The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-05-05
RAILROAD NEWS.
Story Told by Strike Breaker
Who Deserted.
Held a Prisoner in the Santa
Fe Yards.
HE WANTED A TRIP.
Agreed to Work in Order to Get
Gut West.
Strike Breakers "StOred" on
Catalina Island.
HE WANTED A TRIP.

According to the San Bernardino
Sun, Clarence Callahan, one OF the
strike breakers, who was member
of the body of men shipped into the
San Bernardino yards, escaped
through one Of the gates at quitting
time, passing the guards by mixing IN
a knot of boilermakers who all pusned
through the passageway at once. he
came to town, where he was given
sumner and a room provided him for
the night He was located by a re-
porter and told his story, as follows:
'.I am a tin-roofer by trade, and
know nothing whatever about ma
chfnists' work. I came from Phila-
delphia. where I was hired by an
agent who said he was getting men
for a new Baldwin locomotive works
pIant which had just been started In
southern California. I wanted to
come west, and went in as a helper
Just to get my transportation l was
to get IS cents an hour, but the agent
told me that if I worked well would
be raised to 50 and maybe 40 cents.
He said nothing about a strike and
did not mention the Santa Fe. We all
signed a paper, but don't thlnk
many of the men read it. 1 started
to look at the one the man gave me,
and he took it away, saying l could
see 1t after a while.
II think that the crowd in which 1
came was the fifth batch out of Phila-
deiphia. When we arrived on the
coast we were first taken to an island,
which some one said was Catalina,
and there We remained four days.
The bunch was made up of what was
supposed to be sixteen machinists and
helpers and about twenty boilermak-
ers and helpers. l was one of the
machinist gang, and Wednesday,
IA al e1,s nod
ashore, leaving the boilermakers on
the island. We were placed in a car
which was closely curtained and
locked. I don't know how far we
100 miles. Anyway, after being un-
coupled and coupled twice, and then
switched about, our car was stopped.
1t was then night, and the next morn
ing we found ourselves in the San
Bernardino Santa Fe shop yards, al
though We did not know that at that
time. Then we all went to work, or
rather tried to work.
"Of course I, being a tfn-roofer,
didn't know anything about machin-
lists work and couldn't even help.
What I Joined for was to get out to
California, so I began looking about
about quitting. When I started to ask
questions of the boilermakers the
foremen and guards told me to attend
to my own work, and when 1 heard
foreman
where I was told me that the strikers
were all on the outside of the board
fence and if any of us new men went
outside they would knock us down
and maybe shoot US. We couldn't
find out anything as to where we were
or what the matter was. Most of the
mon believed, and most of them still
think, that we were on the desert
some place and that Los Angeles wa <
the nearest town.
''Of couse pretty soon some of us stole
few words with some boilermakers and
they told us that We were taking The
places of strikers and told us that the
men who had walked out were all good
men men ana nad no idea of hurting any one.
w men told this to the foreman he said
It was untrue and for US not to listen to
the poilermakers, that they were in with
the strikers and only wanted to get rs
out of the gates so that the machfnists
could get even with us for taking their
places.
was told that 1 could not do so as I was
under a 90 day contract and that even if
] did, 1t would only be to get out of the
gate to be injured, and maybe killed But
I had become convinced that these stories
were only told to frighten us and last
night packed my grip and when the
IN the middle of the bunch and went out
When asked as to the number of men
brought in by the company and the size
of the force now at work Callahan said:
I should say that there are about g.
OF this number about half are men like
myself, fellows who know hardly any
thing about machinists work but who
came just to get to California. These
would all like to quit and would came out
of the yards this minute if 1t wasn't that
they are scared of the strikers whom
they think will injure them. There are
some who think the stories all rot and
would come out anyway, only the fore