From the Vault: The Triangle Fire of 1911

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PRA Archive #: 
PZ0673.231
Description: 

This week on From The Vault we remember the victims of the 1911 Triangle fire with a 1984 radio documentary produced for WBAI-New York by Beth Friend and Steve Stoew, with technical production by David Rapkin. The program examines the fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Company factory which took place in New York City on March 26th, 1911. You will hear interviews with a survivor of the fire, other contemporaries of that era, and a dramatic recreation of the fire complete with music and readings. You will also listen to an interview with Pauline Newman, the first woman organizer for the ILGWU (International Ladies Garment Workers Union).

As we researched the Triangle Fire we found a website exhibit at the Kheel Center at Cornel University’s Industrial and Labor Relations School that gives us the perfect introduction to today’s program. With their permission it reads as follows:

“The fire at the Triangle Waist Company in New York City, which claimed the lives of 146 young immigrant workers, is one of the worst disasters since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. This incident has had great significance to this day because it highlights the inhumane working conditions to which industrial workers can be subjected. To many, its horrors epitomize the extremes of industrialism. The tragedy still dwells in the collective memory of the nation and of the international labor movement. The victims of the tragedy are still celebrated as martyrs at the hands of industrial greed.”

To learn more online, please visit the Triangle Factory Fire Exhibit, located at The Kheel Center at Catherwood Library, Industrial and Labor Relations School, Cornell University.

From the Vault is presented as part of the Pacifica Radio Archives Preservation and Access Project.

Date Recorded on: 
2010-10-15 00:00:00
Date Broadcast on: 
2010-10-15 00:00:00
Total duration (All reels): 
59
Distributor: 
Los Angeles : Pacifica Radio Archive, 1975.
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