At its first annual convention in 1874 the Brotherhood established an insurance feature, which after the first four years was made compulsory. The Firemen suffered a temporary check by the strike on the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy, but were assisted by a loan of $25,839.60 from the Engineers, and regained sufficient strength to withstand the financial and industrial depression of 1893-1896. In 1897 Grand Master Sargent said, "The condition of the beneficiary department excels by far any previous period in the history of the Brotherhood--so far as prompt payment of claims and the dispatch of business of the department."[23] The present membership of the insurance department is practically the same as that of the Brotherhood, 58,849. The total outstanding insurance amounts to $75,559,000, and since its organization the department has paid $9,971,615 in death and disability claims. [Footnote 23: _Ibid.,_ Vol. 13, p. 247; Vol. 24, p. 195.] The Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen was founded at Oneonta, New York, September 23, 1883, under the name "Brotherhood of Railroad Brakemen," which it retained until January 1, 1890, when, "because many of its members had been promoted in the service, the more appropriate name of Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen was adopted." The membership consists of conductors, brakemen, train baggagemen, train flagmen, yard masters, yard foremen and switchmen. On August 31, 1893, the membership was 28,540, but on December 31, 1894, it had fallen to 22,359, and at the close of 1896 it had reached the low water-mark at 22,326. Since 1896 the increase has been rapid and on December 31, 1904, there were 721 lodges with 74,539 members.[24] [Footnote 24: Proceedings of the Seventh Biennial Convention, 1905 (Cleveland, n.d.), p. 121.] The Brotherhood of Railroad Brakemen provided in its first constitution for death and disability insurance. Up to the end of the fiscal year, August 31, 1893, the membership of the insurance department increased rapidly, but with the financial and industrial depression the membership decreased, so that in May, 1895, it showed a reduction from 28,000 to about 18,000. The membership of the beneficiary department at the close of the year 1904 was 71,146, or 95.43 per cent of the membership of the Brotherhood, and the total amount of insurance paid from date of organization to January 1, 1906, amounted to $11,725,059.83.[25] [Footnote 25: Trainmen's Journal, Vol. 23, p. 100.]