The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory was owned by Max Blanck and Isaac Harris. It occupied the top three floors of the Asch Building on the corner of Greene Street and Washington Place in Manhattan. It was the typical sweat shop of the early 20th century.
Young immigrant women who spoke no English worked in lines of sewing machines twelve hours a day, seven days a week, for which they were paid $15 a week. As for safety, only one of the elevators was functional and it was a long narrow corridor away from the workshop. Two stairways led to two doors. One was always locked, and the other opened only inwards. The fire escape was too narrow for safe evacuation and there was no sprinkler system. How did they get away with this? New York City was full of graft and corruption in its government, especially among inspectors. Grease a few palms and you could get away with anything. This was a disaster waiting to happen and happen it did.
600 workers showed up on March 25, 1911, a Saturday. It is thought that the fire started in a rag bin. The fire hose was rotten and the valve had rusted shut. The one elevator only held 12 and only made four runs before breaking down. The remaining 550 or so workers were left to fend for themselves.
The fire was over in 18 minutes, but in those few minutes 49 women burned to death. 36 died in the elevator shaft. 58 died from jumping out of windows, and two others died later from the injuries they incurred, making a total of 145. Do you want to hear how the injustice continued? The grand jury indicted the owners for second degree manslaughter, yet at the trial, they were acquitted. Civil suits were brought and they finally paid $75 per lost life, even though their insurance company had paid them $400 each for their lost workers. Research more and it will only make you angrier. Quite plainly, the workers at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory were disposable people who had no dependable way of escape from any catastrophe that came their way.
Yet another reason for gratitude to our Father in Heaven. He offers a "way of escape" from every temptation (1 Cor 10:13). …he will establish you and guard you against the evil one (2 Thes 3:3). He who called you is faithful; he will surely do it (1 Thes 5:24).
If God is for us, who can be against us ? (Rom 8:31) God has promised to never leave us in a position where we cannot escape sin, where we cannot win against the Devil. That leaves us obligated to make every effort to find that escape, rather than using the strength of the temptation as an excuse. We can find our way out, and though it may sometimes be difficult, it is never impossible to escape. God is not liable if we do not.
The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself (2Tim 2:11-13).
Dene Ward
Young immigrant women who spoke no English worked in lines of sewing machines twelve hours a day, seven days a week, for which they were paid $15 a week. As for safety, only one of the elevators was functional and it was a long narrow corridor away from the workshop. Two stairways led to two doors. One was always locked, and the other opened only inwards. The fire escape was too narrow for safe evacuation and there was no sprinkler system. How did they get away with this? New York City was full of graft and corruption in its government, especially among inspectors. Grease a few palms and you could get away with anything. This was a disaster waiting to happen and happen it did.
600 workers showed up on March 25, 1911, a Saturday. It is thought that the fire started in a rag bin. The fire hose was rotten and the valve had rusted shut. The one elevator only held 12 and only made four runs before breaking down. The remaining 550 or so workers were left to fend for themselves.
The fire was over in 18 minutes, but in those few minutes 49 women burned to death. 36 died in the elevator shaft. 58 died from jumping out of windows, and two others died later from the injuries they incurred, making a total of 145. Do you want to hear how the injustice continued? The grand jury indicted the owners for second degree manslaughter, yet at the trial, they were acquitted. Civil suits were brought and they finally paid $75 per lost life, even though their insurance company had paid them $400 each for their lost workers. Research more and it will only make you angrier. Quite plainly, the workers at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory were disposable people who had no dependable way of escape from any catastrophe that came their way.
Yet another reason for gratitude to our Father in Heaven. He offers a "way of escape" from every temptation (1 Cor 10:13). …he will establish you and guard you against the evil one (2 Thes 3:3). He who called you is faithful; he will surely do it (1 Thes 5:24).
If God is for us, who can be against us ? (Rom 8:31) God has promised to never leave us in a position where we cannot escape sin, where we cannot win against the Devil. That leaves us obligated to make every effort to find that escape, rather than using the strength of the temptation as an excuse. We can find our way out, and though it may sometimes be difficult, it is never impossible to escape. God is not liable if we do not.
The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself (2Tim 2:11-13).
Dene Ward
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