Flesh and Blood So Cheap

  Sweatshops in America.  The book Flesh and Blood So Cheap written by Albert Martin really focuses on our country during the turn of the century and the conditions citizens worked under.  The particular chapter that caught my attention was "The Third Gate:Fire at the Triangle".  I was fascinated wit the images included in this book, because they were authentic.  In this chapter, a fire is referenced to Newark, NJ that killed twenty-three people.  THe conditions in which they worked under was appalling- It was a cotton underwear factory that used multiple machines, running very hot, and little breaks.  Women were trapped in this fire, and now people around the NY-NJ area feared the worst.
  The Asch building was rather tall- so tall in fact the fire department was not equipped to reach past the sixth floor (107).  The building was made out of steel, so the architect had stated the building was fire proof.  However, he did not mention that the "technology" of a steel building would trap those inside with narrow staircases and doors that pulled in rather than out.
  Smoking was prohibited in buildings, but close to the end of shift, some would often light up a cigarette.  This is believed to be the cause of the fire- Once a month, scraps would be picked up from underneath the working tables.  The scraps had been ignited by ash, and then quickly spread to the rest of the scraps and machines.  The importance of fire safety was never discussed or practiced, because it didn't offer money in return.  As one safety engineer stated, "Let em burn.  They're a lot of cattle anyway- Workers can easily be replaced." (109).  This shows that the safety of workers was irrelevant.
   Within fifteen minutes of the fire starting, it had spread to the eighth floor.  Those desperate for air went to windows and tried going down the elevator shaft.  Martin writes the account in a dramatic fashion to really shows young readers what happened on this day.  He emphasized the amount of bodies that fell from the ninth floor, and how the fire department couldn't reach the top of the building.
  Those on the tenth floor were more fortunate, as a teacher across buildings found a painting ladder on the roof of his building and provided a segway to travel.  The images provided in this chapter show the fire department at the scene, with their tallest ladder reaching only half way up.   The insides of the building were charred, and one image on page 117 shows a collapsed fire escape.
  So, what does this all mean for factory life? The rest of the book continues with how the youth of America, coming from other countries, sacrificed many hours and days in such awful, life-threatening conditions.  One hundred and forty-six men and women died during this fire; a fire that could have been prevented and more workers could have escaped safely.  Reform (139) had to be taken to change the way workers in our country were being treated.  Men and women gathered to fight for this reform.

  In the classroom this is an ideal book to use in conjunction with a history lesson.  I would start with teaching about the fire, and lead the discussion into working conditions during the early 1900's.  I would talk about the clothing market today, and how most clothing comes from a different part of the world.  This could go into a wonderful short research- look at the tag they are wearing, "Made in ___" and do a little it of research about the company and their factories.  They might be interested in what they read.  To me, the images in this book really bring in the reality of how poverty and desperation cause people to work under such conditions.  There are many pictures of young kids scanning through garbage, working in cotton mills, and even picking cotton.  All are great research topics  to have the kids explore and find information to report back to the class.