The Triangle Fire of 1911, Part 2

days went by. Supposedly, according to the Joint Board of Sanitary Control, who had visited more than 1200 factories, the Triangle had been one of the safer shops on the list. A fire marshal concluded that it wasn't panic or lack of escape routes but the heat wave from the fire that had killed so many, and he didn't take seriously the rumor that the doors were locked, even though no one had escaped through the Washington Place door on the ninth floor. New Yorkers gave relief donations, held mass meetings and gave speeches in reaction to the needless deaths. Unions raised $30,000 for the relief of families of the victims. ²³ But the pressure was on the District Attorney to come up with someone to charge. ²⁴

He decided to indict the owners on charges of manslaughter and made it his personal business to convict them. They found the lock from the door with indications that it was locked. This violated the law that doors couldn't be locked during working hours, which is a misdemeanor. This misdemeanor led to deaths, which was manslaughter, the maximum penalty of which is up to twenty years in prison. The bosses were charged with one count of manslaughter because no matter how many counts the punishment is still manslaughter. They bought the best attorney money could for Mr. Steuer, who charged ten thousand dollars per man up front. They were released on bail and hounded by a crowd waiting outside. There was a crowd outside the courtroom almost every day. The judge was on the side of the defendants. He demanded that the jurors be sure that the bosses knew the doors were locked on the day of the fire, which was an impossible task. The vote for an acquittal was unanimous. The mob outside was so intense the Shirtwaist Kings left through the prisoners' pen but were followed anyway. Regardless of the verdict the reputations of the owners were ruined, although they were fine financially. Only twenty-three civil suits were brought against them which were settled out of court for $75 per life. ²⁵ Blanck was arrested again for locking a door during working hours. He was given a fine. ²⁶

This fire solidified the socialist belief that only the workingman could look out for himself. Even their strike two years before had brought no changes in the safety of their work area. A few

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