Homestead : $b A complete history of the struggle of July, 1892, between the Carnegie-Steel Company, Limited, and the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel WorkersBurgoyne, Arthur Gordon
History
Homestead : $b A complete history of the struggle of July, 1892, between the Carnegie-Steel Company, Limited, and the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers
Burgoyne, Arthur Gordon
Homestead Strike, Homestead, Pa., 1892
In the meantime trouble was brewing in other concerns operated by the
Carnegie Company. Mr. Frick had already signed the scale at the
Pittsburgh and Beaver Falls mills, and expected to accomplish at these
plants much of the work which was suspended at Homestead. The workmen at
both places, however, sympathized with their brethren at Homestead and
decided accordingly to break their contract with the firm and go out on
strike until the trouble at Homestead should be fairly adjusted. The
Pittsburgh men, employed at the Upper and Lower Union Mills in
Lawrenceville, went out on July 15 and the Beaver Falls men on the
following day. The mill at Duquesne was non-union, but there, too, the
spirit of resistance manifested itself and on July 19, the men took
preliminary steps toward entering the Amalgamated Association so as to
be in proper shape to strike. On July 20 the Duquesne lodges were
permanently organized and on the 23d a strike was declared.
Homestead was now, in a degree, under martial law, the power of the
borough authorities being limited to the arrest of drunken and
disorderly persons. Two companies of soldiers did guard duty on the
streets and had orders to arrest any of Burgess McLuckie's special
policemen found exceeding their duty.
Life in Camp Black was anything but a bed of roses. Colonel Hawkins'
command spent two days and nights on the hills above Port Perry without
tents and suffered much from the inclemency of the weather, broiling
heat alternating with rain that drenched the men to the skin. A storm
blew down most of the tents on the second day of the encampment.
The first alarm that brought the soldiers out occurred after midnight on
July 15. Someone brought in word that the camp was to be attacked from
the rear. Bugles were sounded, the drums beat to arms, and in a few
minutes the Second and Third brigades were ready for action and threw
out their skirmish lines, while the force of pickets was doubled. The
alarm proved to be a false one; nevertheless the Sixteenth regiment was
kept under arms until daybreak.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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