grab the cable of the elevator and slide all the way down in hopes of surviving. I found it interesting that Sarah still did not lock her door even years after the fire. It shows the hurt and pain of the situation that she still carried with her.
Very powerful eyewitness account and story of survival. I also like your observations that these tragedies can have long-range effects and led to important changes. It is a shame that this many people had to die in this and other workplace accidents before changes were made. Although, you may want to take note about areas of industry that still have safety issues as the story of the fire documents.
Abe Gordon Job: Machinist 9th Floor Interview June 19th 1958
From Abe Gordon's interview I found out more about the working conditions of the factory. The factory was a cramped space were in some cases people had to walk sideways to fit threw walkways. The floors were dirty and covered in oil, they were only slept once a week if at all. On one side of the factory the exit was always locked but had they key hung on a string from the lock. The other side of the factory was used to come and go. Abe Gordon was working at the time of the fire the first thing he noticed was the heavy smoke coming, he worked a table away from the fire escape and went to it immediately. The window was blocked by a table covered in boxes and other waists, Gordon pushed they waist to the side and used the escape to go down to the 6th or 7th floor where he reentered the building. As Gordon reentered the building the fire escape collapsed and fell to the street, Gordon described it as no good, rust on top of rust, and that he wasn't surprised that it had fallen. From Gordon's interview I learned just how bad the working conditions were and how bad the buildings upkeep was.
I read the interview with Joseph Granick. Joseph was a cutter on the 8th floor of the factory. When his coworker had said she smelled smoke, he began to worry. A few minutes went by and Joseph began to see the fire near them. He saw a few pails of nasty, slimy water. He took these pails and he threw them on the fire as he made his way to the freight elevator. He discusses how someone from the 9th floor came to visit him soon before they knew of the fire. He feels very guilty for not keeping her on the 8th floor so they could have both survived. He feels this guilt even though he did not know the fire was coming; thinking he could have saved her is unrealistic. This interview goes beyond the story of the fire as it shows the emotional burdens the victims are forced to carry.
The emotional burdens of the survivors stuck out to me too. It seems to be a consistent human trait. Many hang on to what they could have done and struggle to move on. The fact that the pails had slimy water shows how disgusting the conditions were!
I read the interview of the survivor, Sarah Dworetz. Sarah claims that she was working on the 9th floor of the Triangle Shirtwaist Company Factory the day of March 25, 1911. She had just received her pay and was ready to leave, when the fire started bring on the 8th floor. When the smoke of the fire began to come up the elevator shaft, she turned to run back to the other end of the shop. However, on the front side the door to the staircase was closed. Suddenly, she reached out to grab the cable of the elevator to slide all the way down it. She lost consciousness when others following behind her, landed on top of her. After being rescued, she found out that she had a broken leg, broken arm, an injured skull, and a burnt hands. The rescue workers moved her into a book store because we was afraid to go to the hospital. After the fire, she was sick for about 6 months and never heard form the company again. At the trial, Sarah refused to tell the lawyers that the door was open and she received $1.50 for being a witness. Sarah Dworetz says that the events that happened still seize her during the month of March. She still does not lock her door to this day.
This story very accurately depicts how a traumatic situation like this can affect someone for the rest of their lives. Sarah's sufferings go far past her already miserable physical traumas and seep into her every day life.
Finally replying to your account, Monroe. Your survivor interview provides a powerful story of escape. Sarah Dworetz should not have had to go to these lengths to escape and experienced the ongoing trauma as a consequence. If her safety had been valued by managements, costs would have been saved, but more importantly, lives would have been saved and ongoing trauma would have been prevented.
I read Anna Pidone’s interview. Anna was a Forelady working on the 9th floor, passing out pay envelopes at the end of the day. Since Anna was a Forelady, she was familiar with a certain staircase in the back that the rest didn’t know about. These stairs ended up saving her life. The interview of Anna goes beyond the ‘story of the fire,’ giving more in-depth details of the decision between jumping out a window and burning alive and showing just how unorganized the building was, which led to the deaths of many. Once the fire was in the same room as her, she ran up to one of the windows but backed away. Minutes later, after yelling for her sister in the middle of all the chaos, she approached the window again, made the sign of the cross, and readied herself to jump. Again, she was unable to. The mental agony they must have felt of having to choose their own death is unbelievable. After this second consideration of jumping out of the window, Anna remembered the staircase she often used for her work and used it to get out safely. What’s interesting is that the other workers who were not Foreladies had no idea this staircase existed. Anna herself didn’t even know that they had a fire-escape. This shows the lack of communication between those in charge and the workers. Those in authority should have pointed out clear exists to all workers in case of any emergency in the future. Towards the end of the interview, Anna mentioned that a barrel of oil rested by the door (which is not safe at ALL) and stacks of boxes crowded around both the door and the windows. These obstacles, the lack of knowledge of exits, and the mental battle of choosing between deaths shows the real horror of the fire.
Reading the interview of Anna Pidone after reading the story of the fire helped me understand the severity of the situation on a more personal lever. Pidone lost her own sister in the fire, and one of her friends she lost in the fire was planning to get married that Sunday. Not only was Anna’s life changed forever because of the loss of her sister, but she still suffers from mental trauma and shakes every time she hears a fire engine. The images of those who died in the fire, people jumping out of the windows, and people falling from the fire escape are embedded in her brain and give her horrifying flashbacks. Pidone claims that although Harris & Bank were very nice to her, she didn’t even know that the fire escape existed. The working conditions were extremely dangerous, and the doors should have never been shut during working hours. A proper plan set in place in case of a fire would’ve saved many lives, injuries, and mental trauma that day.
I read the interview of Sylvia Kimeldorf. She worked on the 8th floor and was 18 years old when the fire happened. As she was about to leave, she heard commotion people that was a result of the fire. Sylvia could not go near the windows because of her fear of heights. She had to run down a narrow staircase in order to escape, as falling bodies blocked her way. She ended up being saved by a fireman. She was originally from Romania, but recently moved with her family to live in Brooklyn. She worked in the garment industry two years earlier and suddenly found that she was in the middle of the big 1909 strike of shirtwaist makers. She went to sell newspapers to raise money for the strikers. She was so traumatized by the event, that she had to go back to Romania to regain her strength. Her story taught me about how mentally traumatizing the fire actually was.
Wow. This must have been traumatic. The fact that she felt the need to go back to her home country in a time period in which many were coming to America is a powerful effect of this event.
One thing that the interview did not mention that I think would be interesting to know is how this tragedy changed her view of America after she returned to Romania.
the Story of Abe Gordon starts almost three years before the first ,when he was hired as a button hole boy the factory. He had worked for some time, and gotten to know the people there as well as making good money hat the time. He moved his way up to belt boy making $6 dollars an hour while the others were only making $5, so this was a big deal to the young man (he was not even 16 when he started working there). The day of the fire, he Gordon noticed the smoke coming from the freight side of the building on the 9th floor. He and his friend tried to escape by using the fireplace but because it was rusty and old, people began falling and the escape started to collapse. He remembered the people jumping from the ledge, and then getting to the office where Harris and Blank (the owners of the factory) had a lawyer who asked him questions about keys that he could have used to get out of the building if he needed to. Then, he quickly finished the story, stating that he moved to another location for some time.
I read the entry of Josephine Nicolosi. This interview was incredibly powerful because of the first hand experience that is shared while explaining what had happened. She explained that they would often hold back from paying them, and she was offered $1,000 to change her testimony. Therefor, it is quite clear that the owners are not as good of owners as they say they are. On the day of the fire, she was next to the match that started the fire. She says that she thought it was only a joke at first because of the person that had yelled "Fire!". This is exceptionally scary because they could have put it out before it spread into a raging flame. As she escaped, they saw bodies lying on the sidewalk, one of her friends walked over, crying next to the body, that friend was then killed by another falling body. She was emotionally scarred by this for the rest of her life.
Wow. Powerful testimony. There is a lot going on in the account you provide - bribery, easy prevention of this disaster, and a tragic "heartbreaking" death.
I read the entry of Rose Indursky. She worked as a sleeve setter on the ninth floor of the Triangle Shirtwaist factory. At the time of the fire, she was only sixteen years old. Indursky had several very interesting recollections of the day’s events. One in particular that stuck out to me went as follows: At the time of the fire, there was in fact a working elevator armed with an elevator man. However, it only traveled to save the bosses from the top floor. At the same time, countless women and girls where burning and suffocating. This is a perfect example of how society values those with money over the poor. This time period was supposedly “chivalrous” too...quite hypocritical if you think about it. Money seems to trump any sort of moral code. Who knows how many innocent lives could have been saved had the elevator was used in a manner which would save the most lives, not just a few of the rich ones. Instead, women either burned or were forced to jumped to their death.
ReplyDeleteThe interview I read about also mentioned a similar comment about the elevator, though did not mention that it only helped bosses from the top floor. The woman in my interview also worked on the 9th floor and I see a lot of similarities in their stories. I think the money over morals also translates into the trials and consequences that were placed on the factory owners. They were the ones who held the money and suffered the least, and the poor suffered the greatest and received no justice.
DeleteIt is very interesting that you bring up the point of how many women would be saved if the elevator went to the areas with the most women. I think this incident probably also contributed to the safety factor of having stairs in all work places so if there is a fire workers do not need to rely on elevators and have a fast and safe way to escape the building.
DeleteIt is very interesting that the elevator escape was designated for bosses only. This shows how inconsiderate the wealthy people from this incident were. As if they were too good to be waisted, or to be saved with the poor factory workers. A life is a life no matter what social status.
DeleteDora Salka also mentioned the elevator and also implied that the staircase wasn't generally used. I wouldn't be suppressed if it was dangerous in the same way as the fire escape.
DeleteThis interview reminds me of the ridiculous status ideology that was very similar on the Titanic. All of the immigrants on the lower deck were saved for the very last, including women and children immigrants. The interview I read was also on the 9th floor, it seems that this floor was probably one of the most populated and/or the most able to escape.
DeleteThe interview that I read didn't mention that the elevators were used to save only the bosses. I'm so glad you brought that point out. It is absolutely horrible that those with money are favored over those who are poor. All should be viewed as equal and all have the right to have their lives saved.
DeleteVery pleased with the ability of students to make connections in these comments to other sources or other historical events. Excellent compare and contrast analytical skills.
DeletePlus, there was the dangerous, rusty and broken fire escape that hurt more people than it helped. The company could have saved so much money had they invested in the proper safety gear to prevent the death of so many people in the fire.
DeleteI also did not know that the elevators were used to save only the bosses. It is terrible to think how many lives could be saved if certain regulations and safety precautions were implemented equally for everyone, not just the rich. In the interview I read, Sylvia did not know that the fire escape was even a fire escape, more than likely because they did not feel the need to implement safety, out of a prejudice standpoint.
DeleteI read Rose Hauser's survivor interview. The information I learned additionally from the interview, was the personal devastation this fire caused to so many like Rose. The mental and emotional distress affected her for the rest of her life. She lived with nightmares, sleep deprivation, and a form of survivor's guilt. Mothers who lost children in the fire blamed her for not saving their children. She testified against the factory owners but faced immense frustration in dealing with their defense lawyer. She said "I could have killed him. I could have scratched his eyes out." She felt in testifying she would bring justice to the atrocities. She witnessed people jumping and falling from windows, and continued to be tormented by those images for the rest of her life.
ReplyDeleteHi. Very interesting analysis of Rose Hauser's interview. I think it is incredibly sad the family members blamed Hauser for the deaths of their children. Even people who were directly involved in the tragedy could not see the situation for what it really was; selfish unsafe labor practices by rich business men lead to the death of many women. Society still likes to find ways to blame unfortunate situations on the underdog, even though Rose was the victim.
DeleteMy survivor was so mentally and emotionally distorted by the event that after the trials he plotted to kill the owners when he went to pick up his next paycheck. The only thing that stopped him was that he did not have enough money to buy a gun and a union worker convinced him that killing the owners would only make the situation worse for himself and all other victims and survivors. He admitted the factory paid better than the others, in fact one woman stood in the window holding her paycheck afterwards but was too afraid to jump from the 9th story window.
DeleteThese interviews really do showcase how this was an extremely traumatic experience, and based off of these descriptions and also Dora Salka's description of what sound like flashbacks to the fire almost impeding her ability to work and getting her in trouble with future bosses fall in line with common symptoms of PTSD.
DeleteI couldn't imagine trying to cope with these horrible images forever. It seems that Roses' coping mechanism was to bring justice to the situation.
DeleteVery significant here is the long-term consequences of these tragedies, not only economically and societally, but emotionally as well to the individual persons affected by the tragedy. It is also interesting to note the different responses, including one man contemplating violent revenge as individuals try to seek some closure or justice from such experiences.
DeleteInterview with Josephine Nicolosi
ReplyDeleteIn this interview, Josephine Nicolosi told of how Blanck tried to bribe her $1,000 to lie and change her testimony against him. He questioned her and tried to pay her off when she told the authorities that the doors to the factory were locked. She also describes how quickly the other women were willing to jump and one was even killed on the street by getting hit by a falling body. Josephine painted a picture of horror and fear at the inability to do anything to help relieve the problems going on around her.
I think it is very interesting the company was trying to pay her off in the testimony. Thankfully she had good moral values and decided to tell the truth of what had happened. It is also very sad that someone died from a falling body because they were probably very glad they escaped the fire and they still were killed.
DeleteIn the previous stories money plays a big factor in the resulting trials and consequences for the fire. It seems as if the owners with the money suffered the least and escaped with merely a slap on the wrist, while the poor suffered through the devastating fire and received no compensation, not even in the form of justice. The money over morals theme is also illustrated in your story.
DeleteI find it truly disgusting and heartless that the owners would try and pay off the people that were testifying against them, it should put a sense of realization that they were a key factor into the destruction caused by the fire. To the courts, it should show that these men knew about the horrible things like locking the doors and inadequate escape routes, this should give them a more hefty punishment than a fine.
DeleteI was wondering if there was any corruption there because Dora Salka hinted at it but never outright implicated wether or not she knew that was what was going on. That's terrifying but also not surprising.
DeleteThis event typifies why there was such a progressive reforming spirit in this time period, whether the issue be workplace safety, exploitation of new immigrants, or corruption in the court system.
DeleteI read the interview of Anna Pidone who was a forelady on the ninth floor. She went through many horrors due to this incident. Her sister Mary died in the fire after falling through the fire escape. She felt responsible for her neighbors death since she got her the job only a week before. These victims saw many atrocities such as women jumping from windows. They only used the freight elevators so many of the workers did not know there was a fire escape. There were thirteen men who died in the fire. One of the women who died was supposed to be married that Sunday. Pidone sued for her sisters death and she received $25,000 for it. She had to be on the stand for two and a half hours in this case stating how the door would not open for her. Pidone liked working at Harris and Blank but knew that what happened could have been prevented and she would have not lost her sister if the conditions were better. She was forever emotionally scarred from the incident.
ReplyDeleteI read the same interview as well; I thought it was very interesting on how right when the fire started, women began to jump out of the windows. I also thought it was interesting how Anna Pidone considered suicide herself, but did not have the "courage." Luckily for not having that courage, she saved herself, but it is weird to think how without that hesitation, she would have jumped.
DeleteYour response elucidates well the very human effect that big businesses had. Although they often failed to recognize the lives and families they were destroying right under their noses, the impact was devastating both financially and emotionally
DeleteYour post very well documents the personal stories and tragedies that occur when a tragedy like this happens, particularly one that could have easily been prevented.
DeleteIn the interview with Abe Gordon, he mentions seeing a man jump over the side in front of him, and explicitly details the moments leading up to the man taking his life. It is more than obvious that what the people went through in this horrible event stayed with many of them, almost hauntingly.
DeleteIda Kornweiser had a job as an Operator and sleeve setter on the 9th floor in the factory. At this time she says she must have been a child, because every time an inspector came, she was hidden in the toilet. When the fire started, Ida tried to exit the building but could not exit the normal way, or from the fire escape. This shows how the safety of workers was not properly thought out in the construction of the building. Ida exited through the roof and was able to escape to the building beside the factory. She did not realize how serious this incident was. When taken to the hospital, she ran home to check on her sick mother, and returned to work in a different building shortly after. Through the whole incident, Ida was more concerned about the new hat she had just bought that was left in the dressing room, and her weeks pay in her stocking. Obviously the workers were not being payed enough to worry about their own lives over their weeks pay to support their family.
ReplyDeleteThe article I read also mentioned how important the weekly pay was to them. She was willing to go back to a different location, an empty store, very quickly after the event in order to receive pay which was held back from her. That was also very smart of Ida to head to the roof and escape to a different building. She is lucky that she did not have to be in the streets to see the falling bodies
DeleteYour analysis of Ida Kornweiser's experiences exposed a profound truth of human nature. It is so sad that a child was put in such a gruesome situation, only to be put back to work shortly after the fire. What is even more sad is that a child, so soon, learned that society values money and possessions more than the welfare of people.
DeleteOne of the things that I find interesting in your post is the length that managers and employers would go to to cover up safety or child labor violations, such as hiding this child "in the toilet." Despite the lengths that they clearly went to and the clear violations, very little justice was carried out.
DeleteAfter reading the about Eraclio Montanaro's interview, it gives you a greater sense of how horrifying the situation was. He goes into detail about the horrors of watching women jump from many stories up, just to avoid the imminent death awaiting them, if they were to stay. Montanaro also talks about how sickening it was to watch as all the people around him were covered in blood, screaming as they would make a leap of faith hoping they would be saved by the firemen nets. This was too gruesome for him to watch so he later ran home because he could not bear what he was seeing. On top of the people he saw leaving the building, he talks heavily about the firemen that were helpless in the situation. The nets they would hold for people leaping from the building would be ripped from their hands, leaving them in agonizing pain and bleeding, as they continued to help as much as they could. All in all, the interview gives you a more vivid description of the atrocities that were witnessed on this devastating day.
ReplyDeleteJosephine, the girl whose article I read, mentioned a similar scenario for a young boy on the block that she knew. He was near the fire, so he jumped in to help escort Josephine and another of the worker girls to their homes. All three of these people were covered in blood exactly as you mentioned in your article's description
DeleteMy interview as well mentioned a lot about the fire fighters and their efforts. Many forcing others down the stairs to save their lives even if a loved one was above. They tried desperately but their ladders and hoses could not reach the upper levels of the building, resulting in the leaps from the windows.
DeleteThe article I read had also mentioned the helpless situation these people were in and how they were willing to do anything in order to survive, even if that meant jumping out of an elevator shaft in the hopes of gripping a cable and sliding all the way down, risking severe burns on their hands or worse, a fall to their death as many experienced.
DeleteThese are very powerful interview stories that all of you mentioned here. Whether it be the shock of witnessing the event, the lengths that people went to to survive, or the efforts of the firefighters, these powerful stories did eventually lead to pivotal changes in workplace safety.
DeleteAnna Pidone worked as Forelady which was in charge to hand out paychecks. When the fire had started she was about to leave since the work day had been over, but another woman came and cried fire. She worked on the 9th floor, but when she went to the door, it was locked, so she began to look for her sister, who was also on the same floor. Immediately looking around, people began to fling themselves outside through the windows of the 9th story floor; however, Anna ran to a freight elevator to see if it worked, but it did not. However, she used a staircase that was only known by her, because of her job status. This is interesting because she recalls not seeing a single soul, so this was kept as a secret, but she was privileged to have this knowledge because of her job status, a luxury other girls did not have. Later would suffer from PTSD to the degree that whenever she heard a fire engine she would shake. For all of this pain, she sued winning about $25,000.
ReplyDeleteI think the fact that her sister worked with her and she was not able to save her is a very powerful story. I believe that stories like this should be shown to judges to display how situations like these are deeper than a $20 law suit.
DeleteIn the interview I read about, it talked about how the freight elevator had broken as the interviewee was on it due to the amount of weight it was carrying. The weight had caused the elevator to fall down and how the interviewee had to jump out and grab the elevator cable in hopes of sliding all the way down onto the now collapsed elevator. If more had known about this staircase perhaps the atrocities would have been cut in half.
DeleteI also read the article of Anna Pidone. Reading her interview made me realize not only the tragedy of the lives that were lost, but the PTSD that followed. The PTSD is often overlooked when talking about events such as this one, but it helps to show what an impact the events had.
DeleteA Powerful account by Anna Pidone. At least, in this particular case, she was able to get some type of settlement.
DeleteI read Dora Appel Skalka's interview. She was a blouse maker on the top floor, where the fire broke out. In fact, if she hadn't had followed her friend's advice to leave early, she was certain that she would've been the first victim, as her machine was right next to the cutting machine that started the fire. I thought it was interesting that she mentioned a fire escape because I was always under the impression that there were none, but there were, they were just not usable. I also found it interesting that she was called by the District Attorney to testify that the doors were open, told the truth that they were in fact locked, and they never called her in to testify during the actual trail. You have to wonder how many people they did this with, young women and girls such as those who worked there especially, immigrants especially, scared of repercussions if they tell the truth, that this was done to before they got somebody who'd say what they wanted to hear. Also interesting was the fact that after the fire, Skalka had reoccurring fears of being caught in another fire, to the point of feeling like she needed to quit her livelihood because it. That detail really speaks to the depth of the trauma these people suffered.
ReplyDeleteDora Skalka's interview is very eye-opening considering the fire started right next to her. It seems to be reoccurring that the workers did not know about the existence of the fire escape, and it makes me wonder how many lives could have been saved if they knew about a proper plan to escape in case of a fire.
DeleteI think you both make some very key observations: witnesses accounts ignored or not provided, due to fear of repercussions, and the idea that this could have easily been prevented with some easy safety training. How could you not as a manager of human beings not value their safety!
DeleteUpon reading Max Hochfield’s interview I learned more about the conditions of the Factory and how the building was ill-equipped to deal with such a disaster. At the end of the work day all of the ladies are forced through one exit on one side of the building so that their purses can be checked to see if they stole any materials. In order to prevent stealing the owner would lock the other doors, some of which led to fire escapes. Communication between floors was also fairly poor. When the fire had began, no one above the 8th floor had known. As Mr. Hochfield descended the stairs to the level below at the end of the day his sister, who normally took the elevator, went to the dress room on the 9th floor. As he descended the stairs he saw the entire 8th floor engulfed in flames. On every floor there were fire hazards everywhere. wood floors that were soaked in oil, wicker baskets filled with material, and material waste left around the room in large heaps. Mr. Hochfield tried to go back up the stairs and save his sister only to be stopped by a fireman who didn’t allow him. He was forced to exit the building down a single staircase as others went down a fire escape. Had the doors on the 9th floor been unlocked, he and his sister could have possibly gone through the doors onto the fire escape. The fire escape however was in no better condition was it swayed under the weight of the people on it. Mr. Hochfield’s sister was burned alive to the point beyond recognition. Only her boyfriend could recognize the charred remains. He attended meetings which had spies from the firm in them that once it came time for the trial would say that the workers were coached into saying certain things. Mr. Hochfield was only asked his name and how long he was in the country during the trial, nothing else about his story of the factory. He tried to tell his story and asked for an interpreter but was denied. After the trial he plotted to kill the owners but did not have enough money to buy a gun.
ReplyDeleteTo add to the incredible disrepair you mention, in my article, I learned that the fire escape was incredibly rusted and actually fell off the building at some point during the fire. It's clear from your examination and the collective testimonies that this building certainly could have been in better shape
DeleteIt is very interesting to me that upon trying to tell the story of the fire, he was denied. This shows just how far a company will go to protect its self. Obviously the company was in the wrong in this situation. Instead of owning up to their mistake of having poor facilities unequipped for an emergency, they hid the testimonies and left families with no justice. This detestation clearly led family members to do things they may never have done, like buying a gun to kill the owners.
DeleteI am amazed at how much rich detail is provided to this event and other events by testimonies and other primary source accounts.
DeleteI read the interview of Ida Kornweiser. Ida was an operator and sleeve setter who worked on the 9th floor. She stated that in the moment, she didn't realize how large of a tragedy this fire would be. She even said that she took the time to put her pay in her stockings rather than rushing out of the building. However, she was a quick thinker. She took white lawn and wrapped it around herself, bolted through the fire up to the top of the building, and as the lawn caught flame, she quickly rolled it off of herself. I found this pretty clever. She crossed over to the top of a different building on a makeshift bridge made with the help of other women. She was asked afterwards if the door had been open and she said no - the door was always closed for fear of the workers stealing. Once she got down to the street, the police officers would not let her see cross over to the burning building.
ReplyDeleteI find it very interesting how much money mattered to these workers, that would put up with the working conditions and also delay leaving the building despite the fire to store the money they had earned. That was very clever and brave of her to wrap herself like that and go through the fire to the top of the building to avoid the unsafe fire escape and the elevators.
DeleteHi Maddie! Ida Kornweiser seems like a very brave woman. Her character reminds me of another survivor, Sarah Dworetz. Sarah was the first women to grab hold of the cable attached to the elevator. She took a huge risk, by being the first person to slide all the way down in hopes of survival. Both of these women, were fast thinkers in a huge tragedy. Fortunately, their quick actions resulted in them surviving this terrible event in history.
DeleteOne thing that strikes me over and over in these comments is the doors being locked. How the owners were not held more accountable is beyond me. This lends credence to the class and immigrant prejudice that existed at the time, as well as the corruption of the court system.
DeleteI am amazed by how quickly she was able to come up with a plan to save herself. It is startling how little the workers were trusted, undoubtedly out of prejudice.
DeleteThe woman who I read about, Josephine Nicolosi, was actually able to escape through a locked door. She explained that there was one person on her floor that had a key. It was a known fact to all of the workers that the doors stayed locked, they quickly thought to find this man, but with one door to go out of, and the commotion and fear in all of the people screaming and trying to find a way out, obviously not many were saved. I would not feel safe working in a one story building with locked doors, let alone a 9 story sweatshop with wicker baskets and cloth with locked doors.
DeleteI like your story description and the personal connection you make by describing how you would feel in this situation, Joey. It is always good to be able to put ourselves "in the shoes of others." Leads to better understanding.
DeleteI read the story of Abe Gordon. He was 16 when he started working at the factory. A hard, committed worker, he earned a raise after a “while” (about 3 years) working their upon request, but then was instructed that he must not tell the other workers about this. He worked on the 9th floor on which there were about 400 others on 400 machines. He remembers the 9th floor as being very unsanitary, cluttered with waste. He was fortunately able to escape, but upon discovering of his arrival, his superiors immediately sought him ought to be a witness for their side. Although he was never called to the stand, he felt manipulated by attorney’s who wanted adamantly for him to say and think certain things about the incident. His lasting memory of the place was the floor caked with oil and grease.
ReplyDeleteThe story of Anna Pidone also had her working on the 9th floor, and she mentioned how the floor had oil barrels there. She recalled how when she managed to escape, she heard an explosion that had occurred due to the barrel. It is interesting because I was curious about the organization of the floor and why there was a barrel hanging around there, so the unsanitary aspect contributed to the fire.
DeleteTo me, this shows just how corrupt these people were to get out of the atrocities they had committed. They basically sought to find anyway out of the charges put upon them, whether that be manipulating workers, or by simply paying them off. It also shows how they lied about everything in the building being adequately looked upon and "fireproof" even though Mr. Gordon said the floors were unsanitary, cluttered with waste, and even caked with oil and grease.
DeleteClearly conditions were in place for a tragedy such as this to occur.
DeleteJosephine Nicolosi experienced a similar feeling when she was bribed with $1,000 to change her testimony. It shows that there was a clear attempt to hide the problems.
DeleteUnfortunately, cover-up was a big part of the response to this tragedy by management. This can often lead to lack of justice and full recovery, including lessons learned, from such tragedies.
DeleteAfter reading the interview with Sarah Friedman Dworetz, I was able to gather additional information beyond the 'story of the fire.' Sarah was working on the 9th floor and just about to leave as the fire broke out on the 8th floor. She was waiting in the lobby when all of a sudden the smoke, and then the fire, began to come up the elevator shaft. Then she turned to run back to the other end of the shop where the freight elevator was in order to get on it and hurry to the 1st floor. The elevators were going up and down frantically, and she had finally gotten onto the elevator, knowing this was the last trip up or down for the elevator. The elevator was too heavily loaded and it started to go down. The elevator door was still open so she, being the first of many, grabbed the cable on the outside of the elevator and began to slide down the cable. She slid down the cable and ended up on top of the elevator and lost consciousness. Others landed on top of her. When the rescue workers came to the shaft they pulled her out and laid her out on the street. They had thought she was dead, like many others in the shaft with her. However, she awoke I had a broken leg, broken arm. Her skull had been injured, along with one of her hands burned by friction. This interview gave a firsthand look at the horrors of this fire and ultimately showed the importance of having accessible fire escapes along with the importance of fire protection/inspections in the workplace.
ReplyDeleteThe injuries Sarah received from others falling on top of her unconscious body on top of the elevator were really severe and show the horrors of the victims of the fire. I agree this story shows the importance of a well maintained fire escape and fire escape plans in the work place.
DeleteHi Ryan! I read Sarah Dworetz's interview as well and found it to be very interesting. It is heart wrenching to hear her story of the helpless situation that she was in. I found Sarah to be very brave for being the first person to grab the cable of the elevator and slide all the way down in hopes of surviving. I found it interesting that Sarah still did not lock her door even years after the fire. It shows the hurt and pain of the situation that she still carried with her.
DeleteVery powerful eyewitness account and story of survival. I also like your observations that these tragedies can have long-range effects and led to important changes. It is a shame that this many people had to die in this and other workplace accidents before changes were made. Although, you may want to take note about areas of industry that still have safety issues as the story of the fire documents.
DeleteAbe Gordon
ReplyDeleteJob: Machinist
9th Floor
Interview June 19th 1958
From Abe Gordon's interview I found out more about the working conditions of the factory. The factory was a cramped space were in some cases people had to walk sideways to fit threw walkways. The floors were dirty and covered in oil, they were only slept once a week if at all. On one side of the factory the exit was always locked but had they key hung on a string from the lock. The other side of the factory was used to come and go. Abe Gordon was working at the time of the fire the first thing he noticed was the heavy smoke coming, he worked a table away from the fire escape and went to it immediately. The window was blocked by a table covered in boxes and other waists, Gordon pushed they waist to the side and used the escape to go down to the 6th or 7th floor where he reentered the building. As Gordon reentered the building the fire escape collapsed and fell to the street, Gordon described it as no good, rust on top of rust, and that he wasn't surprised that it had fallen. From Gordon's interview I learned just how bad the working conditions were and how bad the buildings upkeep was.
Gordon's account indeed documents the shoddy conditions of the entire building.
DeleteI read the interview with Joseph Granick.
ReplyDeleteJoseph was a cutter on the 8th floor of the factory. When his coworker had said she smelled smoke, he began to worry. A few minutes went by and Joseph began to see the fire near them. He saw a few pails of nasty, slimy water. He took these pails and he threw them on the fire as he made his way to the freight elevator. He discusses how someone from the 9th floor came to visit him soon before they knew of the fire. He feels very guilty for not keeping her on the 8th floor so they could have both survived. He feels this guilt even though he did not know the fire was coming; thinking he could have saved her is unrealistic. This interview goes beyond the story of the fire as it shows the emotional burdens the victims are forced to carry.
The emotional burdens of the survivors stuck out to me too. It seems to be a consistent human trait. Many hang on to what they could have done and struggle to move on. The fact that the pails had slimy water shows how disgusting the conditions were!
DeleteVery good post and response. Survivor guilt can be very tough to cope with for those who experience accidents, disasters, or warfare.
DeleteI read the interview of the survivor, Sarah Dworetz. Sarah claims that she was working on the 9th floor of the Triangle Shirtwaist Company Factory the day of March 25, 1911. She had just received her pay and was ready to leave, when the fire started bring on the 8th floor. When the smoke of the fire began to come up the elevator shaft, she turned to run back to the other end of the shop. However, on the front side the door to the staircase was closed. Suddenly, she reached out to grab the cable of the elevator to slide all the way down it. She lost consciousness when others following behind her, landed on top of her. After being rescued, she found out that she had a broken leg, broken arm, an injured skull, and a burnt hands. The rescue workers moved her into a book store because we was afraid to go to the hospital. After the fire, she was sick for about 6 months and never heard form the company again. At the trial, Sarah refused to tell the lawyers that the door was open and she received $1.50 for being a witness. Sarah Dworetz says that the events that happened still seize her during the month of March. She still does not lock her door to this day.
ReplyDeleteThis story very accurately depicts how a traumatic situation like this can affect someone for the rest of their lives. Sarah's sufferings go far past her already miserable physical traumas and seep into her every day life.
DeleteFinally replying to your account, Monroe. Your survivor interview provides a powerful story of escape. Sarah Dworetz should not have had to go to these lengths to escape and experienced the ongoing trauma as a consequence. If her safety had been valued by managements, costs would have been saved, but more importantly, lives would have been saved and ongoing trauma would have been prevented.
DeleteI read Anna Pidone’s interview. Anna was a Forelady working on the 9th floor, passing out pay envelopes at the end of the day. Since Anna was a Forelady, she was familiar with a certain staircase in the back that the rest didn’t know about. These stairs ended up saving her life. The interview of Anna goes beyond the ‘story of the fire,’ giving more in-depth details of the decision between jumping out a window and burning alive and showing just how unorganized the building was, which led to the deaths of many. Once the fire was in the same room as her, she ran up to one of the windows but backed away. Minutes later, after yelling for her sister in the middle of all the chaos, she approached the window again, made the sign of the cross, and readied herself to jump. Again, she was unable to. The mental agony they must have felt of having to choose their own death is unbelievable. After this second consideration of jumping out of the window, Anna remembered the staircase she often used for her work and used it to get out safely. What’s interesting is that the other workers who were not Foreladies had no idea this staircase existed. Anna herself didn’t even know that they had a fire-escape. This shows the lack of communication between those in charge and the workers. Those in authority should have pointed out clear exists to all workers in case of any emergency in the future. Towards the end of the interview, Anna mentioned that a barrel of oil rested by the door (which is not safe at ALL) and stacks of boxes crowded around both the door and the windows. These obstacles, the lack of knowledge of exits, and the mental battle of choosing between deaths shows the real horror of the fire.
ReplyDeleteVery detailed response. Anna Pidone's account seems very valuable in detailing conditions, efforts to survive, and long lasting consequences.
DeleteReading the interview of Anna Pidone after reading the story of the fire helped me understand the severity of the situation on a more personal lever. Pidone lost her own sister in the fire, and one of her friends she lost in the fire was planning to get married that Sunday. Not only was Anna’s life changed forever because of the loss of her sister, but she still suffers from mental trauma and shakes every time she hears a fire engine. The images of those who died in the fire, people jumping out of the windows, and people falling from the fire escape are embedded in her brain and give her horrifying flashbacks. Pidone claims that although Harris & Bank were very nice to her, she didn’t even know that the fire escape existed. The working conditions were extremely dangerous, and the doors should have never been shut during working hours. A proper plan set in place in case of a fire would’ve saved many lives, injuries, and mental trauma that day.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Anna Pidone's account is very personal and helps the reader to understand the degree of emotional suffering this event caused.
DeleteI read the interview of Sylvia Kimeldorf. She worked on the 8th floor and was 18 years old when the fire happened. As she was about to leave, she heard commotion people that was a result of the fire. Sylvia could not go near the windows because of her fear of heights. She had to run down a narrow staircase in order to escape, as falling bodies blocked her way. She ended up being saved by a fireman. She was originally from Romania, but recently moved with her family to live in Brooklyn. She worked in the garment industry two years earlier and suddenly found that she was in the middle of the big 1909 strike of shirtwaist makers. She went to sell newspapers to raise money for the strikers. She was so traumatized by the event, that she had to go back to Romania to regain her strength. Her story taught me about how mentally traumatizing the fire actually was.
ReplyDeleteWow. This must have been traumatic. The fact that she felt the need to go back to her home country in a time period in which many were coming to America is a powerful effect of this event.
DeleteOne thing that the interview did not mention that I think would be interesting to know is how this tragedy changed her view of America after she returned to Romania.
Deletethe Story of Abe Gordon starts almost three years before the first ,when he was hired as a button hole boy the factory. He had worked for some time, and gotten to know the people there as well as making good money hat the time. He moved his way up to belt boy making $6 dollars an hour while the others were only making $5, so this was a big deal to the young man (he was not even 16 when he started working there). The day of the fire, he Gordon noticed the smoke coming from the freight side of the building on the 9th floor. He and his friend tried to escape by using the fireplace but because it was rusty and old, people began falling and the escape started to collapse. He remembered the people jumping from the ledge, and then getting to the office where Harris and Blank (the owners of the factory) had a lawyer who asked him questions about keys that he could have used to get out of the building if he needed to. Then, he quickly finished the story, stating that he moved to another location for some time.
ReplyDeleteI read the entry of Josephine Nicolosi. This interview was incredibly powerful because of the first hand experience that is shared while explaining what had happened. She explained that they would often hold back from paying them, and she was offered $1,000 to change her testimony. Therefor, it is quite clear that the owners are not as good of owners as they say they are. On the day of the fire, she was next to the match that started the fire. She says that she thought it was only a joke at first because of the person that had yelled "Fire!". This is exceptionally scary because they could have put it out before it spread into a raging flame. As she escaped, they saw bodies lying on the sidewalk, one of her friends walked over, crying next to the body, that friend was then killed by another falling body. She was emotionally scarred by this for the rest of her life.
ReplyDeleteWow. Powerful testimony. There is a lot going on in the account you provide - bribery, easy prevention of this disaster, and a tragic "heartbreaking" death.
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