...you may want to review the names of victims and survivors of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of Saturday, March 25, 1911. Of the 600 employees, the fire claimed the lives of some 146 immigrant seamstresses from Germany, Italy, and Western Europe, whose wages began at $1.50 per week. These were the days of the six-day work week, folks! Victims & Survivors http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/trianglefire/victims.html This garment making sweatshop was located in the upper floors of the Asch Building at 23-29 Washington Place, zip 10003 [the corner of Greene Street and Washington Place]. Today, the ten story building is NYU's Brown Building of Science, and stands testament as a NYC and national landmark. This tragedy is historically significant to anyone with ancestors who were laborers or factory workers at that time, and earlier. Ultimately, it shamed New York City, its politicians and law makers, its fire department, the press, and company owners. The Ladies Garment Workers Union's earlier protest for improved working conditions could no longer be scoffed at and ignored. In fact, the fire prompted many changes for the "little people"...laborers, immigrants, and particularly women in the workplace. It reinforced the need for labor unions to protect the safety of its members. Also, if you've researched the fashion of the day, women wore very covered outfits, with ankle length, ballooning skirts, just as they did on the General Slocum excursion boat fire of 1904. This style interfered with their ability to survive, and were constructed of flammable fabrics. It makes us understand that advances in products of today were the result of some such travesty. Witnesses: http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/trianglefire/witnesses.html Ist Person account of Pauline Newman: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/178/ History firehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangle_Shirtwaist_Factory_fire The Historical New York Times has accounts of the trial that followed this fire, that read like pure negligence on the part of the company owners to me, who were present and escaped via the rooftops. After reading volumes about the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire, It still amazes me that the trial ended with a not guilty verdict for factory owners Max BLANCK and Isaac HARRIS. Barb NYC Researcher