Sewing shirtwaists nine hours a day, Monday through Saturday for seven dollars a week. There was more than five hundred of us on the ninth floor. Bosses told us we was lucky to have jobs at all, bunch of dumb Dagoes who couldn’t speak no English, and women to boot.
That Saturday afternoon, one of the foremen was careless with his cigarette. The doors was barred to keep us from slipping out for breaks, so there was no getting out except through the windows.
The bodies fluttered down. People said they sounded like wet towels when they hit the sidewalk.
In 1911, the Triangle Shirtwaist factory in lower Manhattan caught fire and killed 146 immigrant workers. Click the picture for the story of this gruesome tragedy.
Sadly, this is all too true to life
Very sad story about that tragedy, but well told.
Tragic tale, more so based on real events. Good writing.
:( :( sorrow :( :( Well done
Gruesome indeed. How sad. I like stories that teach me something. I hadn’t heard of this tragedy. Well done.
Dear J Hardy,
Grisly piece of history. Well told.
Shalom,
Rochelle
And now it happens in Bangladesh… sadly sweat shops is the price for greed.
Often shy away from historical pieces because I tend to struggle to make them sound like a story, and not simply a report of facts dressed as a story. However, you’ve done a decent job here.
I’m mimicking all the above comments. Great job. Great sad reminder
Randy
You took me in, as I thought it was a story. In truth it was a reminder of a sad event. Well told
It is a story, but it’s historical. I tried to give the narrator a voice and to impart the longstanding damage that enduring such a horror might impart. Thanks for reading and commenting.
I remember reading about the Triangle Shirtwaist fire several years ago. The terror those women must have felt. You used the perfect voice to tell this tale.
Some very effective and graphical prose at the end there.
Thanks!
Interesting historical story. I especially like the last line.
So vivid that I can smell smoke.
Tragic story that has happened so often and continues to do so. Really well portrayed
Could almost see it happening – well told.
I remember reading about this for a history class I was taking.
A horrible tragedy that you’ve given a voice to. Well done …
Isadora