NY Remembers Worst Factory Fire in City's History

Broadcast: Mar¹ 26 2003

 

New York Today granted landmark² status to a building at the site of the worst factory fire in the city's history. The March 25, 1911, fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Company killed 146 young immigrant women in 15 minutes, sparking the unionization of ¹⁾garment workers and the adoption³ of workplace safety laws.

146 fire bells tolled⁴ yo mark the lives of each of the young immigrant women who died in the 1911 sweatshop disaster.

The neo-Renaissance-style building in the heart of Greenwich Village is now part of New York University. But in 1911, the Triangle Shirtwaist Company which fought unionization of its workers occupied the top three of the building's 10 floors.

Five hundred mostly Jewish, Italian and Polish women, between the ages of 13 and 23, were at work at their sewing machines that day. At 4:30 in the afternoon, a fire broke out on the eighth floor cutting room and spread fast, fueled by the thousands of pounds of fabric⁵.

Terrified workers rushed to exit doors, some of which had been locked by the factory's bosses. The rear fire escape collapsed⁶, and many of the women, their dresses on fire, leapt from open windows to their death.

Vincent Maltese lost his grandmother and her two sisters, ages 14 and 18, in the fire. The 68-year-old retired⁷ court official says that in the months after the fire, his grandfather searched for his wife's remains⁸ and struggled to raise two sons on his own.

"My grandmother was not identified right away," he said. "She was one of the unknowns that were ²⁾interred at Greenwood Cemetery¹⁰. My grandfather used to go every morning before he went to work to the morgue at the pier¹¹ and they had pieces of clothing, rings in shoeboxes for each person. Finally, I think it was 10 months or a year later, he found something in one of the shoeboxes. He used to go pore through these boxes every morning, and he finally said this was her."

The fire led to the enactment¹² of more stringent¹³ workplace safety laws and bolstered¹⁴ efforts for garment workers to unionize.

At the dedication¹⁵ ceremony, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that the tragedy was largely preventable. "At the start of the 20th century in the garment industry, which was the largest employer in the City of New York, there were obscenely low wages, dangerous overcrowding, brutally¹⁶ long hours and fire hazards," he said. "That was what everybody lived with day in and day out. Bathroom breaks were monitored and talking was forbidden. Sadly, it took the ³⁾martyrdom of 146 young women for real change to begin."

Robert Tierney, head of the city's Landmarks¹⁷ Preservation¹⁸ Commission, says the landmark designation will keep the lessons of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory alive for future generations.

"The events in this building mark a turning point in American labor¹⁹ history, and the fact that Franklin Roosevelt's Secretary of Labor Francis Perkins, who actually witnessed this fire in 1911, characterized March 25, 1911 call as‘the day the New Deal began'. The designation of this site, where a local tragedy influenced a national consciousness ensures that it will continue to serve as a compelling monument to the victims of the past and to their lasting²⁰ legacy²¹ of reformed labor laws, fire safety codes and building codes."

The Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire remains one of the most enduring symbols for the American labor movement, and a rallying point for strict enforcement of safety codes in the workplace.

Leah Krakinowski VOA news, New York.

1)    garment[5^B:mEnt]n.衣服, 外衣, 外表

2)    inter⁹ at 埋葬

3)    martyrdom[5mB:tEdEm]n.牺牲, 殉难, 受苦

 

1 mar   

vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟

参考例句：

• It was not the custom for elderly people to mar the picnics with their presence.大人们照例不参加这样的野餐以免扫兴。
• Such a marriage might mar your career.这样的婚姻说不定会毁了你的一生。

2 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

3 adoption   

n.采用，采纳，通过；收养

参考例句：

• An adoption agency had sent the boys to two different families.一个收养机构把他们送给两个不同的家庭。
• The adoption of this policy would relieve them of a tremendous burden.采取这一政策会给他们解除一个巨大的负担。

4 tolled   

鸣钟（toll的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Bells were tolled all over the country at the King's death. 全国为国王之死而鸣钟。
• The church bell tolled the hour. 教堂的钟声报时。

5 fabric   

n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织

参考例句：

• The fabric will spot easily.这种织品很容易玷污。
• I don't like the pattern on the fabric.我不喜欢那块布料上的图案。

6 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

7 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

8 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

9 inter   

v.埋葬

参考例句：

• They interred their dear comrade in the arms.他们埋葬了他们亲爱的战友。
• The man who died in that accident has been interred.在那次事故中死的那个人已经被埋葬了。

10 cemetery   

n.坟墓，墓地，坟场

参考例句：

• He was buried in the cemetery.他被葬在公墓。
• His remains were interred in the cemetery.他的遗体葬在墓地。

11 pier   

n.码头；桥墩，桥柱；[建]窗间壁，支柱

参考例句：

• The pier of the bridge has been so badly damaged that experts worry it is unable to bear weight.这座桥的桥桩破损厉害，专家担心它已不能负重。
• The ship was making towards the pier.船正驶向码头。

12 enactment   

n.演出，担任…角色；制订，通过

参考例句：

• Enactment refers to action.演出指行为的表演。
• We support the call for the enactment of a Bill of Rights.我们支持要求通过《权利法案》的呼声。

13 stringent   

adj.严厉的；令人信服的；银根紧的

参考例句：

• Financiers are calling for a relaxation of these stringent measures.金融家呼吁对这些严厉的措施予以放宽。
• Some of the conditions in the contract are too stringent.合同中有几项条件太苛刻。

14 bolstered   

v.支持( bolster的过去式和过去分词 )；支撑；给予必要的支持；援助

参考例句：

• He bolstered his plea with new evidence. 他举出新的证据来支持他的抗辩。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The data must be bolstered by inferences and indirect estimates of varying degrees of reliability. 这些资料必须借助于推理及可靠程度不同的间接估计。 来自辞典例句

15 dedication   

n.奉献，献身，致力，题献，献辞

参考例句：

• We admire her courage,compassion and dedication.我们钦佩她的勇气、爱心和奉献精神。
• Her dedication to her work was admirable.她对工作的奉献精神可钦可佩。

16 brutally   

adv.残忍地，野蛮地，冷酷无情地

参考例句：

• The uprising was brutally put down.起义被残酷地镇压下去了。
• A pro-democracy uprising was brutally suppressed.一场争取民主的起义被残酷镇压了。

17 landmarks   

n.陆标( landmark的名词复数 )；目标；（标志重要阶段的）里程碑 ~ (in sth)；有历史意义的建筑物（或遗址）

参考例句：

• The book stands out as one of the notable landmarks in the progress of modern science. 这部著作是现代科学发展史上著名的里程碑之一。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The baby was one of the big landmarks in our relationship. 孩子的出世是我们俩关系中的一个重要转折点。 来自辞典例句

18 preservation   

n.保护，维护，保存，保留，保持

参考例句：

• The police are responsible for the preservation of law and order.警察负责维持法律与秩序。
• The picture is in an excellent state of preservation.这幅画保存得极为完好。

19 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

20 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

21 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。