[Exterior Of The Asch Building, ThoughtCo., 1910]
The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory occupied three floors of a Manhattan business building called the Asch Building. The company was a sweatshop that had unsafe conditions, long hours, and low wages.
[Library of Congress, 1904]
[Samual J. Hood, Flickr]
The Triangle Shirtwaist Company fashioned shirtwaist, a popular women’s clothing article.
[Morris Ethelyn J. Pricilla Publishing Co,. 1905]
The image above was featured in many advertisements for shirtwaist in the early 1900s . It models sixteen styles of shirtwaist.
1. Door to the Stairwell was locked.
2. Rusty, broken down fire escapes.
3. Crowded and messy work spaces.
4. Ladders that only reached the 6th floor.
5. Water pressure of the hoses was too low.
6. Long wooden tables became obstacles.
7. Baskets full of fabric scraps.
8. Oily floors.
9. Fire nets not strong enough to catch jumpers.
10. No sprinkler system, only pails of water.
11. Flammable barrel of oil.
12. Boxes crowding the exit.
13. No required third staircase.
Model of 9th Floor
[3D Model of The 9th Floor, Cornell University, 2011]
The numbers correspond with those in the image to show where each possible danger was in the factory.
[Sewing Room Shirt Factory, Troy, N.Y., Library Of Congress]
[Jon Kalish, NPR Young Laborers]
The inside of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory is very messy and crowded in the working areas.