From opposite windows spectators saw again and again pitiable companionships formed in the instant of death-girls who placed their arms around each other as they leaped. When it was over,146 Triangle workers,mostly women,were burned or crushed to death.There was a memorial parade down Broadway,and 100,000 marched. There were more fires.And accidents.And sickness.In the year 1904,27,000 workers were killed on the job,in manufacturing,transport,and agriculture.In one year, 50,000 accidents took place in New York factories alone.Hat and cap makers were getting respiratory diseases,quarrymen were inhaling deadly chemicals,lithographic printers were getting arsenic poisoning.A New York State Factory Investigation Commission reported in 1912: Sadie is an intelligent,neat,clean girl,who has worked from the time she got her working papers in embroidery factories....In her work she was accustomed to use a white powder(chalk or talcum was usual)which was brushed over the perforated designs and thus transferred to the cloth.The design was easily brushed off when made of chalk or of talcum....Her last employer therefore commenced using white lead powder,mixed with rosin,which cheapened the work as the powder could not be rubbed off and necessitate restamping. None of the girls knew of the change in powder,nor ofthe danger in its use.... Sadie had been a very strong,healthy girl,good appetite and color;she began to be unable to eat....Her hands and feet swelled,she lost the use of one hand,her teeth and gums were blue.When she finally had to stop work,after being treated for months for stomach trouble,her physician advised her to goo a hospital.There the examination revealed the fact that she had lead poisoning According to a report of the Commission on Industrial Relations,in 1914,35,000 workers were killed in industrial accidents and 700,000 injured.That year the income of forty-four families making $I milliorer more equaled the total income of 100,000 families earning $500 a year.The record shows an exchange between Commissioner Harris Weinstock of the Commission on Industrial Relations and President John Osgood, head of a Colorado coal company controlled by the Rockefellers: WEINSTOCK:If a workerloses his life,are his dependents compensated in any way? OSGOOD:Not necessarily.In some cases they are and in some cases not. WEINSTOCK:If he is crippled for life is there any compensation? OSGOOD:No sir.there is none.... WEINSTOCK:Then the whole burden is thrown directly upon their shoulders. OSGOOD:Yes,sir. WEINSTOCK:The industry hears none of it? OSCOOD:No,the industry bears none of it. Unionization was growing.Shortly after the turn of the century there were 2 million members of labor unions(one in fourteen workers),80 percent of them in the American Federation of Labor.The AFL was an exclusive union-almost all male,almost all white, almost all skilled workers.Although the number of women workers kept growing-it doubled from 4 million in 1890 to 8 million in 1910,and women were one-fifth of the labor force-only one in a hundred belonged to a union. Black workers in 1910 made one-third of the earnings of white workers.Although Samuel Gompers,head of the AFL,would make speeches about its belief in equalFrom opposite windows spectators saw again and again pitiable companionships formed in the instant of death-girls who placed their arms around each other as they leaped. When it was over, 146 Triangle workers, mostly women, were burned or crushed to death. There was a memorial parade down Broadway, and 100,000 marched. There were more fires. And accidents. And sickness. In the year 1904, 27,000 workers were killed on the job, in manufacturing, transport, and agriculture. In one year, 50,000 accidents took place in New York factories alone. Hat and cap makers were getting respiratory diseases, quarrymen were inhaling deadly chemicals, lithographic printers were getting arsenic poisoning. A New York State Factory Investigation Commission reported in 1912: Sadie is an intelligent, neat, clean girl, who has worked from the time she got her working papers in embroidery factories.... In her work she was accustomed to use a white powder (chalk or talcum was usual) which was brushed over the perforated designs and thus transferred to the cloth. The design was easily brushed off when made of chalk or of talcum. ... Her last employer therefore commenced using white lead powder, mixed with rosin, which cheapened the work as the powder could not be rubbed off and necessitate restamping. None of the girls knew of the change in powder, nor of the danger in its use.. . . Sadie had been a very strong, healthy girl, good appetite and color; she began to be unable to eat. . .. Her hands and feet swelled, she lost the use of one hand, her teeth and gums were blue. When she finally had to stop work, after being treated for months for stomach trouble, her physician advised her to go to a hospital. There the examination revealed the fact that she had lead poisoning.. .. According to a report of the Commission on Industrial Relations, in 1914, 35,000 workers were killed in industrial accidents and 700,000 injured. That year the income of forty-four families making $1 million or more equaled the total income of 100,000 families earning $500 a year. The record shows an exchange between Commissioner Harris Weinstock of the Commission on Industrial Relations and President John Osgood, head of a Colorado coal company controlled by the Rockefellers: WEINSTOCK: If a worker loses his life, are his dependents compensated in any way? OSGOOD: Not necessarily. In some cases they are and in some cases not. WEINSTOCK: If he is crippled for life is there any compensation? OSGOOD: No sir, there is none.... WEINSTOCK: Then the whole burden is thrown directly upon their shoulders. OSGOOD: Yes, sir. WEINSTOCK: The industry hears none of it? OSCOOD: No, the industry bears none of it. Unionization was growing. Shortly after the turn of the century there were 2 million members of labor unions (one in fourteen workers), 80 percent of them in the American Federation of Labor. The AFL was an exclusive union-almost all male, almost all white, almost all skilled workers. Although the number of women workers kept growing-it doubled from 4 million in 1890 to 8 million in 1910, and women were one-fifth of the labor force-only one in a hundred belonged to a union. Black workers in 1910 made one-third of the earnings of white workers. Although Samuel Gompers, head of the AFL, would make speeches about its belief in equal no profit use only