The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire

Today is the 106th anniversary of the fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist factory in Manhattan, in which 146 garment workers -- mostly immigrant women -- were killed.

The owners of the factory were prosecuted for manslaughter -- the workshop doors had been locked, which prevented the victims from escaping -- but acquitted thanks to the exceptionally effective representation of legendary attorney Max Steuer.

The full story of the trial, including transcripts, can be read on Douglas Linder's Famous Trials website, which is an essential resource for anyone interested in the history of litigation and advocacy.

Comments

[Patrick S. O'Donnell]

And there's a wonderful website on the Triangle Waist Company's fire more generally with all sorts of primary and secondary sources as well as photographs and other stuff courtesy of Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations, here: http://trianglefire.ilr.cornell.edu/index.html

[Captain Hruska Carswell, Continuance King]

Your timing for this post is interesting. Perhaps like minds, better than me think alike. I just picked up my mail and received my current issue of Businessweek. The cover story reports on the industrial perils of working in an "unregulated" Southern US car factory. The cover is shocking bordering on gruesome. I guess we have not come all that far since the Triangle fire. As my dad said during the Vietnam War, the "rich always pay the poor to die for them."

[Steve L.]

Patrick: Please remember to send me an email when you post a comment with a link in it. That way, I will know to check the spam filter and release it sooner.

SL