February 28, 1888 | Letter
Henry B. Stone, Master Mechanic for the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy, reflects on the costs in personnel and goodwill that are inevitable with a strike; he believes circumstances make it "simply impossible for the Company to yield to the demands which have been made."
April 21, 1888 | Newspaper
This April 21, 1888 report and response from Harper's Weekly gives an overview of the Burlington, Chicago and Quincy Railroad Strike; the role of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, the ready availability of replacement workers, and escalating violence all draw the writer's attention. A response to the strike written by William Dean Howells, American author and literary critic, was added to the Harper's article and is written from the point of view of a stockholder favoring arbitration.
May 2, 1888 | Letter
In the wake of the 1888 strike, railroad officials worked to compile lists of violent protesters and their victims; in this report, S. E. Crance lists violence at strategic points along the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad line.
June 11, 1888 | Letter
In the wake of the 1888 strike, railroad officials worked to compile lists of violent protesters and their victims; in this report, S. E. Crance lists violence at strategic points along the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad line.
June 23, 1888 | Letter
William F. Merrill forwards two reports about strike workers and violence to Paul Morton, General Freight Agent for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy; the reports were compiled by Superintendant Crance of the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad Company and Kohl, Superintendant of the Kansas City, St. Joseph & Council Bluffs Railroad Company.
February 10, 1889 | Letter
The C, B & Q Master Mechanic for West Burlington, Iowa, reports on the work history of several engineers who were re-applying for work in the wake of the 1888 strike. Master Mechanic West indicated employees with hash tags (#) who should never be rehired.
February 11, 1889 | Letter
The C, B & Q Master Mechanic for West Burlington, Iowa, reports on the work history of several firemen and hostlers who were re-applying for work in the wake of the 1888 strike. Master Mechanic West indicated employees with hash tags (#) who should never be rehired.
March 13, 1889 | Letter
Following the strike of 1888, railroad officials were careful to avoid hiring union members and employees who had "behaved badly" during the 45-day strike. In this exchange, G. W. Holdredge, General Manager of the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad and H. B. Stone, Vice President of the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad Company, work to clarify the status of workers who may or may not be eligible for re-hire. Railroad companies made an effort to keep agitators and violent strikers from reentering the railroad workforce.
April 27, 1889 | Letter
Following the strike of 1888, railroad officials were careful to avoid hiring union members and employees who had "behaved badly" during the 45-day strike. Thomas Calvert, as General Superintendent in Lincoln, worked with railroad officials to help in the process of regulating re-employment.
1911 | Photograph
This image from The Modern Railroad (1911), captures a railroad fireman shoveling coal into the firebox.
1911 | Photograph
This image from The Modern Railroad (1911) depicts a large number of railroad mechanics posing with a locomotive.
1911 | Photograph
This image from The Modern Railroad (1911) shows a number of railroad workers standing atop a wrecking train.
1911 | Photograph
This image from The Modern Railroad (1911), shows a railroad engineer, "oil-can in hand," lubricating the wheel of a locomotive.
1911 | Photograph
This image from The Modern Railroad (1911), depicts a room full of freight department clerks.
1911 | Photograph
This image from The Modern Railroad (1911) captures a railroad freight crew posing with an Erie Railroad car in the background.
1911 | Photograph
This image from The Modern Railroad (1911), captures a track walker, lantern in hand, performing his nightly duties.
1911 | Photograph
This image from The Modern Railroad (1911), shows a railroad conductor at work.
1922 | Diary
This August 2, 1877 entry from President Rutherford B. Hayes' diary notes the proximity of his relatives to the violence in Pittsburgh.
1922 | Diary
This August 5, 1877 entry in his diary, President Rutherford B. Hayes affirms his views of limited government and the free labor right of contract, as well as his concerns about the "capitalists."
1924 | Diary
In this 1877 excerpt from Rutherford B. Hayes' diary, the President notes the positive qualities of the railroad men who are on strike, but sees their actions as detrimental to those who wish to work. He also wonders what actions could be taken to "end or dimish the evil" of strikes.