The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1912-04-19
TO the Travelling Public:


Are you aware of the fact that there
is strike on the Hartman railroad
lines, and that the Hartman lines con
sist of the Southern Pacific railroad. Sar
Pedro, Los Angeles & Salt Lake railroad
MOrgan's Louisiana & Texas railroad
| the Illinois Central lines, the Arizona
and Eastern railroad, the Oregon, Wash.
ington Railroad and Navigation Co
lines, the Oregon Short line. the Union
Pacific railroad, Houston & Texas Cen
trail railroad, as well as the Southern
Pacific ferry boats running between San
Francisco and Oakland?
On September 30, 1911, about $4,000
shopmen on the lines walked out on
strike. This number included skilled
mechanics, such as boilermakers, black
smiths, machinists, sheet metal workers
| car inspectors, car repairers, and others
With the exception of possibly $50 OF
200 men, they are still out on strike
Since that time the railroad officials
have been attempting to care for their
locomotives and cars and other equip
ment with unskilled men. more com
monty known as scabs and strike break
ers. And what has been the result of
their efforts in this direction?
A few months ago boiler of large
locomotive standing in the round house
at los Angeles, California, exploded, in
stantly killing four men scalding them
and tearing their bodies to pieces. On
the Union Pacific r. r. the boiler of a
large locomotive exploded there killing
the fireman and one or two Others Up
at ColfaX, California, two large mallet
compound locomotives on two different
occasions, while rounding a curve, left
the track, and rolled down a steep en-
bankment, and human life was lost on
this occasion also. At Tucson, Arizona.
a disaster occurred, also with loss of
human life.
1t is not so long ago that on the Hi
nos Central r. r. several prominent
railroad officials were killed in werck
on that road, which was believed to
have been caused by failure of the air
brakes to work properly on the loco
motive. They crashed into the rear end
of train hauling the private car of
Mr.. Melcher, the second vice president of
the Rock Island R. r. system, and Mr..
damihan, formerly president of the Hi
nois Central R. r. Those men were in
stantly killed. The newspapers stated
that the wreck was due to a mistake in
orders. On information we have received
we have been informed that it was due
to the cause that we have above stated
failure of air brakes to work properly.
DO you realize, Mr.. Travelling Man or
Woman that an accident of this kind is
liable to happen again, and that it is
the car that you may be riding in that
may be crashed into and that YOU NAV
be numbered among the dead and in
iured?
Now, we wish to call your attention
to the most serious disaster that has vet
occurred. On Monday, March Is, at San
Antonio, Texas, on the Galveston, Har
risburg & San Antonio r. r., which is
continuation of the Southern Pacific.
otherwise known as the Hartman r. r.
lines, the boiler of a large locomotive
exploded, killing 33, by admission of of
ficials of the company, and wounding
over 90 others. 1t is quite possible that
the death list, if the truth were known.
may be even greater.
The accident is reported as being due
to the fact that inexperienced strike
breakers were employed to perform the
work that experienced mechanics had
been performing in the past. The ma
chine shops, copper shop, and portion
of the round house in which the engine
was STANDING ware wranEad A ,,,,u,Io-