The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-07-17
PULLMAN PoRTER's REFERENCE.
From San Francisco to Chicago During
the Strike.

| Williams, a Pullman porter, yesterday
| afternoon, but I would not do it. When
they come to talking of running the por-
ters out of town, and actually do have a
| dead line over which we're not to pass,
| it's high time for me to go east. 1 was
% days in making the Santa Fe run
from San Francisco to Chicago, and had
lots of adventures thrown in.
when we left San Francisco we knew
there was trou BILE ahead for us. We
were hooted out of that city, and started
! for the east with full train of Pull
mans. Very soon we found that there
was trouble ahead. Every one OF the lit
| tie stations on the road was crowded
with men who looked mad, and every
man of them had big gun. They first
stopped us at a little place and held us
but one day. Then we made the little
New Mexico town of Los Veges, and there
| they halted us IL days.
Its only railroad town, and you can
see all there is to be seen in no time, but
we couldn't, and we didn't see it in 10
days. The company had established a
dead line on their property, and the
strikers had their dead line just over the
way. One morning I started to go over
to one of the stores, but was told to go
back. We were not allowed to buy any
thing which wasn't good thing for the
traders there. They'd have sold out to
us if we could have got over to their
their stores, but we couldn't, for there
was the strikers dead line, and we didn't
venture to cross it. 1t was railroading
under difficulties, I can tell you.
"The women, and we had number of
them on board. were very pleasant, but
the men kicked at the delay. 1t wasn't
bit of use to kick, or I'd have done it,
for while the company was feeding the
passengers. was paying my own bills,
and getting but little back. Of course
they needed. the porter more there than
if they'd been on the road, and of course
they didn't feel like feeling us every. day.
1t was hard time for us, and cost me
SIS out of the $40 I was paid for the
months work.
The passengers had to do the best
they could to amuse themselves, but
there was excitement enough in wonder
ing what was to come next. AT one
time there was some talk of pitching the
Pullmans over, and then it died down,
ard all we had to do was to keep on
railroad property and eat two meals a
day.
There were $50 to feed, and Fred Har-
vey's eating house was our only hope.
1t was good thing for us that Fred
Harry dependent on that public for his
patronage, and that beside having a big
supply on hand he had his own private
ranch to fall back on.
"But as it was, he had to make the
rule that only two meals day would be
served. breakfast at O'Clock, and din
ner at 5.
Even then his supplies began to fall
short, and it looked like close times for
us, when the railroad company told him
to open any freight car he pleased sand
take out anthing he could find That
helped US out, and to. do him justice we
lived well.
"Then the strikers and others started
insoD new idea. They talked drumming
the Pullman porters out of town. We
had't injured them, but we were, in their
way of thinking, part of the Pullman
system, and they were down on that,
from Mr.. Pullman to his porters.
1t looked at one time pretty rough
for us, and we couldn't tell when we
saw big man coming with a a gun
at his side, whether he was sent to tell
us to leave town or not, but he did moth
ing but threaten.
"Our engineers were willing enough to
go ahead, but the firemen wouldn't, and
the engineers wouldn't try it with new
men, and there we were.
When we did get off, by aid of the
soldiers, it was only to move to Ratron,
station. l think it was, and here they
held us for two days more.
1.-THE signs Of the srike were every
where. At one point we saw where the
strikers had sent freight cars down the
mountains and piled them up until it
seemed to meathat they made pile as
high as a six-story building. It was
something fearful to see.
9Th strikers were in bad temper, and
when we moved it was at the risk of our
lives. We ought to have made the run
in four days, but it was 90 days before
we pulled into Chicago The nearer we
got TO what we'd been hearing called
the seat of war, the fewer signs were
noticed of a strike, and when we went
into Chicago l shouldn't have known
that there was strike on if it hadn't |
been for the guards about the stations.
"Ihe further west you get the worse
the strikers seem to be. Every man
there is armed, and ssthey shoot when |
they take notion to. ] saw one man |
killed and the only one on our trip east. |
but wasn't where there was any sho Of |
ing going on.
"For the first day or two after we got |
to the station where we made our long |
halt, the passengers might have gone |
about the place little, perhaps, but |
after that it wouldn't have been safe
for them to have done so, and I doubt
ii it would at all. They were Pullman
passengers you see.
when 1 got to Chicago and they
wanted me to go back, I SAID if it was
all the same to them l'd take an eastern
run for a while 1 took it, and now
have missed the Grand Trunk disaster
nv on ~