Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1542297
MOTIONPICTUREC O S T U M E R S .O R G 7 trapped on the floors above them. In desperation, some women tried to jump down to the firemen on their ladders but were not successful. The fire department held out their nets, but the workers were jumping from too high and the nets split open, failing to save them. Finding the stairwell door locked, a large group climbed out to the fire escape, but it was faulty and poorly made. In the heat of the fire and the weight of the people, the fire escape twisted off the outer wall, tumbling to the street with all of those on it falling to their deaths. There were two freight elevators traveling up to the 8th floor and back down again as many times as they could, carrying as many to safety as possible. With the elevators not continuing to the 9th floor, panic set in. Workers pried open the doors and tried to jump to the elevator cables in hopes of climbing down to safety. Unfortunately, they missed and instead those in the cars below heard thumps as the bodies fell on top of them. Eventually, there was too much damage to the elevators and they stopped. By this time, a crowd was gathering on the street below. What they saw was horrific. In the blink of an eye, 146 precious lives were lost. Days after the fire, families would go to a makeshift morgue and search the collection of crude coffins for their loved ones. Often the only way to identify them was through an item of clothing, a piece of jewelry, or a pair of shoes as the bodies were unrecognizable. By the first week of April, there were only seven victims left unclaimed. These souls were buried with little ceremony at the Cemetery of the Evergreens under a monument erected by the city in commemoration. Once rumors of the locked doors came to light, owners Blanck and Harris were charged with second- degree manslaughter. Unfortunately, both men were acquitted when their attorney successfully convinced the all-male jury that the female witnesses had been coached and were not being truthful about their experiences. Conversely, 23 civil suits were won against Blanck and Harris. The families were awarded $75 each for the loss of their loved ones. Yet, not a penny came from the pockets of Blanck or Harris as their insurance coverage paid the men what would equal to more than $400 per victim. These men made a profit off the loss of life. Learning nothing from the tragedy, in 1913, Blanck would be arrested again for keeping factory doors locked during working hours. He was fined $20, and given an apology for the inconvenience this must have caused him. One week after the fire, a memorial was held at the Metropolitan Opera House. Many staunch women of Demonstration of protest and mourning for Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, April 5, 1911. Opposite: The Asch Building on fire, March 25, 1911.