The Aftermath
Only thirty minutes after the blaze began firefighters fought their way into the ninth floor, to find a wreckage of indescribable terror. Heaps of bodies were seen, burned beyond recognition, huddled by the door, in the dressing room and bathrooms, and scattered around. They began the gruesome task of lowering the bodies to the ground, to be delivered to a makeshift morgue to be identified by their families.The makeshift morgue was located on the pier over the east river. The morgue was a nightmare becoming reality. Hundreds of workers laid out in pine boxes in rows, some burned so much that they would never be recognized. Silence engulfed the morgue until the shattered cry of a family member ruptured the air upon finding a loved one in their pine casket. The women too burned had their personal belongings laid out next to them, in help of easing the trial of identification. Shoes, rings, and any makeshift item were sometimes the only way for the family to find their loved ones.
After the victims were laid to rest, the finger was than pointed at the owners. How could they lock their workers in these rooms, causing their deaths. Only a year before women that now lay dead were protesting the Triangle Factory on strike for safer environments to work in. Blanck and Harris were both placed on trial, later deemed not guilty. Family's received little to no reparation for their loved ones. Yet the tragedy did bring about a remarkable change.
From the ashes of the Triangle fire, one of the most astounding political advances was about to engulf America. Unions began forming in flocks of numbers, all fighting for reparation to their nation, mourning their losses by protesting for change. The New York Legislature held the key to the whole process. An investigation ensued for the following four years, leading to these proposals being issued. Child and Woman labor laws, Wages and Hours laws, Factory and Disability Compensation laws as well as others, were all proposals forced into recognition in legislature because of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. Fire escapes and safety laws issued, restrictions on women's hours and even the ban of children in the factories all came about. Even though the tragedy of the Shirtwaist Fire cost America over 150 lives, their lives created something bigger, a turning point in American History.
After the victims were laid to rest, the finger was than pointed at the owners. How could they lock their workers in these rooms, causing their deaths. Only a year before women that now lay dead were protesting the Triangle Factory on strike for safer environments to work in. Blanck and Harris were both placed on trial, later deemed not guilty. Family's received little to no reparation for their loved ones. Yet the tragedy did bring about a remarkable change.
From the ashes of the Triangle fire, one of the most astounding political advances was about to engulf America. Unions began forming in flocks of numbers, all fighting for reparation to their nation, mourning their losses by protesting for change. The New York Legislature held the key to the whole process. An investigation ensued for the following four years, leading to these proposals being issued. Child and Woman labor laws, Wages and Hours laws, Factory and Disability Compensation laws as well as others, were all proposals forced into recognition in legislature because of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. Fire escapes and safety laws issued, restrictions on women's hours and even the ban of children in the factories all came about. Even though the tragedy of the Shirtwaist Fire cost America over 150 lives, their lives created something bigger, a turning point in American History.