Remember The Triangle Fire Coalition

Triangle Fire Open Archive

Memorial

Firefighters Saluting at 50th Anniversary Commemoration

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Contributed by : Norma Jean Garriton

Object # 34

02/11/1912

Two firefighters salute at the 50th anniversary of the Triangle Fire, honoring victims of the tragedy, fifty years later. On the day of the tragedy, firemen stood helpless as workers jumped from the building and in the aftermath had to remove bodies of the fallen from the street, also victims of the fire’s devastation. This photograph speaks to the continuing heroism of New York City’s fire department, and their commitment to honoring fallen victims.

Courtesy of : Kheel Center

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Commentary

Firefighters Saluting at 50th AnniversaryThe New York City Fire Department has played an active role in the commemoration and memorialization of the Triangle Fire. In 1911, the ladders attached to the fire trucks could only reach to the 6th floor of the Asch building. The firemen had to stand with the crowd as they watched the bodies fall from the 9th floor. The firemen tried to catch the falling women in nets but the velocity of the falling bodies was too great and the women broke through the nets. Many of the firefighters present at the scene were traumatized by what they saw and their own helplessness. At the 50th anniversary the firefighters once again became prominent players in the Triangle Fire narrative, honoring the victims and their involvement in the fire.
– Tracie Logan

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