The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-07-29
THE PORT ROYAL RAILROAD IN
TROUBLE.
Shameful naItreatment OF Laborers.

from the Augusta Constitutlonalist, July 27.l
Yesterday large number of hands recently
employed on the Augusta division OF the Port
Royai X ,iltoad, having ceased work, reached
this city, and were cong1 egafed around the
Office Of Messrs. George D. Chapman .& Co.,
contractors, on Ellis street, olamorous for the
payment Of the wages due them for Que or two
montbs' labor, which, however. they failed to
get. The condition of these laborers, as they
represent, and % their appearance indicates,
truly appeals to the sympathy of the COM
munity. Many Of them are in strange city,
without money and without food, their physi.
cal bowers IN measure exhausted BY the
heavy labor IN which they have been engaged
during the recent heated term. One OF these
unfortunate men, doubtless under the COM
bined effects Of wart OF food aud the despair
produced by the condition in which he found
hlmselG, sank down upon the pavement near
the contractors Office, from which position he
was taken by q carriage kindly furnished by
Alderman Pouruelle, and conveyed to the Olty
Hospital for treatment Application was also
made in the cause OF others, not quite reduced
to the same extremity as that Of the man
above referred to. but in o situation from which
only inhumanlty could turn without sympathy.
From the muttering of the laborers, black
earned claims, and their seemingly excited
gestures as they we're grouped contiguous to
the Office Of the contractors, apprehensions
we're aroused that the cry of .'bread or blood"
might be raised against the contractors. Iu.
formed Of the state OF afIlrs, as a measure OF
precaution, Chief of Police Christian aud
Lieutenant King visited the vicinity twice or
thee times during the day and conferred with
the seeming leaders among the laborers, who
pledged their exerLions against o row in the
CITY. The laborers acquiesced in preserving
the peace and coed order of the city, and Tor
hungry men they certainly behaved well, In
view OF the fact that they we're justly incensed
by 8 failure to receive the money for which
they had labored 30 hard.
The aborers bring intelligence that the
hands on this end Of the road for at least
distance OF twenty-one miles from the CITY,
to the numter of about two or three hundred,
and nay giving out, aud are now struggling as
best they can to different points 10 quest Of
food and labor, the larger number moving to-
wards this city.
From the Augusta Chronicle.l
MIR. Chapman, we understand, denies that
he owes the men any money. and claims that
Schaub & -Lawton are their debtors. There
cap t,e no doubt that these laborers have been
TRACED very badly. Brought to the line Of the
Port Royal Railroad from distant parts of the
country, they have labored for their employers
and yet received nO6nlng LOT Cnelr LABOR. Iney
havs been defrauded Of their time and work,
and then turned adrift to shift for themselves.
Certainly thereIhas been gross m;smanage
to call it By no harsher term-of the affairs OF
the Port Royal Railroad Company, aud the
ffrst years operations have been anything but
creditabie to the corporation. The men who
have had charge of the work are George d.
Chapman & Co., and it is these parties whom
the destitute laborers held responsible for the
shameful manner in which they have been
treated, and the pitia5Ie condition 10 which
thev have been reduced. With the quarrels
and law suits between MIR. Chapman and other
parties these poor workmen have had and can
have nothing to do. They claim that they
we're employed by Chapman or his agents,
that they have labored faithfully for Chapman
and looked to HIM tor their pay, and yet when
they did not receive their money and came to
this city to demand it, they have had the door
shut in tt cir faces, aud are left TO sit down in
their rags apd,atters upon the curbstona, and
while July sun pours its burning beams upon
their heads, to reflect upon the unreisbiity ol
ssarge Northern capitalists" who come Soulh
for The sole purpose OF developing our re-
sources and building up the country"
It was stated on yesterday that Mr.. a. 81
Boody. the treasurer Of the corporation, we
believe, would reach the city on l-at night
We hope il he has come be will see to it tina,
the flrst thing he does is TO have the unfortu
nate workmen paid the money which theil
labor has earned.