Elevator Fire Analysis

This video provided both a horrific description of the fire, and also a lot of interesting background leading up to the fire. In fact, most of the documentary was about the business, social, and political environment surrounding the fire. So, I will spend more time discussing what I learned from the environment, but I certainly will consider the fire and its impact as well. First, the video talked about the role of government in business at the time. Even though this was a little over 100 years ago, the business environment was much, much different. The United States was roaring with industrial production. Factories were being operated as efficiently as possible. Unfortunately, this newfound industrial success did not provide success for all
They did not alert their employees. Instead, the workers were trapped in the building with only the elevator to take women to safety. The elevator could only make 3 trips before being unusable. Some women tried escaping on the fire escape ladder- which soon buckled from the weight of the workers and heat from the fire. Women fell 9 stories to their deaths. Some women tried to jump out the windows, hoping that the they could be caught or somehow saved. Most died immediately. Next, some women tried to open the locked exit door to no avail. The firemen had ladders that could only go up 60 feet. Essentially, the women were trapped with no way out once the elevator became unusable. What a horrific scene. In all, the Triangle fire proved to the American people that government intervention in business was necessary. New Yorkers were horrified at the burning bodies that came flying out of the building. The owners were put on trial, but not convicted. It was clear that America was tolerating injustice and inhumanity. The main victims of this fire were women immigrants. But, people were civil enough to realize that no one should experience what those women experienced. Changes had to have been