Triangle Fire Outline

Words: 1607
Pages: 7

I) Triangle Shirtwaist Fire – Intro
A) What was it (brief)
1) Tragic New York fire
2) March 1911
3) Led to government safety reforms
B) Thesis: Through the death of many women and girls, Triangle Shirtwaist Fire of 1911, exposed the unsafe working conditions within the sweatshops and led to reforms in the workplace.
II) Immigrants/ Sweatshops
A) High number of foreign immigrants who needed work
B) Young girls
1) Often times only one girl out of a family would be able to work
2) In danger while working
C) Treated poorly in sweatshops
1) Poor working conditions
(a) Unsafe, unclean, etc.
2) Desperate for work  owners were able to treat workers however they wanted
D) Triangle Shirtwaist Factory
1) Poor working conditions
(a) Jumped through safety
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1) 146 workers
(a) Mostly young women
2) Many died jumping
(a) Out of windows
(i) Hit ground
(ii) Broke through safety nets
(b) Down elevator shafts
E) Eighth Floor
1) Fire started here
(a) Bin of clothing scraps
2) Employees were getting ready to leave (~ 4:45p)
3) 100 square feet and very crowded
(a) Sewing machines lined the south wall
(i) 12 windows above
(b) Two elevators and one (of two) stair cases were on the west wall
(c) Two cutting tables ran parallel to the north wall
4) Small fires were not uncommon in scrap bins
5) Small fire caught other bins that burst into flames
(a) No one knows how the fire started
6) Hose was rotten and there was no water pressure
7) Windows popped from heat
8) Three ways to escape
(a) Elevators, fire escape, freight elevators
(i) Fire escape only saved about 20 people
F) Ninth Floor
1) 260 people
(a) Less than half survived
(i) Many were trapped
2) Sewing machines
(a) 240 machines
(b) Almost filled the floor completely of sewing machines
3) Same window and elevator access as 8 and 10
4) Very little room
5) Flames began to come through the