Triangle: The Fire That Changed America [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Drehle presents the most thorough account of the garment factory fire since Leon Stein's extensive interviews of survivors in "The Triangle Fire," published in 1962. Drehle uncovered the long lost and brittle transcript of People v. Harris & Blanck (Isaac Harris and Max Blanck were the owners of Triangle) in the New York County Lawyer's Association. Drehle also compiled the first complete list of the 140 identified fire victims by scouring the many contemporary newspaper accounts. His description of the fire is graphic and well detailed. Illustrations of each floor of the factory is included. Drehle also includes essential background information such as the history of the garment industry (pp. 39-42), the inner workings of the factory, the state of labor relations at the time including the 1909 strike that attracted such high profile supporters as Alva Vanderbilt Belmont and J. P. Morgan's daughter, and even the cultures of the different workers in the factory (i.e. an interesting comparison of Eastern European Jewish and Italian workers, pg. 60). Background information is also provided on the important characters surrounding the event from Russian woman activist Clara Lemlich who was beaten during a pre-fire labor strike to the "Tammany Hall Twins" Robert F. Wagner and Alfred E. Smith who worked to get reform measures passed after the fire. As important as this background information is, it does divert away from the story (especially during fairly long descriptions of certain people) and I found myself on several occasions getting restless and wanting the author to get back to the fire.

Drehle argues that an accelerated move to urban liberalism was one of the legacies of the fire. Tammany Hall city boss, Charles Murphy, once a steadfast supporter of the status quo, realized that reform could mean votes. The Factory Investigating Commission (formed as a result of the fire) helped transform the Democratic party by opening political doors to labor leaders (pg. 213). In fact, socialism was doomed as, in the next two decades, the Democrats co-opted many of their ideas leading to New Deal bills, many of which Wagner wrote. Reform worker and activist for the Triangle victims Frances Perkins, who earlier found Wagner and Smith more susceptible to causes like the 54-hour day than state senator Franklin D. Roosevelt, would be the first woman secretary of labor in the FDR administration. This road to progressivism would have been taken without the fire, but the fire definitely played an important role in giving certain people power and influence to pass many reform bills like the 54-hour day and better factory safety measures that would help future factory workers and change the face of New York's powerful Tammany Hall. Drehle's book includes coverage of the Blanck and Harris trial, a middle section of photos, and an appendix with the names of all 140 identified Triangle fire deaths.

Von Drehle goes beyond just giving us a blow-by-blow account of how the fire happened. He shows why the fire had the impact it had by putting it in the larger context of labor relations & the political climate of New York City. A significant 1909 strike by shirtwaist makers, combined with a shift in power within the Tammany Machine, made it possible for real steps in reform to be made in the next decade. Of course, it was the horrifying nature of the Triangle fire that provided the impetus for change, but if it had happened 10 years earlier, it is hard to see that it would have had the impact that it did.

Von Drehle does a good job combining s journalist's narrative skill with historian's perspective, something that is not that easy to do. It would have been easy enough simply to focus on the only the fire & the subsequent trial, but the historian in von Drehle understands that the Triangle fire is only important when understood in the larger context.

Everyone who has ever held a job should read this book to get a real sense of perspective. Anyone who spends a lot of time extolling the virtues of free enterprise might consider that this book portrays free enterprise taken to its logical extremes, with fatal & horrifying results. Theoretrically, unrestrained free enterprise may seem fine and dandy, but we have seen the reality of it --- this book chronicles just a small portion of that reality.

Even his Source Notes, when he describes his search for the trail transcripts keeps you intrigued.

With fine writing/reporting like this who needs fiction! I will be reading more from this author.