Report of the Committee Appointed to Investigate the Railroad Riots in July, 1877: Read in the Senate and House of Representatives May 23, 1878Pennsylvania. General Assembly. Committee Appointed to Investigate the Railroad Riots in July, 1877
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Report of the Committee Appointed to Investigate the Railroad Riots in July, 1877: Read in the Senate and House of Representatives May 23, 1878
Pennsylvania. General Assembly. Committee Appointed to Investigate the Railroad Riots in July, 1877
A. Upon July 19; Thursday. Mr. Pitcairn had arranged to go east on
Thursday, July 19, in the day express, and I came to town, reaching the
office about eight and a half o'clock in the morning, and up to that
time no trouble had occurred, nor was any anticipated by the
train-masters nor any one in our employ. About the time the
eight-forty's--the extras--were to leave, the dispatcher came to the
office and reported that some of the men had refused to go out. I made
inquiry as to the reason of their refusal, and was told that they
refused to go out on account of its being a double-header. Conductor
Ryan was the man whose train did not go out. In the making up of his
train he was ready to go out, but his men refused to go. I then
instructed the dispatcher to call upon all the men on the road, with
those out at the train-men's room. He called upon, I believe, some
twenty-five men, brakemen, who refused to go out. They gave different
reasons, some because they were double-headers, and some because they
would not go if others did not go. Mr. Garrett, the assistant
train-master, came in on the train that reaches there about nine
o'clock. I sent for him, and told him what had been reported to me, and
asked him to go out and see the men and see what they wanted, and
report. Mr. Garrett, and Mr. McCabe, and Mr. Hunter, dispatchers, all
three tried to induce the men to go out, but these twenty-five that had
first refused got the balance to join them in refusing to man the
trains. Mr. Garrett, I believe, requested Mr. McCabe, the general yard
dispatcher, to make up a crew from the yard brakemen to man that train.
Conductor Ryan was at all times ready to go out, and the engineers
belonging to that train professed a readiness to run. We had a number
of conductors there ready to run, and Conductor Gordon was the man who
was going to take the train out after Mr. McCabe had secured the crew
among his yard men. The crew, in making up their train, were assaulted
with stones, and links, and pins, and driven from the train by a number
of those men who had first refused to go out. I found that we were
unable to get the train out. Then it came time for the nine-forty's to
go out. In the meantime the crowd had increased somewhat, and they had
taken possession of the switch which is west of Twenty-eighth street,
leading on to the main track, over which a train to go east would have
to be moved. It was reported to me that they would not allow the engine
to go over that switch. The crowd was increasing. I then started, after
a consultation with Mr. Garrett and other men there, to call upon the
mayor. I asked that he should protect us in the movement of our trains,
by removing from Twenty-eighth street, or that immediate neighborhood,
those parties interfering with the switches.
By Mr. Lindsey:
Q. Did you call in person upon the mayor?
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