On Tuesday, April 5th, Abbott Gorin will be speaking about the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire at 7:30 p.m. in the Auditorium of the Millburn Public Library.
March 25, 2011 was the Centennial of the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, which took the lives of 146 workers, mostly young immigrant women, who either died from the fire or jumped from the fatal height. Most of the workers could not escape from the burning building because the managers locked the doors to the stairwells and exits to keep them from leaving early. People jumped from the eighth, ninth, and tenth floors as the ladders on the existing fire trucks could only reach the sixth floor. The fire was the deadliest industrial disaster in the history of New York City. It led to legislation requiring improved factory safety standards and helped spur the growth of the International Ladies' Garment Workers Union. In addition, the safety standards concerning fire suppression and evacuation were strengthened. The lecture is sponsored by the Brooklyn College Alumni Association, Mid-NJ Chapter. The public is welcome, free of charge.
