The morning call., 1894-06-30
THE FIRST BLOOD.
Gateman Frank Clark Hit in the
Head With q Rock.

Head With a Rock.
The first blood in the strike was drawn
at the West Oakland station at 80 o'clock
last evening. Frank Clark, a gateman on
the local bound for the steamer, was
the victim. The forehead over his right
eye was very badly cut by rock thrown
from out the crowd of some 5000 people
which had been gathering around the sta
tion since the supper hour.
The train came into the station with
rush, crowded with people bound for the
city. The crowd yelled, but il did not seem
to be very angry one, and not a thought
was entertained that any hostile demon
stfation would be made. The train stopped
but moment and was off agan. As it
steamed I'D briskly several rocks were
throw m3ssiy a. the engine, but they fell
ha glless. This was the signal for more
and as ths ears hsd past there was some
thing resembling hail of small stones.
t'.s. these atfack Gateman Frank Clark,
tleas4 zge6 edge cutting a cash about
$50 inches lcng over his right eye The
younger members of the crowd howled
with delight as they saw the blood flow,
but the train was whisked Oh out of sight
before more damage could be done.
The general impression is that the rocks
were thrown not by strikers but by mis-
chieYous boys who were just hungering
for fight. The leaders in the A. r. L.
organization severely condemn the action.
Young Clark is the son of Charles Clark,
an engineer on one of the local trains.
Some of the tranmen who came TO the
mole the next trip after Clark was cut
with the rocks stated that rocks had again
been thrown at Engineer Jeffers as he
pulled out OF West Oakland. When ap-
preached by a representative of THE
CALL one Of the men who made the state
ment shut up like clam, refusing to say
again whether his statement was true.
Officer Morrison of the Oakland police,
who was stationed on the platform just
behind the engine. denied emphaticaly
that any missiles had been thrown at
Jefferis.
The strikers or any others in the big
crowd at the Point had made no demon
stration beyond jeers at the engineer who
had promised earlier in the day to desert
the company aud come to the men, but
failed to keep his word.
The strikers, who were Informed of the
rumor, denied it most emphatically and
stated that it must have been given out to
injure their cause.
Mail clerks at the mole were extraOr-
dinarily vigilant last night. Word had
come about o'clock from the city to the
railway officials that several "mail work
eTs, the cleYerest crooks in that line of
business in the country, had their eyes on
the big piles OF mail tied up on the mole
and were prepared to get away with as
much OF it as possible. The railway Off
cials Immediately notified the pos al au-
tborities and the word was passed around
among the dozen clerks to keep more
than ordinarily close watch.
Occasional movements only invaded the
calm on the Oakland mole yesterday
Trains moved as they could. which was
very seldom, and the railroad officials we're
busy all the way up from the pier to the
yards lntervie wing men here and there
who might make passable firemen.
Division Superintendent Wilder was the
busiest man in California as he sat 10 his
little Office and received telegrams at the
rate OF about on a minute. They were not
very encouraging and 10 more than one he
said thai the outlook was rather blue.
Along about l o'clock in the afternoon
the Oakland train seemed to be properly
manned and began making its trip regu-
larry every hour. This was but little cou-
ISOLATION TO the comuany's officers f0r tie
reason that they were expecting every
minute that some one would fall down on
them and their last show of business
would be gone.
1t did not happen and it was not the un-
expected. For hours and hours Master
Mechanic Mackenzie used his best en-
deavors to get fireman for the Berkeley
train. He succeeded in picking I'D a
green hand about 2:30 o'clock, and the
waiting passengers were somewhat re-
lieved when they found they no longer
were compelled to cool their heels in the
dreary shed.
The new fireman was not a slayer, how
ever. He made the round trip, but when
the train was ready again TO proceed to
Berkeley he threw up both hands, said he
never was much of fireman anyway and
guessed he would quit. he did, and En-
gineer Corwin was compelled to reverse
The throttle. 1t took half an hour to get
aew fireman, and then only half the train