US History 2
TRIANGLE FIRE
Children, teens and women were the majority of those employed
at the Triangle factory. Most came from immigrant families. Many worked at the Triangle
factory making money to support their whole families, not money for fun. Working
in a more modern factory environment, this was not like your average sweat
shop. For a mere $2 a day, before being docked pay for thread and needles,
these women were not paid much for the long hours demanded of them.
The bosses’ offices were on the top floor. They were the
shirt waist kings. Changes in fashion hurt the industry that was known for the
shirt waist. Many competitors made high production a must. Material costs and strikes
for shorter hours and unions made it harder to compete in the industry.
On October 4th, 1909, some factory workers went on
strike. The women’s movement had begun, yet a battle for control in economic
value made speed a must in production. The bosses demanded perfection due to
the expense paid for modern equipment. Workers were charged for errors. Inspections
were conducted on exit for all employees. All exits were locked other than the
one where inspections were performed.
Many bosses saw this as a direct assault on them personally.
Having been immigrants themselves, they seemed to have forgotten their roots. Often
industrialists saw themselves as benevolent and providing a wage for the poor
and giving them a chance at an honest life/living.
Money and success stood in the way of putting the brakes on industrialization
and economic growth. Private investigators, replacement workers, prostitutes and
muscle were hired to battle the Triangle workers in an attempt to prevent them
from forming unions and to get them to back down, as it seemed that many from
other mills and factories were closely observing the evolution of the
situation.
Equality and fairness were goals of the strikers. The Cooper
union hall held a meeting that was filled with hundreds of disgruntled workers.
There was a proposal to form an industry wide strike. Capitalists and union
leaders tried to talk workers out of taking action. Women were beaten by hired
muscle for striking. These women believed they were going to make history.
On the day of the organized strike, most of the female
workforce sat and waited for a signal to strike. When the time came, all walked
out in unison. It was then the largest single work strike in New York City’s
history at the time. Within 48 hours 70 of the smallest shops gave in to the
demands of their workers. They became union only shops.
Bosses of the largest companies organized a manufacturers association
to put a stop to the strikes. Judges fined the women and police looked away as
they were being beaten by prostitutes and hired muscle. The cities bureaucracy (A
system of government in which most of the important decisions is made by state
officials rather than by elected representatives.) was against labor unions.
Suddenly a Wealthy, White Socialite took up the cause for
these women. Society ladies took on the cause. These women were known as the
mink brigade. This strengthened the women’s movement and made it harder for the
manufacturers to publically strike out against these striking worker women.
However when strikers turned down offers from manufacturers, it was seen and
promoted as fanatical behavior which could create a social upheaval. Many
prominent society women dropped their backing for the cause. They wanted no
part of a socialist cause.
Most shops finally gave into workers, but Triangle workers,
while making some headway, didn’t get their factory’s worst conditions altered.
On Saturday, March 25th, 1911, while many of the
workers were looking forward to having the next day off, (Sunday was seen as a
day off rest, reflection and prayer.) the fire took hold after someone carelessly
dropped a cigarette. Many workers were trapped by locked doors and a failing
fire escape; A fire escape which failed killing more than 20 who fell to their
deaths. Many victims burned to death, while dozens of others jumped or fell to
their deaths. This horror was witnessed by thousands of local spectators. Some
remembered the strike of the prior year and the pleas of the women to fix
safety and hazardous conditions. 145 people died; nearly all of them women. Half
were teenagers.
The business owners were acquitted of manslaughter charges
and took their insurance money and faded into obscurity. Many were shocked by
this outcome.
On April 5th, 1911, 400,000 people from all walks
of life gathered along the streets of New York City to pay tribute to the many unidentified
victims of the triangle fire; victims who had previously been forgotten cogs of
the city’s inner workings. Many of the victims during this, the Gilded Age,
were from poor and struggling families whom had found work in the Triangle
factory. New Yorkers raised money to help with the struggles of victims’
families and to help with burial expenses. This disaster had helped to broaden
an understanding for the struggles of these laborers and also resulted in an increased
intermingling of classes.
This atrocity opened up the doors for enraged citizens to compel
government to act and the New York State legislature formed a factory safety
commission. There had been no sort of government intervention or labor
legislation to help provide rights or safety for workers prior to the Triangle
fire. The resulting cries and extremely
public death toll brought about many new laws and gave teeth to child labor
laws and also set standards for hours and minimum wages.
I found the documentary Triangle Fire to be both a compelling and insightful
look into the struggles and wars amongst and by the different classes and those
governing, as well as being a valid historical account regarding the times and their
driving forces.
The Prisoner’s Handbook
In 1922, 997 New
Yorkers died of poisoning.
Prior to the murder of
a fairly affluent white couple (The Jacksons) in New York City, (NYC) coroners had
been assigned the position of determining cause of death and corpse removal. A coroner,
in these often corrupt internal government bureaucracies, would be appointed by
a city official, usually the mayor, and could be a man of any profession and
not that of a qualified medical examiner. These men could often be paid to
determine cause of death, and might accept kick backs from funeral homes which
they at times promoted in sinister ways. This was a system fueled by wealth and
class which often catered to the highest bidder.
Civic
groups, newspaper editors and city officials formed an alliance to do away with
many of the duties which were that of a coroner and to promote those of a
medical examiner. Their goal was to promote a position which would use the
latest technology and a trained medical staff to determine causation of death.
This was already becoming common practice in Europe at the time. Wealth and
influence are and were often controlling forces when it came to deciding such
matters of implementation.
In
1918, with the bitter opposition of the Mayor, (John Francis Hylan)
Dr. Charles Norris began his probationary position of three months, in the
pathological department, as Chief Medical Examiner at Bellevue hospital. Referred
to as a purist, Norris believed in the promotion of a legitimate and legal
medical system within the government. He had created quite an enemy in the
mayor at the time through his forced appointment and honorable practice. The
mayor was not someone who liked to be pressed or told no.
Hylan's most famous words against "the interests"
was the following speech, made in 1922, while he was the sitting Mayor of New
York City (1917–25)
“The real menace of our Republic is the invisible
government, which like a giant octopus sprawls its slimy legs over our cities,
states and nation. To depart from mere generalizations, let me say that at the
head of this octopus are the Rockefeller–Standard
Oil interests and a small group
of powerful banking houses generally referred to as the international bankers.
The little coterie of powerful international bankers virtually runs the United
States government for their own selfish purposes.”
“They practically control both parties, write political
platforms, make cats paws of party leaders, use the leading men of private
organizations, and resort to every device to place in nomination for high
public office only such candidates as will be amenable to the dictates of
corrupt big business.”
“These international bankers and Rockefeller–Standard Oil
interests control the majority of the newspapers and magazines in this country.
They use the columns of these papers to club into submission or drive out of
office public officials who refuse to do the bidding of the powerful corrupt
cliques which compose the invisible government. It operates under cover of a
self-created screen [and] seizes our executive officers, legislative bodies,
schools, courts, newspapers and every agency created for the public protection.”
This all stated by a man who had won his seat through the backing of newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst.
The Jackson couples
mysterious deaths led to the emergence of forensic science being viewed as a
valid tool in determining cause of death and to a new era in criminal
investigation. Alexander Gettler, the right hand of Norris, built the first
toxicology lab of its kind in the country.
In this era chemicals
were being limited in warfare, (WWI) but not in everyday civilian life. Prior
to the development of such complex chemical tests, deaths were often determined
at face value. One example of this was that of the Standard Oil workers in New
Jersey, many of whom were working in factories which produced Ethyl Gasoline. (Leaded
gasoline) Several workers at Standard oil started to exhibit strange behaviors
and eventually succumbed to untimely deaths. Many of these deaths were noted as
due to acts of insanity or injury brought on by seemingly unstable individuals.
Standard Oil (S.O.) and
General Motors (G.M.) were in control of much of the industrialization that had
taken hold throughout the country and in result held much influence with
governing officials. Much of the oil and auto industry went unregulated for
many years. Although many deaths occurred by those working in close proximity
to leaded gasoline, the practice of creating this product was not put to a
stop. After a temporary ban on the product, S.O. and G.M., with the help of then
President Calvin
Coolidge, who appointed a panel of experts, which only included
Industry scientists, who
deemed some regulation was necessary,
but that there was no danger present to the general public.
Ethyl
Gasoline would later be phased out starting in the US in the mid-1970s because
of its neurotoxicity and
its damaging effect on catalytic converters which
were introduced in the 1970s to meet tightening emissions regulations.
It seems rather apparent after watching this rather
historically detailed and informative PBS
special, The Poisoner’s Handbook,
that much like today, Money, Power and
Influence were the controlling
factors in Industry and Government during
this Gilded Age. Those who were rich
and influential could remain this way through association, thus shaping the
standards by which future industrialization
and government would operate and progress.
Science also took a foothold during this age. The study of pathology and it's contributions in this era also influenced past and future industrialization and regulation.
Google Books-
Articles-
Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Gettler
New-York Historical Society https://www.nyhistory.org/
