Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1910-04-01
Great Railroad Strikes of History

e ANuhhOou SuihES vi IllSIOTy
Should the threatened railroad
strike in the west become a reality
1t would probably develope into the
greatest railroad strike in America.
According to the estimates of the
railroad officials nearly so roads,
with an aggregate mileage of l5O,-
900 miles, would become involved.
More than $50, 200 men would be
thrown out of employment and the
cost to the country would probably
exceed $lOO,OOO,OOO.
a rcyicw of the great railroad
strikes of history is not without
interest at this Ii me. The first
great railroad strike in the United
States began at Martinsburg, w.
Va, on July Is, 1877, when the
locomotive iiremcn went out on the
Baltimore and Ohio road. within a
week the strike had spread to the
Pennsylvania, Erie, Lake Shore.
Pittsburg, TT. Wayne and Chicago,
Cincinnati and St. Louis, Vandalia,
Ohio and Mississippi, c. c. c. and |.
Erie AMI Pittsburg, Philadelphia
and Erie, Chicago andAlton, Canada
and Southern, and other minor
lines. Numerous lives were lost in
MartinSburg, Baltimore, Pittsburg,
Philadelphia and other cities. The
cost of the strike to the Pennsyl-
vania railroad alone was not less
than $4,000. 900.
The year 1856 saw the famous
Gould strike on the Southwestern
railroad system. In thiO Gtrilic the
terrific conditions of 1877 were re-
created on a larger scale. The
strike, which was directed by the
Knights of Labor, lasted nearly two
months. 1t resulted in the defeat
of the men, who lost nearly SIS, 900,
OOO in wages.
The famous Reading strike, as it
is called, began on the Philadelphia
and Reading railroad on Dec. 20,
1887. when 5000 employees of the
company were called away from
their work by the Knights of Labor.
More than 10000 men became
involved. The strikers failed to
gain the issue for which they
fought, namely, the recognition of
the Knights of Labor. The cost of
the struggle was estimated at
1000, 900.
Other railroad strikes of the next
five years were those of the Bro
thcrhood of Locomotive Engineers
on the Burlington system, in 1888,
the New York Central strike of
1890 and the strike on the Little
Toledo. Ann ArbOr and North Mich
igan railroad and the Lchigh Valley
railroad, both of which occurred in
1893, 1t was in the Ann Arbor
strike that Judge (now prcsident)
Taft gave his famous decision or
dcring Chief Arthur of the Bro
thcrhood of Locomotive Engineers
10 prcmulgatc an order that the by
laws Of the Brotherhood requiring
members to refuse to handle cars of
"A boycotcd non-union line was not in
force. The Taft decision on this
occasion marked an era in the his
tory of labor agitation.
The year 1894 brought the great
est railroad strike the country has
ever known. The strike was begun
by the employees Of the Pullman car
works on June "a. n few weeks
later the American Railway union
ordered a sympathetic strike by the
railroad employees throughout the
west. The struggle caused much
rioting in Chicago, in California
and other places. President Cleve-
land ordered out the United States
troops to suppress the disorder. In
the end the strikers were disastrous
~ defeated. Three months after
the strike was inauguratcd the Pull
man employees returned to work at
their old wages. President Debs
and other officials of the American
Railway union were imprisoned Tor