Project 4 was based off of synthesis. My topic was the radium girls and The Triangle Shirtwaist Company. I was interested in these topics because I saw an Apollo student had done it and I was interested in it. My social studies teacher recommended I do The Triangle Shirtwaist Company and after doing an overview of it I became interested. My final projects ended up being an interview for English, a journal for social studies, and a time capsule for art. I began researching about the Triangle Shirtwaist Company. I researched the background of the company, the workers, and also the fire that occurred on March 25, 1911. I found that the company/factory wasn't very ethical. The building wasn't up-to-date on inspections because the inspectors were simply bribed. The building had 4 other fires previous to the one on the 25th. And the workers were mainly young immigrant women. It is thought that the fire was started by either a discarded cigarette or a machine that overheated and started the spark. I then researched about the radium girls. I researched what they did, who they were, and how their health declined. The radium girls worked at a factory where they painted dials, instruments panels, and clocks with radium paint. This caused them to glow-in-the-dark. Radium was originally thought to be good for you in small amounts. However, it was discovered that that was not the case. Radium was eating the workers bones away from the inside. This caused many of them to get sick and eventually die. The ideal worker for this sort of job was also young women who mostly ended up being immigrant women. This is how I synthesized. I connected the two topics based off the workers and the fact that all the workers were lied to when working as they were told they were safe.
English: I created an interview based on what I researched. I wanted the interview to be more like a conversation so that the "interviewer" and other two people were all asking questions and putting their own input in at certain times so that way I was actually synthesizing. The interview has an interviewer, a radium girl, and a worker from The Triangle Shirtwaist Company.
Interviewee 1: Ellie Lehr
Interviewee 2: Polly Fredrick
Interviewer: Lauren Hopkins
Date: December 22, 1930
Attendees: LH=Lauren Hopkins (interviewer), EL=Ellie Lehr (interviewee 1), PF=Polly Fredrick (interviewee 2).
LH:Good afternoon ladies. My name is Lauren Hopkins and I will be your interviewer today. Please state your name and your involvement in this interview.
EL:Good afternoon. My name is Ellie Lehr, my mother was a former dial painter at the Waterbury Clock Company.
PF:Good afternoon. My name is Polly Fredrick and I am a former worker at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory.
LH:Thank you for doing that. I don’t want you to feel like this is a formal interview or anything; think of it more as a conversation talking about your experiences.
PF:OK, sounds good.
EL:OK
LH:It is my understanding that you both are immigrant women that came to the U.S. in order to have a better life. Is that correct?
EL:Yes, I came to the United States when I was 10 years old with my mother. It was my mother that was a “radium/ghost girl”.
PF:I also came to the United States with my mother. I was 15 years old then and shortly after arriving, my mother mentioned working at a factory together.
LH:Could you further elaborate on why your mothers worked at these factories?
PH:I know my mother was struggling financially with having a child while trying to find new work. So when she saw in the paper that there was a company hiring young women she was ecstatic.
EL:My mother was also struggling financially, she couldn't seem to find a work place that would hire her.
LH:And did your mothers know what danger they were in when they decided to take the jobs they were offered?
PF:In a way I suppose. All of the factory workers were a little hesitant with the way the factory was set up. We never saw any inspectors, which now I know they curved by easily bribing the inspectors with money. The factory lacked basic safety features like fire sprinklers and alarm systems. Plus, there were only two elevators, both of which were manned by operators.
EL:My mother didn’t know, unfortunately. At the time, medical perfectionals didn't know the effects radium had.
LH:I know that at the time, radium was believed to actually be good for you.
PF:Yes, it was discovered that radium could kill living cells. So, it started to be used to treat cancers.
EL:People began to believe that if the radium could ‘cure’ cancer then it must be good for them. So companies sold devices that infused radiums’ radiation into drinking water.
LH:I believe that the radium began to appear in cosmetics, disinfectants, and cleaning products as well.
EL:Yes, radium became very popular, hence the dials, instruments for aircrafts or ships, and clocks being painted with glow-in-the-dark paint.
PF:How exactly did the radium glow?
LH:Radium has a stereotypical greenish color when it glows.
PF:Oh I see. When did medical professionals learn that radium was bad for you?
EL:People began to get sick in 1920. This is when they suspected that the radium may be making people sick.
LH:What were some symptoms of radium poisoning? I know I heard about a case of which a woman's jaw essentially disintegrated, but obviously that was a more severe case of poisoning.
PF:I also remember hearing about that case, it was just horrible.
EL:Yes, I believe her name was Mollie Maggia. She went to her dentist after complaining of severe mouth pain. So, her dentist removed several of her teeth.
PF:And then the wounds didn’t heal, correct?
EL:Yes that’s correct.
LH:So what happened after that?
EL:Well after that, her pain only got worse. Her teeth began falling out on their own and while during an examination, a piece of her jaw came out with the dentists’ hand.
PF:She ended up passing away a couple months later on September 12, 1922.
LH:How did she pass away?
EL:According to her sister Quinta, her mouth filled with blood after she hemorrhaged.
PF:What caused the hemorrhage?
EL:The necrosis eventually ate away at her jugular which caused her to bleed to death.
LH:And could you explain how these women were ingesting so much radium?
EL:Of course. Like I said, it was my mother who worked as a dial painter so everything I know is from secondhand.
LH:I understand, but anything you can comment on is much appreciated.
EL:OK. Well before my mother passed, she told me that in order to keep their paint brush tips sharp and in a good shape they were encouraged to use their lips and tongue. Therefore, they were ingesting lots of radium all throughout the day. And because radium was believed to be good for you, the women would paint their teeth and nails to make them appear brighter. Not to mention, when they ate lunch they were allowed to eat at their work tables.
PF:Despite all that, many of the women considered working for the radium company to be a privilege.
EL:Yes, they were allowed to talk with each other and the job paid well. Plus the environment was “cheery” because there was so much sunlight in the room.
LH:If you don’t mind my asking, how did your mother pass away?
EL:No I don’t mind. She passed away just like the others; radium poisoning. She also started to complain about her jaw aching. And some of her friends at the factory were having the same complaints. One even had to use a brace that went from her neck to her waist just so she could stand up straight.
PF:That was caused by the necrosis right?
EL:Yup, it was a couple months after the pain started that my mother passed. Thankfully, she passed fairly peacefully as it was nothing like what Mollie went through.
LH:I’m glad to hear that. I’m sure it wasn’t easy for you to watch that.
EL:It certainly wasn’t fun but now I’m glad that she didn’t have to suffer for too long.
LH:Let’s switch over to you, Polly. Can you tell us about the factory itself?
PF:The factory was located on the eighth, ninth, and tenth floors of the ten-story Asch Building in New York City. Like I said before, the factory lacked fire sprinklers and an alarm system. The building had actually had four other fires before the one on March 25, 1911.
LH:And what was it like working there?
PF:Well we were not paid the best-$6 an hour. We worked in 13-hour shifts with a 30-minute lunch period. We worked six days a week under sweatshop conditions.
EL:What does that mean?
LH:The US Department of Labor defines sweatshops as any factory that violates two or more labor laws.
PF:For example, working hours, child labor, and unfair wages.
EL:So not good.
LH:Exactly.
PF:Anyways, most of the women working there were young immigrant women, primarily Germans, Hungarians, Italians, and Russians.
LH:I see. So is there anything else about the factory that you want to tell us?
PF:Yes. The owners did everything they could to keep us inside the factory and working at all times. So they would lock the only exits to keep us from taking any unauthorized breaks.
EL:That seems extreme.
LH:I’d say so.
PH:It certainly wasn’t as cheery as the radium company was, that's for sure.
EL:I’m curious about the fire. What exactly happened?
PH:It was on a Saturday. I remember everyone was excited about going home for the day. I was on the tenth floor working while my mother was down on the eighth floor. We only heard about the fire over the telephone.
EL:So how exactly did the fire start?
LH:It was caused by a cigarette I think.
PF:It could have been a cigarette or it could have been a machine that overheated and started to spark.
EL:I see, so what happened after you were informed of the fire?
PF:To put it simply, chaos. People were trying to put the fire out but because there was fabric everywhere, the fire was only fueled. One worker tried to douse the flames using a fire hose but it was barely usable.
LH:What were you thinking in the midst of all the chaos?
PF:I was thinking of my mother. I remember wondering if the eighth floor was in as much chaos as the tenth floor was. I was thinking if she would be able to make it out in time. But I was also thinking about all the other workers in the factory. There were about 700 of us total-600 female workers and 100 male workers.
EL:So how did you escape?
PF:I was fortunate enough to be aided by the neighboring building of New York University Students. The students used ladders that stretched between buildings to help people climb out.
LH:I heard about that. I also heard that people started to jump out of the windows.
PF:That's correct. Some of the workers tried jumping out of the windows to where firefighters had a net set up. But because there were so many people jumping, the net couldn’t handle all the weight so they were still jumping to their deaths. Some people also began jumping onto the shafts of the elevators. It was truly a horrendous and gruesome sight to witness.
EL:I’m so sorry you had to watch all of that.
LH:So what happened to your mother?
PF:I kept my eye out for her but I couldn’t find her. I found out a couple days later that she had been burned alive. She was trying to help other people out. One of the people she helped escape told me of this. They called my mother a hero.
LH:She was a good woman.
PF:Yes she was.
EL:It seems both our stories are similar while also being completely different.
PF:It would appear that way.
LH:Well ladies, thank you so much for coming in today. It was certainly a very informative conversation.
EL:I’d say so.
Interviewee 2: Polly Fredrick
Interviewer: Lauren Hopkins
Date: December 22, 1930
Attendees: LH=Lauren Hopkins (interviewer), EL=Ellie Lehr (interviewee 1), PF=Polly Fredrick (interviewee 2).
LH:Good afternoon ladies. My name is Lauren Hopkins and I will be your interviewer today. Please state your name and your involvement in this interview.
EL:Good afternoon. My name is Ellie Lehr, my mother was a former dial painter at the Waterbury Clock Company.
PF:Good afternoon. My name is Polly Fredrick and I am a former worker at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory.
LH:Thank you for doing that. I don’t want you to feel like this is a formal interview or anything; think of it more as a conversation talking about your experiences.
PF:OK, sounds good.
EL:OK
LH:It is my understanding that you both are immigrant women that came to the U.S. in order to have a better life. Is that correct?
EL:Yes, I came to the United States when I was 10 years old with my mother. It was my mother that was a “radium/ghost girl”.
PF:I also came to the United States with my mother. I was 15 years old then and shortly after arriving, my mother mentioned working at a factory together.
LH:Could you further elaborate on why your mothers worked at these factories?
PH:I know my mother was struggling financially with having a child while trying to find new work. So when she saw in the paper that there was a company hiring young women she was ecstatic.
EL:My mother was also struggling financially, she couldn't seem to find a work place that would hire her.
LH:And did your mothers know what danger they were in when they decided to take the jobs they were offered?
PF:In a way I suppose. All of the factory workers were a little hesitant with the way the factory was set up. We never saw any inspectors, which now I know they curved by easily bribing the inspectors with money. The factory lacked basic safety features like fire sprinklers and alarm systems. Plus, there were only two elevators, both of which were manned by operators.
EL:My mother didn’t know, unfortunately. At the time, medical perfectionals didn't know the effects radium had.
LH:I know that at the time, radium was believed to actually be good for you.
PF:Yes, it was discovered that radium could kill living cells. So, it started to be used to treat cancers.
EL:People began to believe that if the radium could ‘cure’ cancer then it must be good for them. So companies sold devices that infused radiums’ radiation into drinking water.
LH:I believe that the radium began to appear in cosmetics, disinfectants, and cleaning products as well.
EL:Yes, radium became very popular, hence the dials, instruments for aircrafts or ships, and clocks being painted with glow-in-the-dark paint.
PF:How exactly did the radium glow?
LH:Radium has a stereotypical greenish color when it glows.
PF:Oh I see. When did medical professionals learn that radium was bad for you?
EL:People began to get sick in 1920. This is when they suspected that the radium may be making people sick.
LH:What were some symptoms of radium poisoning? I know I heard about a case of which a woman's jaw essentially disintegrated, but obviously that was a more severe case of poisoning.
PF:I also remember hearing about that case, it was just horrible.
EL:Yes, I believe her name was Mollie Maggia. She went to her dentist after complaining of severe mouth pain. So, her dentist removed several of her teeth.
PF:And then the wounds didn’t heal, correct?
EL:Yes that’s correct.
LH:So what happened after that?
EL:Well after that, her pain only got worse. Her teeth began falling out on their own and while during an examination, a piece of her jaw came out with the dentists’ hand.
PF:She ended up passing away a couple months later on September 12, 1922.
LH:How did she pass away?
EL:According to her sister Quinta, her mouth filled with blood after she hemorrhaged.
PF:What caused the hemorrhage?
EL:The necrosis eventually ate away at her jugular which caused her to bleed to death.
LH:And could you explain how these women were ingesting so much radium?
EL:Of course. Like I said, it was my mother who worked as a dial painter so everything I know is from secondhand.
LH:I understand, but anything you can comment on is much appreciated.
EL:OK. Well before my mother passed, she told me that in order to keep their paint brush tips sharp and in a good shape they were encouraged to use their lips and tongue. Therefore, they were ingesting lots of radium all throughout the day. And because radium was believed to be good for you, the women would paint their teeth and nails to make them appear brighter. Not to mention, when they ate lunch they were allowed to eat at their work tables.
PF:Despite all that, many of the women considered working for the radium company to be a privilege.
EL:Yes, they were allowed to talk with each other and the job paid well. Plus the environment was “cheery” because there was so much sunlight in the room.
LH:If you don’t mind my asking, how did your mother pass away?
EL:No I don’t mind. She passed away just like the others; radium poisoning. She also started to complain about her jaw aching. And some of her friends at the factory were having the same complaints. One even had to use a brace that went from her neck to her waist just so she could stand up straight.
PF:That was caused by the necrosis right?
EL:Yup, it was a couple months after the pain started that my mother passed. Thankfully, she passed fairly peacefully as it was nothing like what Mollie went through.
LH:I’m glad to hear that. I’m sure it wasn’t easy for you to watch that.
EL:It certainly wasn’t fun but now I’m glad that she didn’t have to suffer for too long.
LH:Let’s switch over to you, Polly. Can you tell us about the factory itself?
PF:The factory was located on the eighth, ninth, and tenth floors of the ten-story Asch Building in New York City. Like I said before, the factory lacked fire sprinklers and an alarm system. The building had actually had four other fires before the one on March 25, 1911.
LH:And what was it like working there?
PF:Well we were not paid the best-$6 an hour. We worked in 13-hour shifts with a 30-minute lunch period. We worked six days a week under sweatshop conditions.
EL:What does that mean?
LH:The US Department of Labor defines sweatshops as any factory that violates two or more labor laws.
PF:For example, working hours, child labor, and unfair wages.
EL:So not good.
LH:Exactly.
PF:Anyways, most of the women working there were young immigrant women, primarily Germans, Hungarians, Italians, and Russians.
LH:I see. So is there anything else about the factory that you want to tell us?
PF:Yes. The owners did everything they could to keep us inside the factory and working at all times. So they would lock the only exits to keep us from taking any unauthorized breaks.
EL:That seems extreme.
LH:I’d say so.
PH:It certainly wasn’t as cheery as the radium company was, that's for sure.
EL:I’m curious about the fire. What exactly happened?
PH:It was on a Saturday. I remember everyone was excited about going home for the day. I was on the tenth floor working while my mother was down on the eighth floor. We only heard about the fire over the telephone.
EL:So how exactly did the fire start?
LH:It was caused by a cigarette I think.
PF:It could have been a cigarette or it could have been a machine that overheated and started to spark.
EL:I see, so what happened after you were informed of the fire?
PF:To put it simply, chaos. People were trying to put the fire out but because there was fabric everywhere, the fire was only fueled. One worker tried to douse the flames using a fire hose but it was barely usable.
LH:What were you thinking in the midst of all the chaos?
PF:I was thinking of my mother. I remember wondering if the eighth floor was in as much chaos as the tenth floor was. I was thinking if she would be able to make it out in time. But I was also thinking about all the other workers in the factory. There were about 700 of us total-600 female workers and 100 male workers.
EL:So how did you escape?
PF:I was fortunate enough to be aided by the neighboring building of New York University Students. The students used ladders that stretched between buildings to help people climb out.
LH:I heard about that. I also heard that people started to jump out of the windows.
PF:That's correct. Some of the workers tried jumping out of the windows to where firefighters had a net set up. But because there were so many people jumping, the net couldn’t handle all the weight so they were still jumping to their deaths. Some people also began jumping onto the shafts of the elevators. It was truly a horrendous and gruesome sight to witness.
EL:I’m so sorry you had to watch all of that.
LH:So what happened to your mother?
PF:I kept my eye out for her but I couldn’t find her. I found out a couple days later that she had been burned alive. She was trying to help other people out. One of the people she helped escape told me of this. They called my mother a hero.
LH:She was a good woman.
PF:Yes she was.
EL:It seems both our stories are similar while also being completely different.
PF:It would appear that way.
LH:Well ladies, thank you so much for coming in today. It was certainly a very informative conversation.
EL:I’d say so.
Social Studies: I wrote two journal entries belonging to a coroner that autopsied radium girls and workers who died during the fire at The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. I also then wrote a letter from the perspective of the coroner, writing to the US Department of Labor.
09/14/1922
Mollie Maggia.
She was only 25 years old before she passed away and I have no idea why. Her sister reported that Mollie started bleeding from her mouth right before she died.
I think she drowned in her own blood. But I need to know why she started bleeding.
Mollie was a dial painter; she worked for the US Radium Corporation in Newark, NJ. For six years.
When I looked at her medical records I was horrified. It was obvious from looking at her face that her jaw was missing, but actually looking at her records made me nauseous. I’m used to having a tougher stomach than most but this was a lot. According to her records, she had severe mouth pain for months. She went to her dentist. He removed several of her teeth. Her wounds never healed. She was only in more pain. She decided to go back to the dentist and during an examination where he was removing more teeth, a piece of her jaw came out with it.
I can only imagine how much pain she must have been in. She may have had strong pain medication but that can only go so far. The records say when the dentist looked more closely at the piece of jaw he noticed that the bone was brittle and full of holes. I’ve never seen this happen. My theory is that something was eating away at the bone. Based on the holes the bone must have been hollow/hollowing out. But I don’t know what caused such a thing to happen. I know bones are made of calcium. How could something hollow out? Especially bone, it just doesn't seem possible.
I’ve heard of women having issues with their spines and hips. All of which worked with the paint. They are given braces that go from their neck to their waist. What is causing all of these issues? So suddenly too.
After examining her body I determined that whatever disease that had eaten away at her bones must have spread to her jugular vein. And later that day her mouth flooded with her own blood when she hemorrhaged.
The hemorrhage came on fast, there was nothing anyone could do but it was still bitter to see such a young woman meet her demise. Perhaps it was a good thing? It seems cruel to say but her entire lower jaw had been removed with only the hands of her dentist and she was in so, so much pain. Her death certainly wasn’t painless.
Mollie Maggia.
She was only 25 years old before she passed away and I have no idea why. Her sister reported that Mollie started bleeding from her mouth right before she died.
I think she drowned in her own blood. But I need to know why she started bleeding.
Mollie was a dial painter; she worked for the US Radium Corporation in Newark, NJ. For six years.
When I looked at her medical records I was horrified. It was obvious from looking at her face that her jaw was missing, but actually looking at her records made me nauseous. I’m used to having a tougher stomach than most but this was a lot. According to her records, she had severe mouth pain for months. She went to her dentist. He removed several of her teeth. Her wounds never healed. She was only in more pain. She decided to go back to the dentist and during an examination where he was removing more teeth, a piece of her jaw came out with it.
I can only imagine how much pain she must have been in. She may have had strong pain medication but that can only go so far. The records say when the dentist looked more closely at the piece of jaw he noticed that the bone was brittle and full of holes. I’ve never seen this happen. My theory is that something was eating away at the bone. Based on the holes the bone must have been hollow/hollowing out. But I don’t know what caused such a thing to happen. I know bones are made of calcium. How could something hollow out? Especially bone, it just doesn't seem possible.
I’ve heard of women having issues with their spines and hips. All of which worked with the paint. They are given braces that go from their neck to their waist. What is causing all of these issues? So suddenly too.
After examining her body I determined that whatever disease that had eaten away at her bones must have spread to her jugular vein. And later that day her mouth flooded with her own blood when she hemorrhaged.
The hemorrhage came on fast, there was nothing anyone could do but it was still bitter to see such a young woman meet her demise. Perhaps it was a good thing? It seems cruel to say but her entire lower jaw had been removed with only the hands of her dentist and she was in so, so much pain. Her death certainly wasn’t painless.
09/12/1923
Mollie Maggia.
I still remember her. Or rather her death.
Something about her death sticks with me. Either I’ve gone mad or I know just what is killing these women.
In the past year I’ve examined countless bodies. Most young immigrant women similar to Mollie’s case. I’m relieved to find that if they are connected somehow that she had a more extreme case.
Radium paint. I know we have been assured that small amounts are harmless but I don’t believe that anymore. Others are beginning to suspect the same. It just doesn’t make any sense otherwise.
The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory is the only other time when a death didn’t sit right with me.
It feels like these women are being put in unfortunate situations where their safety isn’t being prioritized enough. Both women were assured they were safe despite both parties knowing they weren’t. I’m angry. I’m so so angry that these women aren’t being treated like human beings. Weren’t we supposed to be moving forward in society? Leaving the old customs behind?
I pulled out the old medical records of the women after the fire. I shouldn’t have. It only made me angrier.
Lilly Barnes. Smoke inhalation. Jane Lee. Dead on impact. Evelyn Davis. Burned alive.
The list goes on. 146. 146 people died because of two people's ignorance. Both of the owners saved themselves. Didn’t even attempt to help the some 500 people in that factory.
The fire happened 12 years ago. I shouldn’t even be thinking about that anymore but I am. A lot has changed since then. Safety precautions. Fire sprinklers. But at the same time, nothing has changed.
Mollie Maggia.
I still remember her. Or rather her death.
Something about her death sticks with me. Either I’ve gone mad or I know just what is killing these women.
In the past year I’ve examined countless bodies. Most young immigrant women similar to Mollie’s case. I’m relieved to find that if they are connected somehow that she had a more extreme case.
Radium paint. I know we have been assured that small amounts are harmless but I don’t believe that anymore. Others are beginning to suspect the same. It just doesn’t make any sense otherwise.
The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory is the only other time when a death didn’t sit right with me.
It feels like these women are being put in unfortunate situations where their safety isn’t being prioritized enough. Both women were assured they were safe despite both parties knowing they weren’t. I’m angry. I’m so so angry that these women aren’t being treated like human beings. Weren’t we supposed to be moving forward in society? Leaving the old customs behind?
I pulled out the old medical records of the women after the fire. I shouldn’t have. It only made me angrier.
Lilly Barnes. Smoke inhalation. Jane Lee. Dead on impact. Evelyn Davis. Burned alive.
The list goes on. 146. 146 people died because of two people's ignorance. Both of the owners saved themselves. Didn’t even attempt to help the some 500 people in that factory.
The fire happened 12 years ago. I shouldn’t even be thinking about that anymore but I am. A lot has changed since then. Safety precautions. Fire sprinklers. But at the same time, nothing has changed.
Dear U.S. Department of Labor, January 7, 1925
My name is Noel Lloyd and I am a coroner in New York City. I hope this letter finds you well. The reason I am writing to you is because I did autopsies on both the Radium girls and the women who died in the fire on March 25, 1911. I believe that all of their deaths were fully avoidable. I also believe that the government needs to change some things regarding labor laws. I’m fully aware this is very unceremonious of me, however, I am very passionate about this topic as those women are no longer with us to say so themselves.
I believe these deaths were avoidable and unnecessary because if these women were treated the same way men are treated this would not have happened. These women were treated as objects and not human beings. For example, when the fire occurred on March 25, 1911, the owners of the factory did nothing to save the some 700 workers, opting to save themselves and their family instead. I’m sure you’re well aware of the payment the factory workers were given–not nearly enough for the amount of time they worked.
I think the labor laws should include a reasonable amount of payment for workers based on the work and hours they do. The payment should not vary based on the gender, race, or ethnicity of the worker. I also think there should be mandatory safety inspections at every workplace. I’m aware that in the past decade it was easy to bribe any inspectors away. That is why I believe they should do inspections in pairs. This would raise the payment of any bribe and it will also deter any bribing because there are two people to ‘convince’.
I’m sure there are many other ways to further improve the work industry for everyone. I think only time and experience will be able to truly improve working conditions. However, I still hope that you will take my suggestions into consideration in the future. Thank you for your time.
All the best,
Noel Lloyd
My name is Noel Lloyd and I am a coroner in New York City. I hope this letter finds you well. The reason I am writing to you is because I did autopsies on both the Radium girls and the women who died in the fire on March 25, 1911. I believe that all of their deaths were fully avoidable. I also believe that the government needs to change some things regarding labor laws. I’m fully aware this is very unceremonious of me, however, I am very passionate about this topic as those women are no longer with us to say so themselves.
I believe these deaths were avoidable and unnecessary because if these women were treated the same way men are treated this would not have happened. These women were treated as objects and not human beings. For example, when the fire occurred on March 25, 1911, the owners of the factory did nothing to save the some 700 workers, opting to save themselves and their family instead. I’m sure you’re well aware of the payment the factory workers were given–not nearly enough for the amount of time they worked.
I think the labor laws should include a reasonable amount of payment for workers based on the work and hours they do. The payment should not vary based on the gender, race, or ethnicity of the worker. I also think there should be mandatory safety inspections at every workplace. I’m aware that in the past decade it was easy to bribe any inspectors away. That is why I believe they should do inspections in pairs. This would raise the payment of any bribe and it will also deter any bribing because there are two people to ‘convince’.
I’m sure there are many other ways to further improve the work industry for everyone. I think only time and experience will be able to truly improve working conditions. However, I still hope that you will take my suggestions into consideration in the future. Thank you for your time.
All the best,
Noel Lloyd
Art: I created a time capsule that synthesized my topics. I started by getting a wooden box and using a wood tint to darken the box. I then singed the box to make it look like it was in the fire. I also used glow-in-the-dark paint to create 'radium' hand prints on the outside of the box. On the inside of the box I made a watch dial out of foam clay and paint the back of it gold. I then wrote the numbers on the face of the watch and put the hands to tell the time of 3:40 about when the fire started. I also made a painting that was the building in New York City. I used colors that were popular in the 1910s--blue, green, purple, and red. I used the blue to represent the sky and green to represent the ground. I used the red and purple to add more color to the building. And, I used orange on the top three floors of the building because that is where The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory was. The orange represents the fire. And I also simply hand-wrote the journal entries and the letter to help tell the story of the time capsule.