Von Drehle, David. Triangle; the fire that changed America.

VON DREHLE, David. Triangle; the fire that changed America. Grove Press. 340p. illus. notes. bibliog. index. c2003. 0-8021-4151-X. $14.00. SA *

To quote from the review of the audiobook in KLIATT, May 2004: The legendary fire that killed 146 in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York, March 25, 1911, "grew geometrically in the space of a few seconds." The factory was packed with tables that limited workers' movement and with waste receptacles that contained flammables ripe for the match head or cigarette stub. Its narrow staircases ended in locked doors, and the fire department's ladders were not long enough to reach the windows against which the screaming women crowded. The flames were brought under control within half an hour, but the fire's effects have reverberated through American development. In an impressive piece of research and writing, Von Drehle opens up the story, illuminating the legal, political and cultural setting in which the fire occurred. Tammany Hall ruled New York for the sake of the wealthy, ships daily brought hundreds of immigrants escaping Europe's pogroms and poverty, and factory-made clothing was replacing traditional homemade. He details the fire's setting, the persons involved at all levels, the trial that exonerated the owners, Max Blank and Isaac Harris, and the profound attitude change that put the government into social programs. A cultural history masterpiece. Edna Boardman, Bismarck, ND