 |
Constance DelVecchio Maltese unveiling her painting
"Always Remember the 146" (Photos by Niccolò Graffio) |
Sitting there in the CNL Cultural Center of Christ the King H.S., listening to the reading of the names of the dead, images of that fateful day 100 years ago popped into my mind. It was exactly 100 years ago today, on March 25th, 1911, the Triangle Shirtwaist factory, located in what was then the Asch Building on Greene St. and Washington Place in Manhattan, caught fire and burned, killing 146 people. Most of these people were young women and girls, immigrants from mainly eastern and southern Europe.
I had first heard of the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire when I was in high school. It was a footnote in a history book; a few sentences meant to explain to students the reason behind government regulation of safety procedures in the workplace. I must confess that like the overwhelming majority of my fellow students, I really paid no attention to it. In my mind then it was, after all, only one of a myriad number of tragedies that befell those who came before us.
Last year, when I was sent to cover the 99th anniversary memorial service of the fire in this very same room, was in fact the first time I was really confronted with the details of that horrific afternoon so long ago. Now, as then, images I had never before confronted were pouring into my conscious mind. Even now as I type these words they confront me.
When we think of sweatshops we think of dirty, smelly places in some far away dirt-poor country. We forget it wasn’t that long ago such places existed here in America (and still exist, in fact). Numerous regulations were passed after the horror to avoid a repetition, but as I cynically learned long ago, regulations are only as good as those who choose to oversee and enforce them.
Many other tragedies in American history are all but forgotten due to apathy and disinterest on the part of Americans. It seems to me, for example, that except for an occasional mention in the back of a newspaper, no one here in my own native New York City bothers to remember or acknowledge the burning of the PS General Slocum. One would think the single greatest loss of life of New Yorkers after 9/11 would command more attention. There are even indications many would like to forget the events of 9/11!
They should not be forgotten, however! Though it is human nature to suppress negative experiences, we should resist such temptations in cases such as these. What we are as a populace, a country, is the sum total of the collective experiences of ourselves and our ancestors since their arrival on this continent.
Thus I commend the efforts of the Maltese family in keeping alive the memory of the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire. For them it has a deeper meaning than most, since three members of their family (Caterina and her two daughters, Rosarea and Lucia) perished in the blaze. It still boggles my mind to consider the fact that in a single, awful afternoon Serafino Maltese, the family patriarch, lost all the female members of his family!
All the elder Maltese brothers (Andrew, Serphin & Vincent) were present to honor their ancestors and the rest of the fallen. Constance DelVecchio Maltese, wife Senator Serphin Maltese (ret.) and an accomplished painter, unveiled a beautiful creation of hers entitled “Always Remember the 146”.
 |
| The Maltese brothers (Andrew, Serphin and Vincent) |
Composer and performer Jim Kuemmerle spoke to us briefly about the Triangle Shirtwaist Jazz Project, an album of original jazz compositions commemorating the fire. The piece I found most moving was entitled “Our Work is Never Done”.
The fact of that apropos title was driven home by Senator Maltese, who reminded us of the many Americans who still die on the job every day.
A grim reminder that “our work is never done”. On September 3rd, 1991 25 workers died from burns or asphyxiation and another 54 were injured from a fire at the Imperial Foods Products chicken processing plant in Hamlet, N.C. As with the Triangle fire, the fire doors were (illegally) locked to keep workers from stealing chickens. A fire that erupted in a 25 foot-long deep-fat fryer sealed their fate. Incredibly, records show the plant was never inspected by any Federal or state inspector in its entire 11-year history!
That there are those in Congress who seek to roll back OSHA regulations (in the name of profits!) should be a wakeup call to all Americans to continue the fight for workplace safety to insure the 146 did not die in vain.
Further reading:
- Triangle Fire Memorial Association, Inc.
- David von Drehle: Triangle: The Fire that Changed America; NY Atlantic Monthly Press, 2003.
