reproof. In fact, only the framework was actually so. This did not stop the fire from spreading by way of flammable materials used in the shirtwaist manufacturing.
The Triangle factory was...a deathtrap--for fire hoses ...could not pump above the sixth floor, while nets and blankets could not sustain the force of a human body falling from greater heights (Gould 18).
When the fire started, at quitting time, most of the workers escaped by elevator, by one staircase, or by fleeing up to the roof. However, 146 workers, mostly young women, died in the smoke and flames, or from leaping to their deaths attempting to escape the smoke and flames.
This tragedy, however, did not occur in a vacuum. To the contrary, it was the inevitable outcome of social, economic and political conditions which increasingly exploited the weak and the poor (and the female, in disproportionate numbers in the garment industry) in society for the sake of business profits. The government at the local or higher levels had done little to protect the factory workers. For example, with respect to regulations, the building was cited for a number of safety hazards, and these problems with staircases, the fire escape, the direction in which doors opened (in or out) and other essential areas were investigated by the City's Board of Aldermen:
The entire effort, however, was tripped up by a fight that started with rival interests controlling the production and sale of fireproof materials. The Board divided along parallel lines and stalemated all action on the matter (Stein 24).
Therefore, all of the safety factors which created the tragedy and cost the workers their lives were ma
...