Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Victim. From the town of Marineo, she immigrated to the United States around 1906. In 1911, 22 year old Vincenza was a garment worker at the Triangle Waist Company on the 9th floor of the Asch Building in New York City.
The company made women's blouses, known as "waists" or "shirtwaists", and it's workers were mostly recent immigrant German, Italian and European Jewish girls, some as young as 13 years old, although older women and men and young boys were also represented. Their working conditions were far from safe. They worked 14 hour shifts among heaps of flammable bolts of fabric, scraps of which piled up in bins, baskets and on the floor around them; tissue paper patterns hung from racks above their worktables. The workrooms were lit by open flame gas lamps and the cutters, mostly men, were allowed to smoke as they worked. Brought on by a New York garment workers strike in 1910, many had joined the fledgling International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. At the conclusion of the strike, most companies had signed agreements with the union improving working conditions. The Triangle Company, however, refused to sign and was under no obligation to abide by established safety rules.
On March 25, 1911, around 4:30pm, fire broke out on the 8th floor. Most on that floor and the executives on the 10th floor were able to escape, but workers on the 9th floor, who had not been alerted to the fire, found themselves trapped. Of the four 9th floor exits, the elevator was commandeered by 8th floor workers and then stopped working altogether, one stairwell door was soon blocked by fire and smoke, the other stairwell door had been locked (although denied by the owners in the trial held after, it was a common practice to lock factory workers in to prevent them from stealing) and the only fire escape proved too flimsy and collapsed under the weight of the escaping workers. Many died from being overcome by the smoke and flames quickly filling the building, but 62 of the workers realized there were no other means of escape and jumped from the windows to the pavement 9 stories below. Although the fire department responded quickly, the water from their hoses would not reach the top floors and ladders of the time were unable to reach above the 6th floor. By the time the fire was extinguished, 141 people had lost their lives. In the next few days, 5 more would die from their injuries.
From her documented injuries and cause of death, Vincenza was one of those who jumped. Her body was identified on March 29 by Fedele Benanti, her older brother. She appears as Case #6 in the April 1912 Final Report of the Red Cross Emergency Relief Committee: "A girl of 22 was killed, She practically supported and cared for her mother, 60 years old, who had cancer. They, and an unmarried brother, who had been out of work seven months, lived with a married brother's family. The entire family considered moving to Astoria where another married brother lives, but finally decided to stay in New York. The two sons and the daughter-in-law seemed to do all in their power for the old woman, who was in a wretched state mentally and physically, on account of her grief as well as because of the suffering due to the cancer. They have seemed to consider the money which has been given ample for her needs. After paying funeral expenses and giving temporary help a monthly pension of $20.00 was given until November, and the remainder of the appropriation of $1000.00 was then placed in the hands of the Charity Organization Society for the benefit of the mother during the rest of her life. She died in February, and as there was no one else who had been in any way dependent on the girl, the balance of the appropriation was returned to the emergency relief fund." Vincenza's mother was buried with her. The Italian portion of the gravestone inscription reads, "Given the pain of her daughter, her mother ceased to live".
The public outrage and subsequent acquittal of the company's owners following the tragedy paved the way for a flood of legislation to improve factory safety standards, led to the founding of The American Society of Safety Engineers and hastened the growth and clout of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. A bystander who witnessed the young girls jumping from the windows was inspired to a life of public service fighting for the rights of factory workers; Frances Perkins went on to become the first woman appointed to a Presidential Cabinet position as Franklin Roosevelt's Secretary of Labor. The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire was the single worst workplace disaster in New York City until the attack on the World Trade Center in 2001.
The company made women's blouses, known as "waists" or "shirtwaists", and it's workers were mostly recent immigrant German, Italian and European Jewish girls, some as young as 13 years old, although older women and men and young boys were also represented. Their working conditions were far from safe. They worked 14 hour shifts among heaps of flammable bolts of fabric, scraps of which piled up in bins, baskets and on the floor around them; tissue paper patterns hung from racks above their worktables. The workrooms were lit by open flame gas lamps and the cutters, mostly men, were allowed to smoke as they worked. Brought on by a New York garment workers strike in 1910, many had joined the fledgling International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. At the conclusion of the strike, most companies had signed agreements with the union improving working conditions. The Triangle Company, however, refused to sign and was under no obligation to abide by established safety rules.
On March 25, 1911, around 4:30pm, fire broke out on the 8th floor. Most on that floor and the executives on the 10th floor were able to escape, but workers on the 9th floor, who had not been alerted to the fire, found themselves trapped. Of the four 9th floor exits, the elevator was commandeered by 8th floor workers and then stopped working altogether, one stairwell door was soon blocked by fire and smoke, the other stairwell door had been locked (although denied by the owners in the trial held after, it was a common practice to lock factory workers in to prevent them from stealing) and the only fire escape proved too flimsy and collapsed under the weight of the escaping workers. Many died from being overcome by the smoke and flames quickly filling the building, but 62 of the workers realized there were no other means of escape and jumped from the windows to the pavement 9 stories below. Although the fire department responded quickly, the water from their hoses would not reach the top floors and ladders of the time were unable to reach above the 6th floor. By the time the fire was extinguished, 141 people had lost their lives. In the next few days, 5 more would die from their injuries.
From her documented injuries and cause of death, Vincenza was one of those who jumped. Her body was identified on March 29 by Fedele Benanti, her older brother. She appears as Case #6 in the April 1912 Final Report of the Red Cross Emergency Relief Committee: "A girl of 22 was killed, She practically supported and cared for her mother, 60 years old, who had cancer. They, and an unmarried brother, who had been out of work seven months, lived with a married brother's family. The entire family considered moving to Astoria where another married brother lives, but finally decided to stay in New York. The two sons and the daughter-in-law seemed to do all in their power for the old woman, who was in a wretched state mentally and physically, on account of her grief as well as because of the suffering due to the cancer. They have seemed to consider the money which has been given ample for her needs. After paying funeral expenses and giving temporary help a monthly pension of $20.00 was given until November, and the remainder of the appropriation of $1000.00 was then placed in the hands of the Charity Organization Society for the benefit of the mother during the rest of her life. She died in February, and as there was no one else who had been in any way dependent on the girl, the balance of the appropriation was returned to the emergency relief fund." Vincenza's mother was buried with her. The Italian portion of the gravestone inscription reads, "Given the pain of her daughter, her mother ceased to live".
The public outrage and subsequent acquittal of the company's owners following the tragedy paved the way for a flood of legislation to improve factory safety standards, led to the founding of The American Society of Safety Engineers and hastened the growth and clout of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. A bystander who witnessed the young girls jumping from the windows was inspired to a life of public service fighting for the rights of factory workers; Frances Perkins went on to become the first woman appointed to a Presidential Cabinet position as Franklin Roosevelt's Secretary of Labor. The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire was the single worst workplace disaster in New York City until the attack on the World Trade Center in 2001.
Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Victim. From the town of Marineo, she immigrated to the United States around 1906. In 1911, 22 year old Vincenza was a garment worker at the Triangle Waist Company on the 9th floor of the Asch Building in New York City.
The company made women's blouses, known as "waists" or "shirtwaists", and it's workers were mostly recent immigrant German, Italian and European Jewish girls, some as young as 13 years old, although older women and men and young boys were also represented. Their working conditions were far from safe. They worked 14 hour shifts among heaps of flammable bolts of fabric, scraps of which piled up in bins, baskets and on the floor around them; tissue paper patterns hung from racks above their worktables. The workrooms were lit by open flame gas lamps and the cutters, mostly men, were allowed to smoke as they worked. Brought on by a New York garment workers strike in 1910, many had joined the fledgling International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. At the conclusion of the strike, most companies had signed agreements with the union improving working conditions. The Triangle Company, however, refused to sign and was under no obligation to abide by established safety rules.
On March 25, 1911, around 4:30pm, fire broke out on the 8th floor. Most on that floor and the executives on the 10th floor were able to escape, but workers on the 9th floor, who had not been alerted to the fire, found themselves trapped. Of the four 9th floor exits, the elevator was commandeered by 8th floor workers and then stopped working altogether, one stairwell door was soon blocked by fire and smoke, the other stairwell door had been locked (although denied by the owners in the trial held after, it was a common practice to lock factory workers in to prevent them from stealing) and the only fire escape proved too flimsy and collapsed under the weight of the escaping workers. Many died from being overcome by the smoke and flames quickly filling the building, but 62 of the workers realized there were no other means of escape and jumped from the windows to the pavement 9 stories below. Although the fire department responded quickly, the water from their hoses would not reach the top floors and ladders of the time were unable to reach above the 6th floor. By the time the fire was extinguished, 141 people had lost their lives. In the next few days, 5 more would die from their injuries.
From her documented injuries and cause of death, Vincenza was one of those who jumped. Her body was identified on March 29 by Fedele Benanti, her older brother. She appears as Case #6 in the April 1912 Final Report of the Red Cross Emergency Relief Committee: "A girl of 22 was killed, She practically supported and cared for her mother, 60 years old, who had cancer. They, and an unmarried brother, who had been out of work seven months, lived with a married brother's family. The entire family considered moving to Astoria where another married brother lives, but finally decided to stay in New York. The two sons and the daughter-in-law seemed to do all in their power for the old woman, who was in a wretched state mentally and physically, on account of her grief as well as because of the suffering due to the cancer. They have seemed to consider the money which has been given ample for her needs. After paying funeral expenses and giving temporary help a monthly pension of $20.00 was given until November, and the remainder of the appropriation of $1000.00 was then placed in the hands of the Charity Organization Society for the benefit of the mother during the rest of her life. She died in February, and as there was no one else who had been in any way dependent on the girl, the balance of the appropriation was returned to the emergency relief fund." Vincenza's mother was buried with her. The Italian portion of the gravestone inscription reads, "Given the pain of her daughter, her mother ceased to live".
The public outrage and subsequent acquittal of the company's owners following the tragedy paved the way for a flood of legislation to improve factory safety standards, led to the founding of The American Society of Safety Engineers and hastened the growth and clout of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. A bystander who witnessed the young girls jumping from the windows was inspired to a life of public service fighting for the rights of factory workers; Frances Perkins went on to become the first woman appointed to a Presidential Cabinet position as Franklin Roosevelt's Secretary of Labor. The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire was the single worst workplace disaster in New York City until the attack on the World Trade Center in 2001.
The company made women's blouses, known as "waists" or "shirtwaists", and it's workers were mostly recent immigrant German, Italian and European Jewish girls, some as young as 13 years old, although older women and men and young boys were also represented. Their working conditions were far from safe. They worked 14 hour shifts among heaps of flammable bolts of fabric, scraps of which piled up in bins, baskets and on the floor around them; tissue paper patterns hung from racks above their worktables. The workrooms were lit by open flame gas lamps and the cutters, mostly men, were allowed to smoke as they worked. Brought on by a New York garment workers strike in 1910, many had joined the fledgling International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. At the conclusion of the strike, most companies had signed agreements with the union improving working conditions. The Triangle Company, however, refused to sign and was under no obligation to abide by established safety rules.
On March 25, 1911, around 4:30pm, fire broke out on the 8th floor. Most on that floor and the executives on the 10th floor were able to escape, but workers on the 9th floor, who had not been alerted to the fire, found themselves trapped. Of the four 9th floor exits, the elevator was commandeered by 8th floor workers and then stopped working altogether, one stairwell door was soon blocked by fire and smoke, the other stairwell door had been locked (although denied by the owners in the trial held after, it was a common practice to lock factory workers in to prevent them from stealing) and the only fire escape proved too flimsy and collapsed under the weight of the escaping workers. Many died from being overcome by the smoke and flames quickly filling the building, but 62 of the workers realized there were no other means of escape and jumped from the windows to the pavement 9 stories below. Although the fire department responded quickly, the water from their hoses would not reach the top floors and ladders of the time were unable to reach above the 6th floor. By the time the fire was extinguished, 141 people had lost their lives. In the next few days, 5 more would die from their injuries.
From her documented injuries and cause of death, Vincenza was one of those who jumped. Her body was identified on March 29 by Fedele Benanti, her older brother. She appears as Case #6 in the April 1912 Final Report of the Red Cross Emergency Relief Committee: "A girl of 22 was killed, She practically supported and cared for her mother, 60 years old, who had cancer. They, and an unmarried brother, who had been out of work seven months, lived with a married brother's family. The entire family considered moving to Astoria where another married brother lives, but finally decided to stay in New York. The two sons and the daughter-in-law seemed to do all in their power for the old woman, who was in a wretched state mentally and physically, on account of her grief as well as because of the suffering due to the cancer. They have seemed to consider the money which has been given ample for her needs. After paying funeral expenses and giving temporary help a monthly pension of $20.00 was given until November, and the remainder of the appropriation of $1000.00 was then placed in the hands of the Charity Organization Society for the benefit of the mother during the rest of her life. She died in February, and as there was no one else who had been in any way dependent on the girl, the balance of the appropriation was returned to the emergency relief fund." Vincenza's mother was buried with her. The Italian portion of the gravestone inscription reads, "Given the pain of her daughter, her mother ceased to live".
The public outrage and subsequent acquittal of the company's owners following the tragedy paved the way for a flood of legislation to improve factory safety standards, led to the founding of The American Society of Safety Engineers and hastened the growth and clout of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. A bystander who witnessed the young girls jumping from the windows was inspired to a life of public service fighting for the rights of factory workers; Frances Perkins went on to become the first woman appointed to a Presidential Cabinet position as Franklin Roosevelt's Secretary of Labor. The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire was the single worst workplace disaster in New York City until the attack on the World Trade Center in 2001.
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