Victim of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. In 1911, 30 year old Annie was a garment worker at the Triangle Waist Company on the 9th floor of the Asch Building in New York City.
The company made women's blouses, known as "waists" or "shirtwaists", and it's workers were mostly recent immigrant German, Italian and European Jewish girls, some as young as 13 years old, although older women, men and young boys were also represented. Their working conditions were far from safe. They worked 14 hour shifts among heaps of flammable bolts of fabric, scraps of which piled up in bins, baskets and on the floor around them; tissue paper patterns hung from racks above their worktables. The workrooms were lit by open flame gas lamps and the cutters, mostly men, were allowed to smoke as they worked. Brought on by a New York garment workers strike in 1910, many had joined the fledgling International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. At the conclusion of the strike, most companies had signed agreements with the union improving working conditions. The Triangle Company, however, refused to sign and was under no obligation to abide by established safety rules.
On March 25, 1911, around 4:30pm, fire broke out on the 8th floor. Most on that floor and the executives on the 10th floor were able to escape, but workers on the 9th floor, who had not been alerted to the fire, found themselves trapped. Of the four 9th floor exits, the elevators made as many trips as they could but were commandeered by 8th floor workers and then stopped working altogether, one stairwell door was soon blocked by fire and smoke, the other stairwell door had been locked (although denied by the owners in their subsequent trial, it was common practice to lock factory workers in to prevent them from stealing) and the only fire escape collapsed under the weight of the escaping workers. Many died from being overcome by the smoke and flames quickly filling the building, some leapt down the elevator shafts, but 62 workers realized there was no other means of escape and jumped from the windows to the pavement 9 stories below. Or worse, they were pushed toward the open windows by the panicked crowd and had no choice. The fire department responded quickly, but their hoses' spray could not reach the top floors and ladders of the time were unable to reach above the 6th floor. By the time the fire was extinguished, 141 people had lost their lives. In the next few days, 5 more would die from their injuries.
From her documented injuries and cause of death, Annie was most likely overcome by the smoke and flames and never escaped the burning building. A body reportedly identified on March 26 as Annie's turned out to be that of another victim, Rose Friedman. A correct identification was made on March 27 by her mother Rose and cousin Dominic Leone (who also identified the bodies of Annie's cousins, Michelina Nicolosei and Kate Leone). I believe Annie can be identified as Case #14 in the April 1912 Final Report of the Red Cross Emergency Relief Committee: "A woman of 31 was killed, leaving a mother of 60 who had been largely dependent on her, though she earned a little herself. The daughter had earned $12.00-$ 18.00 a week on buttonholes, and her mother said that she had savings to the amount of $1000.00 on her person at the time of the fire. Later this amount rose to $4000.00. Relatives provided the funeral and took care of the mother, whose mind seemed to have suffered so that she was a very difficult problem for them. Her one desire was to return, to Italy and enter the convent where one of her daughters was a nun. The Italian Consul-General arranged for free transportation and the Red Cross Committee gave $1000.00 to be paid to her on her arrival in Italy. She sailed on May 9, apparently pleased with what had been done for her. In October it was learned that Friends had received a letter from her indicating that she was well and in comfortable circumstances. In January a letter was received by the Committee in which she asked for further assistance in general terms, making no reference to the convent." Annie shares an unmarked grave with her cousin, Michelina Nicolosei.
The March 31, 1911 New York Times contains the following mention of Annie, "An aged woman, who said she was the mother of Annie Colletti, called at the Coroners' office. She was very excited, declaring that her daughter, whose body had just been returned to her for burial, had been robbed of $1,600, which was sewed into her skirt band. She declared the skirt, still intact, showed clearly where the seams had been ripped open and the money removed. It was the earnings of six years of work, the mother said, and her daughter kept it in her skirt because she feared to trust it to the banks. There was no record at the Coroners' office of any money having been found on the body."
The public outrage following the tragedy and subsequent acquittal of the company's owners paved the way for a flood of legislation to improve factory safety and hastened the growth and clout of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. A bystander who witnessed the workers jumping from the windows was inspired to a life of public service fighting for the rights of factory workers; Frances Perkins went on to become the first woman appointed to a Presidential Cabinet position as Franklin Roosevelt's Secretary of Labor. The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire was the most deadly workplace disaster in New York City until the attack on the World Trade Center in 2001.
The company made women's blouses, known as "waists" or "shirtwaists", and it's workers were mostly recent immigrant German, Italian and European Jewish girls, some as young as 13 years old, although older women, men and young boys were also represented. Their working conditions were far from safe. They worked 14 hour shifts among heaps of flammable bolts of fabric, scraps of which piled up in bins, baskets and on the floor around them; tissue paper patterns hung from racks above their worktables. The workrooms were lit by open flame gas lamps and the cutters, mostly men, were allowed to smoke as they worked. Brought on by a New York garment workers strike in 1910, many had joined the fledgling International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. At the conclusion of the strike, most companies had signed agreements with the union improving working conditions. The Triangle Company, however, refused to sign and was under no obligation to abide by established safety rules.
On March 25, 1911, around 4:30pm, fire broke out on the 8th floor. Most on that floor and the executives on the 10th floor were able to escape, but workers on the 9th floor, who had not been alerted to the fire, found themselves trapped. Of the four 9th floor exits, the elevators made as many trips as they could but were commandeered by 8th floor workers and then stopped working altogether, one stairwell door was soon blocked by fire and smoke, the other stairwell door had been locked (although denied by the owners in their subsequent trial, it was common practice to lock factory workers in to prevent them from stealing) and the only fire escape collapsed under the weight of the escaping workers. Many died from being overcome by the smoke and flames quickly filling the building, some leapt down the elevator shafts, but 62 workers realized there was no other means of escape and jumped from the windows to the pavement 9 stories below. Or worse, they were pushed toward the open windows by the panicked crowd and had no choice. The fire department responded quickly, but their hoses' spray could not reach the top floors and ladders of the time were unable to reach above the 6th floor. By the time the fire was extinguished, 141 people had lost their lives. In the next few days, 5 more would die from their injuries.
From her documented injuries and cause of death, Annie was most likely overcome by the smoke and flames and never escaped the burning building. A body reportedly identified on March 26 as Annie's turned out to be that of another victim, Rose Friedman. A correct identification was made on March 27 by her mother Rose and cousin Dominic Leone (who also identified the bodies of Annie's cousins, Michelina Nicolosei and Kate Leone). I believe Annie can be identified as Case #14 in the April 1912 Final Report of the Red Cross Emergency Relief Committee: "A woman of 31 was killed, leaving a mother of 60 who had been largely dependent on her, though she earned a little herself. The daughter had earned $12.00-$ 18.00 a week on buttonholes, and her mother said that she had savings to the amount of $1000.00 on her person at the time of the fire. Later this amount rose to $4000.00. Relatives provided the funeral and took care of the mother, whose mind seemed to have suffered so that she was a very difficult problem for them. Her one desire was to return, to Italy and enter the convent where one of her daughters was a nun. The Italian Consul-General arranged for free transportation and the Red Cross Committee gave $1000.00 to be paid to her on her arrival in Italy. She sailed on May 9, apparently pleased with what had been done for her. In October it was learned that Friends had received a letter from her indicating that she was well and in comfortable circumstances. In January a letter was received by the Committee in which she asked for further assistance in general terms, making no reference to the convent." Annie shares an unmarked grave with her cousin, Michelina Nicolosei.
The March 31, 1911 New York Times contains the following mention of Annie, "An aged woman, who said she was the mother of Annie Colletti, called at the Coroners' office. She was very excited, declaring that her daughter, whose body had just been returned to her for burial, had been robbed of $1,600, which was sewed into her skirt band. She declared the skirt, still intact, showed clearly where the seams had been ripped open and the money removed. It was the earnings of six years of work, the mother said, and her daughter kept it in her skirt because she feared to trust it to the banks. There was no record at the Coroners' office of any money having been found on the body."
The public outrage following the tragedy and subsequent acquittal of the company's owners paved the way for a flood of legislation to improve factory safety and hastened the growth and clout of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. A bystander who witnessed the workers jumping from the windows was inspired to a life of public service fighting for the rights of factory workers; Frances Perkins went on to become the first woman appointed to a Presidential Cabinet position as Franklin Roosevelt's Secretary of Labor. The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire was the most deadly workplace disaster in New York City until the attack on the World Trade Center in 2001.
Victim of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. In 1911, 30 year old Annie was a garment worker at the Triangle Waist Company on the 9th floor of the Asch Building in New York City.
The company made women's blouses, known as "waists" or "shirtwaists", and it's workers were mostly recent immigrant German, Italian and European Jewish girls, some as young as 13 years old, although older women, men and young boys were also represented. Their working conditions were far from safe. They worked 14 hour shifts among heaps of flammable bolts of fabric, scraps of which piled up in bins, baskets and on the floor around them; tissue paper patterns hung from racks above their worktables. The workrooms were lit by open flame gas lamps and the cutters, mostly men, were allowed to smoke as they worked. Brought on by a New York garment workers strike in 1910, many had joined the fledgling International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. At the conclusion of the strike, most companies had signed agreements with the union improving working conditions. The Triangle Company, however, refused to sign and was under no obligation to abide by established safety rules.
On March 25, 1911, around 4:30pm, fire broke out on the 8th floor. Most on that floor and the executives on the 10th floor were able to escape, but workers on the 9th floor, who had not been alerted to the fire, found themselves trapped. Of the four 9th floor exits, the elevators made as many trips as they could but were commandeered by 8th floor workers and then stopped working altogether, one stairwell door was soon blocked by fire and smoke, the other stairwell door had been locked (although denied by the owners in their subsequent trial, it was common practice to lock factory workers in to prevent them from stealing) and the only fire escape collapsed under the weight of the escaping workers. Many died from being overcome by the smoke and flames quickly filling the building, some leapt down the elevator shafts, but 62 workers realized there was no other means of escape and jumped from the windows to the pavement 9 stories below. Or worse, they were pushed toward the open windows by the panicked crowd and had no choice. The fire department responded quickly, but their hoses' spray could not reach the top floors and ladders of the time were unable to reach above the 6th floor. By the time the fire was extinguished, 141 people had lost their lives. In the next few days, 5 more would die from their injuries.
From her documented injuries and cause of death, Annie was most likely overcome by the smoke and flames and never escaped the burning building. A body reportedly identified on March 26 as Annie's turned out to be that of another victim, Rose Friedman. A correct identification was made on March 27 by her mother Rose and cousin Dominic Leone (who also identified the bodies of Annie's cousins, Michelina Nicolosei and Kate Leone). I believe Annie can be identified as Case #14 in the April 1912 Final Report of the Red Cross Emergency Relief Committee: "A woman of 31 was killed, leaving a mother of 60 who had been largely dependent on her, though she earned a little herself. The daughter had earned $12.00-$ 18.00 a week on buttonholes, and her mother said that she had savings to the amount of $1000.00 on her person at the time of the fire. Later this amount rose to $4000.00. Relatives provided the funeral and took care of the mother, whose mind seemed to have suffered so that she was a very difficult problem for them. Her one desire was to return, to Italy and enter the convent where one of her daughters was a nun. The Italian Consul-General arranged for free transportation and the Red Cross Committee gave $1000.00 to be paid to her on her arrival in Italy. She sailed on May 9, apparently pleased with what had been done for her. In October it was learned that Friends had received a letter from her indicating that she was well and in comfortable circumstances. In January a letter was received by the Committee in which she asked for further assistance in general terms, making no reference to the convent." Annie shares an unmarked grave with her cousin, Michelina Nicolosei.
The March 31, 1911 New York Times contains the following mention of Annie, "An aged woman, who said she was the mother of Annie Colletti, called at the Coroners' office. She was very excited, declaring that her daughter, whose body had just been returned to her for burial, had been robbed of $1,600, which was sewed into her skirt band. She declared the skirt, still intact, showed clearly where the seams had been ripped open and the money removed. It was the earnings of six years of work, the mother said, and her daughter kept it in her skirt because she feared to trust it to the banks. There was no record at the Coroners' office of any money having been found on the body."
The public outrage following the tragedy and subsequent acquittal of the company's owners paved the way for a flood of legislation to improve factory safety and hastened the growth and clout of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. A bystander who witnessed the workers jumping from the windows was inspired to a life of public service fighting for the rights of factory workers; Frances Perkins went on to become the first woman appointed to a Presidential Cabinet position as Franklin Roosevelt's Secretary of Labor. The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire was the most deadly workplace disaster in New York City until the attack on the World Trade Center in 2001.
The company made women's blouses, known as "waists" or "shirtwaists", and it's workers were mostly recent immigrant German, Italian and European Jewish girls, some as young as 13 years old, although older women, men and young boys were also represented. Their working conditions were far from safe. They worked 14 hour shifts among heaps of flammable bolts of fabric, scraps of which piled up in bins, baskets and on the floor around them; tissue paper patterns hung from racks above their worktables. The workrooms were lit by open flame gas lamps and the cutters, mostly men, were allowed to smoke as they worked. Brought on by a New York garment workers strike in 1910, many had joined the fledgling International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. At the conclusion of the strike, most companies had signed agreements with the union improving working conditions. The Triangle Company, however, refused to sign and was under no obligation to abide by established safety rules.
On March 25, 1911, around 4:30pm, fire broke out on the 8th floor. Most on that floor and the executives on the 10th floor were able to escape, but workers on the 9th floor, who had not been alerted to the fire, found themselves trapped. Of the four 9th floor exits, the elevators made as many trips as they could but were commandeered by 8th floor workers and then stopped working altogether, one stairwell door was soon blocked by fire and smoke, the other stairwell door had been locked (although denied by the owners in their subsequent trial, it was common practice to lock factory workers in to prevent them from stealing) and the only fire escape collapsed under the weight of the escaping workers. Many died from being overcome by the smoke and flames quickly filling the building, some leapt down the elevator shafts, but 62 workers realized there was no other means of escape and jumped from the windows to the pavement 9 stories below. Or worse, they were pushed toward the open windows by the panicked crowd and had no choice. The fire department responded quickly, but their hoses' spray could not reach the top floors and ladders of the time were unable to reach above the 6th floor. By the time the fire was extinguished, 141 people had lost their lives. In the next few days, 5 more would die from their injuries.
From her documented injuries and cause of death, Annie was most likely overcome by the smoke and flames and never escaped the burning building. A body reportedly identified on March 26 as Annie's turned out to be that of another victim, Rose Friedman. A correct identification was made on March 27 by her mother Rose and cousin Dominic Leone (who also identified the bodies of Annie's cousins, Michelina Nicolosei and Kate Leone). I believe Annie can be identified as Case #14 in the April 1912 Final Report of the Red Cross Emergency Relief Committee: "A woman of 31 was killed, leaving a mother of 60 who had been largely dependent on her, though she earned a little herself. The daughter had earned $12.00-$ 18.00 a week on buttonholes, and her mother said that she had savings to the amount of $1000.00 on her person at the time of the fire. Later this amount rose to $4000.00. Relatives provided the funeral and took care of the mother, whose mind seemed to have suffered so that she was a very difficult problem for them. Her one desire was to return, to Italy and enter the convent where one of her daughters was a nun. The Italian Consul-General arranged for free transportation and the Red Cross Committee gave $1000.00 to be paid to her on her arrival in Italy. She sailed on May 9, apparently pleased with what had been done for her. In October it was learned that Friends had received a letter from her indicating that she was well and in comfortable circumstances. In January a letter was received by the Committee in which she asked for further assistance in general terms, making no reference to the convent." Annie shares an unmarked grave with her cousin, Michelina Nicolosei.
The March 31, 1911 New York Times contains the following mention of Annie, "An aged woman, who said she was the mother of Annie Colletti, called at the Coroners' office. She was very excited, declaring that her daughter, whose body had just been returned to her for burial, had been robbed of $1,600, which was sewed into her skirt band. She declared the skirt, still intact, showed clearly where the seams had been ripped open and the money removed. It was the earnings of six years of work, the mother said, and her daughter kept it in her skirt because she feared to trust it to the banks. There was no record at the Coroners' office of any money having been found on the body."
The public outrage following the tragedy and subsequent acquittal of the company's owners paved the way for a flood of legislation to improve factory safety and hastened the growth and clout of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union. A bystander who witnessed the workers jumping from the windows was inspired to a life of public service fighting for the rights of factory workers; Frances Perkins went on to become the first woman appointed to a Presidential Cabinet position as Franklin Roosevelt's Secretary of Labor. The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire was the most deadly workplace disaster in New York City until the attack on the World Trade Center in 2001.
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