March 25,1911 was a scary day

My dad was working today when he saw my uncle's fire brigade go by racing towards smoke from a block away. The smoke and  flames were coming from the Asch building, at 23-29 Washington Place.The fire was coming from the 8th, 9th, and 10th floors and my dad arrived to see women plunging to their deaths instead of burning.  Apparently it was the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory that was on fire. My dad saw my uncle trying to climb a ladder to save the women, but it was not tall enough for him to reach the higher floors. The women who worked there were mostly Jewish and Italian, so we did not know anyone. My dad said people wept as the screams could be heard at street level.

The year I was born.

The U.S. and Spain were at war the year I was born . The U.S.S. Maine exploded in Havana Harbor on January 25, 1898. Yellow journalist sensationalized the war and men like hearst and Pulitzer profited. After the Maine sunk we went to war. I have heard stories of  how my uncle, who was in the 71st New York Volunteers, was watching as Teddy Rooselvelts rough riders stormed up San Juan Hill to defeat the Spanish. After the war my uncle returned to New York and joined a fire brigade.

John Michael Rooney

I live in the Bronx Burroughs of New York City.  I was born here, but my family emigrated here after the great potato famine in Ireland. My family is Catholic and we do not have much. My father work construction, but some days there is not much work. My mother works as a maid in a hotel. We live in a very small apartment.