Topics in Chronicling America - Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

On March 25, 1911, fire broke out in the factory building of the Triangle Waist Company in New York City killing 146 workers, many of them young immigrant women. Although the factory owners, Max Blanck and Isaac Harris, were later indicted by a grand jury, they were eventually acquitted and no one was held responsible for the deaths. Eventually, however, the Fire would lead to labor law reforms in New York, and still remains a pivotal moment in labor history. Read more about it!

Jump to: Sample Articles

Important Dates:

• March 25, 1911: A fire breaks out at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City, killing 146 people.
• April 11, 1911: Factory Co-owners Isaac Harris and Max Blanck are indicted on charges of manslaughter.
• December 1911: Harris and Blanck are brought to trial and found not guilty.

Suggested Search Strategies:

• [Try the following terms in combination, proximity, or as phrases using Search Pages in Chronicling America.] Triangle company, factory, fire, triangle fire, New York, Harris, Blanck.
• To narrow results, search between March 1911 and December 1911.

Sample Articles from Chronicling America:

• "142 Die when Shirtwaist Factory Burns," The Washington Herald (Washington, DC), March 26, 1911, Page 1, Image 1, col. 6.
• "More than 140 Die as Flames Sweep through Three Stories," The New York Tribune (New York, NY), March 26, 1911, Page 1, Image 1, col. 2.
• "Criminal Action to Follow Fire Horror," The Tacoma Times (Tacoma, WA), March 27, 1911, Page 1, Image 1, col. 1.
• "Cigarette Caused Factory Fire," The New York Tribune (New York, NY), March 27, 1911, Page 1, Image 1, col. 6.
• "Labor Condemns Horror," The New York Tribune (New York, NY), March 27, 1911, Page 4, Image 4, col. 3.
• "New York Horror to be Probed," The Democratic Banner (Mt. Vernon, OH), March 28, 1911, Page 1, Image 1, col. 1.
• "Girls Swear Door Locked, Another Block," The New York Tribune (New York, NY), March 29, 1911, Page 1, Image 1, col. 7.
• "Not a Chance for the Girls," The Yakima Herald (Yakima, WA), March 29, 1911, Page 6, Image 6, col. 6.
• "Only Fire Escape in New York Sweatshop Fire was a Fire Trap," The Tacoma Times (Tacoma, WA), April 4, 1911, Page 7, Image 7, col. 4.
• "Jury Indicts Two for Factory Fire," The Washington Herald (Washington, DC), April 12, 1911, Page 1, Image 1, col. 4.
• "Pictures Showing Scenes at Waist Factory Fire Horror in the Heart of New York City," The Logan Republican (Logan, UT), April 20, 1911, Page 3, Image 3, col. 1.
• "Inquiry Planned to Stop Factory Fires," The New York Tribune (New York, NY), May 9, 1911, Page 2, Image 2, col. 1.
• "Saw Factory Door Open," The New York Tribune (New York, NY), December 20, 1911, Page 14, Image 14, col. 1.
• "Harris and Blanck Acquitted by Jury," The New York Tribune (New York, NY), December 28, 1911, Page 1, Image 1, col. 3.
• "Asch Building Fire Helps to Better Laws," The New York Tribune (New York, NY), March 25, 1912, Page 5, Image 5, col. 1.
• "$500,000,000 Worth of Smoke a Year," The New York Tribune (New York, NY), March 22, 1914, Page 5, Image 47, col. 1.