The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire was one of the deadliest industrial disasters in American history. On March 25, 1911, a fire broke out on the top floors of the 10-story Asch Building in New York City, where the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory was located. Within 18 minutes, 146 garment workers–mostly young immigrant women–were dead, either from the fire itself or from falling or jumping to their deaths. The fatality count was so high in part because the managers had locked the exit doors to prevent the workers from taking unauthorized breaks.
This tragedy shined a spotlight on the inhumane working conditions that garment workers faced at the turn of the 20th century. It was a catalyst for widespread reforms to workplace safety standards. Over a century later, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire still stands as a chilling reminder of what can happen when worker safety is ignored for the sake of higher profits.
Riddles About the Tragedy
The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire is the subject of the following 51 riddles. See if you can solve them, and check the answers below each one.
Riddles With Answers
Riddle #1: What sparked the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire?
Answer:
A lit cigarette that was tossed into a bin of fabric scraps.
Riddle #2: How long did it take for the 10-story building to be engulfed in flames?
Answer:
Just 18 minutes.
Riddle #3: Why couldn’t the garment workers escape?
Answer:
The exit doors were locked by management to prevent unauthorized breaks.
Riddle #4: What desperate measure did some workers take to try to escape?
Answer:
Jumping out of the windows to their deaths.
Riddle #5: How many workers died in the fire or from jumping out windows?
Answer:
146 lives were lost.
Riddle #6: Why were so many unable to escape the upper floors where the fire started?
Answer:
The fire escape collapsed early on, leaving many trapped.
Riddle #7: What was the popular name of the Asch Building where the fire broke out?
Answer:
It was nicknamed the Brown Building.
Riddle #8: In what major American city did the disaster occur?
Answer:
New York City.
Riddle #9: In what neighborhood was the Asch Building located?
Answer:
Greenwich Village.
Riddle #10: In what year did the tragic fire take place?
Answer:
1911.
Riddle #11: How old was the youngest victim of the fire?
Answer:
14 years old.
Riddle #12: Who owned the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory?
Answer:
Max Blanck and Isaac Harris.
Riddle #13: How long had the Triangle Factory been in business before the disaster?
Answer:
About 13 years.
Riddle #14: What shirtwaist blouses style was the factory known for?
Answer:
The popular Gibson Girl blouse.
Riddle #15: What was the main business of the factory?
Answer:
Making ladies shirtwaist blouses.
Riddle #16: What was unusual about the owners having their factory in that building?
Answer:
It was a high-rise structure, uncommon for garment factories then.
Riddle #17: Why were there so many flammable materials in the factory?
Answer:
All the fabrics and threads used in making blouses.
Riddle #18: Why were the workers unable to access the roof, which could have provided an escape route?
Answer:
The door to the roof was kept locked and used only for storage.
Riddle #19: What safety requirement did the factory lack that was common in modern skyscrapers?
Answer:
No sprinkler system.
Riddle #20: What safety requirement did the factory lack that was required by current New York City building code?
Answer:
No third staircase for emergency exiting.
Riddle #21: How many exits and stairways did the factory’s floorplan have?
Answer:
There were two stairways feeding to two exits.
Riddle #22: Why were fire escapes considered inadequate for emergency evacuations?
Answer:
They were too narrow, shaky, and quickly became overcrowded.
Riddle #23: What controversial fact came out about one of the owners after the disaster?
Answer:
Isaac Harris had previously locked exiting doors at an earlier factory fire to avoid unauthorized breaks.
Riddle #24: What earlier Triangle Factory fire served as a warning that conditions were dangerous?
Answer:
A fire in 1902 that killed no one but could have been catastrophic.
Riddle #25: Why were workers overcrowded on the top factory floors?
Answer:
To maximize space, managers crammed work tables too tightly together.
Riddle #26: Who made up the majority of the factory’s 400-person workforce?
Answer:
Teenage immigrant girls and women ages 16 to 23.
Riddle #27: What dangerous substance did factory workers handle regularly?
Answer:
Highly flammable linen shirtwaist fabrics.
Riddle #28: How narrow was the major building corridor that hundreds tried to escape through?
Answer:
Only 28 inches wide.
Riddle #29: What shocking fact came out about a foreman after the disaster?
Answer:
A foreman had locked a main exit door during the fire to prevent theft.
Riddle #30: What earlier disaster served as an ominous warning about the Asch Building’s safety?
Answer:
The Newark factory fire in 1910 where 25 young women died.
Riddle #31: What did the factory lack besides adequate exits, extinguishers and escape routes?
Answer:
A required automatic sprinkler system.
Riddle #32: What controversial fire escape element actually contributed to deaths?
Answer:
Flimsy iron fire escape ladders that broke off the walls.
Riddle #33: How long had the Asch Building stood prior to the disaster?
Answer:
About 10 years.
Riddle #34: Why didn’t firefighters’ ladders and safety nets prevent more deaths?
Answer:
Equipment couldn’t reach victims on higher floor levels.
Riddle #35: What popular ladies fashions were made by the Triangle Factory workforce?
Answer:
Shirtwaists for the middle class consumer market.
Riddle #36: What raw fabric was most commonly used to make the shirtwaists?
Answer:
Highly combustible linen and cotton.
Riddle #37: What practice by the owners made conditions dangerously overcrowded?
Answer:
Subcontracting space to other garment makers in the building.
Riddle #38: What common fabrication method contributed to the blaze spreading rapidly?
Answer:
The machine oil used at overcrowded work tables.
Riddle #39: Where had the majority of workers emigrated from?
Answer:
Southern and Eastern Europe.
Riddle #40: Besides stairways, what other building feature catastrophically failed workers?
Answer:
An overloaded elevator collapsed early in the blaze.
Riddle #41: What important safety reform came about mainly due to the disaster?
Answer:
Strict regulations and codes for factories and buildings.
Riddle #42: What generation of Americans suffered most directly from the tragedy?
Answer:
Young immigrant teens and women.
Riddle #43: What clothing items were stacked from tables to ceiling, fueling the intense fire?
Answer:
Piles of linens, textiles and shirtwaists.
Riddle #44: Why did victims fall down the stairwells where most deaths occurred?
Answer:
Trampled by scrambling workers and dense smoke blinded them.
Riddle #45: Why were firefighters unable to deploy safety nets effectively?
Answer:
Water pressure issues and the fire’s rapid escalation.
Riddle #46: Where did many trapped workers prematurely leap to their deaths from?
Answer:
Upper story windows and fire escape platforms.
Riddle #47: Why didn’t the owners heed the warnings after the earlier 1902 factory fire?
Answer:
To avoid spending money on adequate safety measures.
Riddle #48: What popular ladies fashions of the early 1900’s were being produced?
Answer:
Frilly shirtwaist blouses for mass consumer markets.
Riddle #49: Why were scores burned beyond visual identification?
Answer:
The intense heat of the raging fire and collapsed floors.
Riddle #50: Why were the victims and their families never compensated?
Answer:
Damages laws of the time sharply limited corporate responsibility.
Riddle #51: What later massive disaster spurred fire safety laws and reforms nationwide?
Answer:
The Cocoanut Grove Nightclub fire that killed 492 people in Boston.
Conclusion
The Triangle Waist Factory fire was a horrific disaster that ultimately saved many other lives by spurring major safety reforms across the country. The innocent young victims faced appalling conditions and dangers that should never have existed. While no compensation or honor can undo the tragedy they endured, their memories live on through better worker protections that stand to this day. By solving riddles about the causes and consequences of the fire, we both honor those killed and learn crucial lessons about preventing such atrocities in the future.
