Clotilde Terdanova

From The Peopling of New York City

part 4

I recently found out that Terdanova(Terranova),Clotilde 22 was the only victim who died from the tenth floor because she jumped out of the window. It seems that I can not find Clotilde Terdanova's death certificate. Most likely it has been lost in the records. While looking through "The Triangle Fire, The Protocols of peace, and industrial democracy in progressive era New York by Richard A. Greenwald, I discovered according to Lucy Wesselofsky Clotlide Terdanova's name is Clotila Tedanova.^[1]

“Italy’s topsoil crisis ruins[s] farming, turning rivers into swamps”^[2] Almost “two million Italians immigrate to America this decade” ^[3] People came to America seeking jobs that would give them enough money to support family back home. In fact, many of these immigrants went back home after making some money. While searching on Ancestry Passenger Lists of 1820-1957 I found this valuable information…^[4]

In the cold morning of December 31, 1907 a brave young woman arrived in America with her younger brother. She was on the two year old Ship named Madonna that sailed fairly fast at about 17.4 knots. On her voyage she was told by her sister that she would lie about her age. Since, she was coming with her younger brother and she needed to be old enough to be his guardian she had to lie that she was 20 rather than 18, an age suitable enough to care for younger children. It is also possible that her parents were not with her so she needed to be old enough to potentially live on her own. She must have been a little nervous because it is in human nature that traveling in the winter to a place unknown would leave one’s mind in doubt of the future to come. She was South Italian, born in Licafa, Italy, and she had emigrated from Naples, Italy to New York, New York. Her estimated date of birth was 1887. But, that was what she told the people who recorded her information. What I found interesting about this record which was on Ancestry.com is that the signature under Clotlide Terdanova’s name is the same as the one under Rosa, Riva. So, I investigated to see if Rosa was related to Terdanova. The first place that I looked was Von Drehle’s book and I found that Terdanova was identified by her sister Rose. So, it could be possible that Rosa is same Rose who identified her body and who traveled with her to America. They were discharged at 4:00 pm by the inspector. Clotilde was registered on the manifest in group 6 number 27 and her brother 28, the number of aliens was two both older than one. Clotilde and her younger brother stood on line four awaiting her inspection once she arrived in America. In the same section it states that: the cause of detention to sister, which I don’t know what it means. But I assume her sister was going to take care of them. Meanwhile, Riva Rosa was registered in group 7 number 27. Rosa cause of detention was to her cousin.

Clotilde Terdanova’s bravery lasted until her death. On the day of the fire she was the only one who was caught up on the tenth floor. Living a hard life urged her to conclude that dieing rather suffering anymore would be a better solution. Clotilde Terdanova (Terranova), at the age of 22 was the only victim who died from the tenth floor because she was brave to jump out of the window. She was probably one of the first to die. And, she was one of the first to be recognized and buried. However, her death records including the death certificate is missing. Someone somewhere made a mistake and currently I can not find her death certificate number. Supposedly, her record is should be one of the first ones in the government collection because she was one of the first to be recognized. Unfortunately, I searched in the area where the records of the first victims were listed but I couldn’t find her information. In the “The Triangle Fire” someone said, “In fact, on the tenth floor, where there were about seventy people working, all were saved except one. She was Clotilda Terdanova. She tore her hair and ran from window to window until finally, before anyone could stop her, she jumped out. She was young and very pretty. She was to leave us next Saturday to be married three weeks later” ^[5]

In the article, “FIRE AND THE SKYSCRAPER: THE PROBLEM OF PROTECTING THE WORKERS IN NEW YORK’S TOWER FACTORIES” by Arthur E. McFarlane, I found a bit of information about what happened to Terdanova on the day of the fire.^[6] When the tenth floor workers found out about the fire they rushed to the roof top of the building in an attempt to survive. The owners realized that this route was the only way to save everyone on their floor. While they tried their best to save as many people as they can they forgot about four people. In the article the author explains, “Four girls, however, had been left behind in the dressing-room. ‘When I came out,’ says one of them, Anna Dorrity, an Irish girl, ‘I saw them all gone, and I didn’t know what was the matter.’ They went to the Greene Street door, and saw the Greene Street stairway below them full of smoke and fire. They didn’t know that there were any exists on the Washington Place side, and they didn’t know that the Greene Street stairs would take them to the roof. One girl jumped at once. The others started to pile up chairs and tables, in the hope of getting out through the skylight.” The single girl who jumped was Clotilde Terdanova. In another section of this article Anna Dorrity states that the girl who jumped was Terdanova. Dorrity said, “Her name was Clotilde…she was an Italian. She said ‘You jump first.’ But when she has said her prayers she said, ‘No; let me jump now.’”

Who took care of the younger brother and what happened to her family. For now no will know for sure. It’s sad that I couldn’t retrieve many files or records on Clotilde Terdanova. Most of the records are lost and Terdanova is also lost in history. I must close this case, and move on with my investigation with the other four victims on my list.

This investigation has come to an end.

References

1. ↑ Richard A. Greenwald. The Triangle Fire, the Protocols of Peace, and Industrial Democracy in Progressive Era New York. Labor in Crisis Series. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2005
2. ↑ Christopher Piehler and with collaboration with Scott Alan Evans, “The Triangle Factory Fire Project” Dramatists Play Service Inc. 2005.
3. ↑ Christopher Piehler and with collaboration with Scott Alan Evans, “The Triangle Factory Fire Project” Dramatists Play Service Inc. 2005.
4. ↑ http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&db=nypl%2c&rank=0&=%2c%2c%2c%2c%2c%2c%2c%2c%2c%2c%2c%2c%2c%2c%2c%2c%2c%2c%2c&gsfn=Clotilde&gsln=+Terranova&sx=&gs1co=2%2cUSA&gs1pl=35%2cNew+York&year=1880&yearend=1911&sbo=0&sbor=&ufr=0&wp=4%3b_80000002%3b_80000003&srchb=r&prox=1&ti=0&ti.si=0&gss=angs-d&pcat=40&fh=0&recid=74425236&recoff=1+2
5. ↑ Stein Leon, The Triangle Fire call number JLD 89 1660 at NYPL or F128.5.s83 at Brooklyn College Library , J.B. Lippincott Company 1962
6. ↑ John F. McClymer, “The Triangle Strike and Fire” Harcourt Brace & Company, Orlando Florida, 1998.