[5A] The Building / General Analysis
Click on miniatures to view full-size photo in a new window.
"Fire Fighters" arrived on the scene soon after the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire broke out at 4:30pm on March 25, 1911. However, their efforts were of little use: as the photo shows, the ladders reached only the 6th floor, when the workers were all trapped in the 8th, 9th and 10th. But this photo, in which the bulk of the building is contrasted against the thin, apparently flimsy hoses and ladders seems to emphasise the very ineffectuality of the firefighter's efforts.
The photo also shows company signs on the corner of the building: "Clothing Specialists," "Men's Clothing," "Harris Bros." and "Suits" are amongst the more legible. The Triangle Shirtwaist Company was not the only clothing factory in the building, but it was the only one still working at 4:30 pm on a Saturday.
"Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Building" shows the building, apparently after the fire as there are no visible fire trucks or people discernible inside the building. The windows in the top three levels of the building can be seen to have no glass or curtains - destroyed by the fire. But otherwise the building appears remarkably intact. Indeed the interiors would later be shown to be structurally sound despite the absolute wreckage of the contents. The very top sign on the corner of the building is just legible: "Triangle Waist Company."
The photo, doubtless taken from an adjacent building, captures not only the building but the pavement below, crowded by the public and officials. The Triangle Fire was very much a public tragedy, witnessed by hundreds, and the funeral march is reported to have been attended by 120,000 and watched by 400,000 others.