Unusual Precautions At Revere Street

The neighbors on Sumner Hill must have been nervous in January of 1912 when word got out that threats were made against the Governor. Eugene Foss had lived on Revere street when he managed the B.F. Sturtevant Company, and he continued to live there as Governor. Nothing came of the threat, but it is worth mentioning for the background. The Governor had sent the state militia to Lawrence during a strike at the mills, that strike going down in history as the Bread and Roses strike.

Addendum: In response to a question, the Black Hand was a name used by Italian extortionists in New York and other American cities. It was less a mafia-like organization than simply a name to frighten victims into submission. A threatening letter with a black handprint would be sent to a merchant or businessman. The media dramatized the term, associating the dramatic language and resulting crimes with the new flood of Italian immigrants. The active strikers in Lawrence were largely immigrants, so the accusation of a threat from the mysterious Italian group came naturally.



Lexington Herald January 18, 1912


Foss Guarded From Black Hand Attack.

Intimation, From Unknown Source, of Danger to the Governor Is Given.

Clash At Lawrence.

Parading Strikers and the Troops of Massachusetts Have Some Trouble

(By Associated Press)

BOSTON, Mass., Jan. 17 -- Intimation from an unknown source that Governor Foss was to be made the object of a black hand attack, presumably because of his activity in the Lawrence strike situation, caused unusual precaution to be taken to guard the Governor tonight. His home in Jamaica Plain was surrounded by armed guards while half a dozen Italian plain clothes men scoured the neighborhood for bomb throwers.

It was reported that black hand agents were coming from New York and the Boston police asked the authorities there to watch outgoing boats and trains and hold up any suspicious characters headed for Boston.

Governor Foss personally expressed no alarm and would not even admit that threats had been made against him.

Strike At Sturtevant Blower Works

The Sturtevant Blower Works was the largest employer in Jamaica Plain - I've seen them listed at variously 100 and 500 employees. No doubt employment was fluid as they grew and contracts came and went (you can read about them here). Eugene Foss later became the Governor of Massachusetts, but at this time he was the president of the Sturtevant company. What were the men striking for? A nine hour day. As someone who has worked ten hour shifts in machine shops and foundries - with overtime - I appreciate that those who came before me fought to make the nine, and later eight hour day standard. We can also see that they were threatening to send jobs elsewhere back in the 1800s. Within ten years, Foss did move the jobs out of Jamaica Plain - to Readville.



Boston Daily Globe June 13, 1893


Strike At Jamaica Plain.

Employees of Sturtevant Blower Works Dissatisfied.


Three-fourths of the employees of the Sturtevant blower works, Jamaica Plain, are out on strike and the others are prepared to follow.

Nine hours' work and regular pay is their demand. The strikers left the shops at 8 o'clock yesterday forenoon and in a short time after the remaining employees had petitioned for nine hours' work with full days' pay. If their demands are not granted it is probable that the balance of the employees will come out some time during the day.

Last evening 300 of the men employed in the blower works assembled in the hall of the Bachelors' club on Green st and held a lengthy conference.

All save workmen in the shops were denied admission to the hall. The windows were opened for sanitary motives and at intervals cheers floated out into the damp atmosphere of the night, indicative of the good spirits of the strikers.

A committee was appointed after much talk to confer today with the manager of the company. If their demands are not granted it is probably there will be a long and bitter strike. Only the molders are organized, yet the strikers are confident that their temporary organization formed yesterday will be sufficient to win the day.

E.N. Foss, manager of Sturtevant company, says that the men have struck at a bad time, as their business at present is very dull and the competition in the west, where three-fourths of their business is, is very strong at present and the profit has been cut down to a small figure.

His version of the strike is as follows:

"I have been west on a trip for the firm for several weeks, and on my return three of the job masters who take contracts to do the work and hire their own men came to me and said that their help had petitioned for nine hours' work and 10 hours' pay."

He remarked to the job masters that he did not see how it concerned him, as they got so much for their work, and could make their own terms with the men. The job masters agreed that it did not concern him, and left the office.

Yesterday morning he was surprised to hear that

The Men Had Gone Out.

He went immediately to the shops, but it was too late to effect a compromise. The machinists were the leaders in the strike, and they were joined by all save the moulders and the tinsmiths.

Those who are now working immediately petitioned for shorter hours. The moulders belong to the moulders' union, and will not strike until they have received the sanction of their union, which they have applied for.

In regard to the demands of the employees Mr Foss said, "In the present condition of the trade it will be impossible for us to grant the position of the men. We have always paid good wages for good work, and have a skillful lot of employees. Our business is different from that of the boiler manufacturers and other in apparently the same line of work, for our customers are mostly in the west, fully three-quarters of our goods being sold in that section of the country.

"We have to import the raw material, coal and iron from the west and then have to send it back there. Our shopes should really be located in the west.

"Competition is very keen with the western firms, who have the advantage of lower rates of transportation. Now, the other firms I have mentioned sell their products in this part of the country for the most part, and can afford to give the men better hours.

"Their goods are not sold at listed prices, and the extra cost consequent on the demands of the men can be met by raising the price of the goods sold.

"With us this is impossible, as our goods are listed all over the country. We have to sitck to the advertised rates. In the machine shops, to show the effect of the demand, if we run only nine hours a day we curtail the product of our machines 10 percent. That means we should have to add 10 percent to our machinery, as the machines will only turn out so much work in so many hours.

"In the present state of the market we

Cannot Afford to Do This.

Last week we had to shut down the shop on Saturday or we would have had to discharge some men. We have a good lot of workmen and do not desire to scatter them. Accordingly we shut down.

"This week the holiday would have allowed us this day, and then the week of the Fourth we would have shut down for several days and taken stock. This is the direct result of the close market.

"Business is poor everywhere, especially in the west, and we feel it in lack of orders and some of those we have filled are not (?) and will not be duplicated. Only this morning we received a note from a customer stating he was supposed to be worth $500,000, but that as the money market is so stringent he cold not raise $5000 cash necessary to meet our bill.

"That is only a sample of business at the present time. In answer to the demands of the men we made the statement that we would give them 60 hours' pay for 59 hours' work, and that was the best we could do. If this offer is not accepted by them at present I fear the works

Will Have to be Closed.

"The demand is particularly unfortunate for the men just at this time, as business is so poor that we can afford to shut down. We do dislike to have the men scattered, as we expect to do a much larger business in the fall, and will then have work for all the old hands."

The first meeting of the strikers was held yesterday afternoon and the committee waited on Mr Foss and listened to his proposal of one hours' less work a week for the same pay. The proposition was submitted to the strikers at the evening meeting and they decided not to accept it.

Another committee was appointed to see if the desired nine hours could not be obtained and they will report at a meeting to be held at the same hall this evening. The moulders and the tinsmiths, who did not go out yesterday, will do so as soon as their union grants them the right.

The strikers say that other factories are giving their men the nine-hour day and think they deserve the same treatment. They also argue that the firm is very prosperous and making money, claiming that last year's profits were $250,000 and can well afford to concede to their demands.

The majority of the strikers admit that the firm is a good one to work for, and some few are willing in view of the stringency of the money market to go to work. The great majority rules, however, and all will stay out and try for the nine-hour day.

It is a question how good a fight they will make owing to their unorganized condition, but the 300 who were gathered in the hall last evening were sanguine that victory wold perch on their banners.

A delegation from the moulders has been appointed to wait on the union this forenoon, and they are also confident that they weil be ordered out and then all of the employees will fight shoulder to shoulder for their nine-hour day with present wages.

Annexation And The Working Man - Part II

Here is a follow-up on an earlier entry. In A Long Wait For A Paycheck, I posted an article that told the story of men who did work for the Town of West Roxbury at the eve of annexation, and were refused their pay from the City of Boston. As always, there was another side of the story, and here are presented a response and counter-response.

Boston Daily Globe March 8, 1878


West Roxbury District.

Has the City Oppressed the Workingmen? - Captain McDonald's Statement.


In reference to the statement published in yesterday's Globe about the city refusing to pay certain laborers their wages and compelling the men to sue for their money, Captain McDonald of Station XIII says that the city does not legally owe the men any money; that after the vote of annexation was passed, and before the act was consummated, a certain class being in the majority, illegally voted at a town meeting to appropriate $20,000 for work on the roads. Next day a gang of about 250 men with many teams swarmed into the gravel-pit working there at digging and carrying off the gravel, dumping it here and there on streets, or carrying it home. Notice was given to the Selectmen, and in three or four days a majority of the Board, accompanied by Captain McDonald, then Chief of Police, went to the pit and warned the men to desist, which they then did. Subsequently the Town Treasurer refused to pay their demands for compensation, hence the lawsuit. In the case of the two men who have been successful in court, it is said that those two were a part of the regular gang employed by the town, and had not been discharged.



West Roxbury District.

A Statement of the Claims of the Laborers Against the City

To the Editor of The Globe:

Sir: Statements having been made disputing the claims of the West Roxbury laborers, it may be well to state that the facts in the case are that $20,000 was appropriated by the Selectmen and the men were employed by the direction of two of the Selectmen with the knowledge of the whole Board. These laborers received no notice to quit work until the political opponents of the two Selectmen raised objections, when the men obtained their time from the respective overseers. Some of the latter were recognized and their men were paid, while the remainder were ignored, the alleged intent being to cast odium upon Mr Dolan. The statement that the cases of two of the men were different from the others is untrue, the latter being merely test cases. It is conceded that it is a matter of injustice towards the laborers to compel them, at great cost, to seek redress before the courts, in order to obtain their just dues. The original amount of the claims was about $1800, which has been increased to $6000 at the present time, and should the cases be continued for the next four years, the tax-payers will learn that it costs considerable for legal hire, even though paid by the year. The offer of the city officials to pay the claims with interest appears to be rather poor justice, considering that the costs are double the amount of the claims.

Laborer

Striking Italians

It's just the way of the world; immigrants do the dirty work, and they frequently get abused while doing it.



Boston Daily Globe July 15, 1903


300 Quit Work.

Italians Employed by Elevated Road.

Engaged in Relaying Tracks in Jamaica Plain.

Claim They Didn't Get the Money Due Them.

Four who Refused to Join Strikers Attacked With Stones.

Streets and Sidewalks Now in Dangerous condition.


A small-sized riot was started last evening on Washington st, Jamaica Plain, that for a few minutes caused lots of excitement. The trouble started about 7:15, when the night gang of laborers employed by the Boston elevated railway company, who are at present engaged in relaying the tracks on Washington st, between Green and Forest Hills sq, decided that they had not been paid enough by the company and went on a strike.

The night gang is made up of about 300 Italians and other foreigners, who work from 7 p.m. until 7 a.m. Pay night coming on Tuesday evening, the men say that the sum of money they expected to receive was not what they had contracted for, and as a result they refused to go to work. Four Italians did not hold the same views as their companions, and when the others threw down their picks and shovels these men would not come out of the ditch.

Their continued refusal incensed the strikers, and the gang hurled bricks and cobble stones at the men in the ditch. After a few moments of this fusilade the men decided that they would strike also in a hurry.

The work was then at a standstill, with the rubbish and dirt piled hight in the streets. The men made no more trouble, however, and most of them quietly dispersed to their homes.

The company officials refused to talk about the affair, but it was said that other men will be engaged as soon as possible to take the strikers' place.

The work of relaying the tracks has been going of for about two weeks, and since the start much trouble has been encountered. Two cars have been thrown from the rails at this point, and six people have been injured in the accidents.

Up to a late hour last night no new men were put to work on the job, and the street was quiet. The police of division 13 took no hand in the affair last evening, but a squad of officers will probably be on hand tomorrow morning when the day men go to work.

As a result of the sudden terminating of the night work, the streets and sidewalks in the vicintity of Keyes st and other side streets are in a dangerous condition. Piles of dirt, old railroad ties and rails are thrown all over the streets off Washington st is entirely cut off for vehicles, and in case of a fire during the night the engines would have to go around by Forest Hills av, before they could get to the houses on the side streets.

A Long Wait For A Paycheck

Boston Daily Globe March 8, 1878

Four Years Waiting For Wages.

Two Hundred Laboring Men in West Roxbury to Bring Suits for Money Due at Time of Annexation - The Law's Delays and Circumlocutions.

When West Roxbury was annexed to Boston, among other matters brought to the city for settlement were the claims of 200 laborers of the town who asked that their unpaid wages might be given to them from the city treasury. Upon application to the City Hall the opinion was expressed that the workingmen should present their claims to the City Council directly; and accordingly, a hearing was granted, when the arguments why these laboring men should be paid their wages were presented at length. It was thought that the City Council would pass a special act, granting them the money which they had earned; but, in spite of much expression of sympathy, nothing definite was done. Tired of the long delay, the workingmen met together, and it was finally decided to bring the matter into the Courts. From inquiries made it was understood by them that if certain test cases were brought, the city would abide by the decision in this matter should this be favorable to the claims of the laborers in these instances, and without delay would settle the claims of the others. Readers of the records of Court business will perhaps remember that two cases have been brought, one to the highest tribunal, the Superior Court, and that the decision in these instances has been in favor of the plaintiffs, who have consequently received their wages. But contrary to expectation the city authorities have not considered these decisions to be precedents. No action has been taken towards

Meeting The Clains Of Other Laborers,

who base their demands for wages upon, presumably, the evidence that gained the victory for their co-workers in the so-called "test" cases. Much indignation is expressed by the men, who declare that the city is endeavoring to evade its lawful obligation, and that it intends to compel every laborer to bring his own case in court, hoping that some will be too poor to push the matter and get what they think to be their rights. The counsel of several of these men declares that he means to carry these cases into Court as soon as possible. One of them has been placed upon the docket for the next week, but there is an effort to defer it, which the counsel on behalf of the plaintiff declares he will prevent if possible. Aside from his professional interest in the matter, the counsel says that the policy of delay in the trial in these cases is most unjustifiable. These men have waited for years to receive the money which they earned in doing work in what is now one of the wards of the city. In all justice, he thinks these test cases, so earnestly fought, and so plainly decided in the interest of these laborers, should be accepted by the city, and these long-deferred claims paid in full. As there seems to be no intention of doing this, he thinks that, at the least, no obstruction should be allowed to prevent the speedy adjudication of claims to come.

Foreign Labor, 1887 Style

The Boston Thread Works was between the railroad tracks and Washington Street at Keyes Street (that's McBride Street now). In the picture taken from a bird's-eye-view map of Jamaica Plain published by O.H. Bailey in 1891, it is on the left, marked 17 (open the full size picture to see the number). Ross & Turner was the sales agent for Boston Thread and Twine, so the names are confusing. They were across the street from what later became the Boston Gas company building, which became Jamaica Plain High School, and then English High School. The present buildings at the site do not appear to be from the Thread Works era.



Boston Globe August 29, 1887

Imported Female Labor.

Alleged Violations of United States Law.

Irish Flax Spinners Contracted to Boston Twine Manufacturers.

Five Girls Detained on the Catalonia by the Emigration Commissioner.

Information was recently received at The Globe office that a firm of twine manufacturers in this city was conducting a wholesale importation of foreign female help, and that for several weeks past Scotch and Irish factory girls ranging all the way from 17 to 30 years of age, in parties of from five to 10 each, have been arriving by Cunard steamers. It was reported that 60 operatives arrived by the same line of steamers two weeks ago, having a contract to work for a twine firm in Ludlow. It was also reported that five more girls were expected to arrive Saturday on the Catalonia.

As a similar case charged against a Providence firm a short time ago excited much interest, such importation being illegal, a Globe reporter was sent to investigate the matter.
The firm in question is that of Ross, Turner & Co., manufacturers of thread and twine, with a factory at Jamaica Plain. About 125 hands are employed, and at least 25 of this number are foreign female operatives, who have been in this country but a few months. They are rapidly learning the methods of manufacture and are superseding the "Yankees" as they call them. They are from the north of Ireland and Scotland, and are considered skilled laborers. They were induced to come to this country by the promise of good wages, to perform the same labor they have been accustomed to in the factories at home. It has been represented to them that their steamship passage was paid by friends in this country, who sent them tickets: but it is said the firm has paid it through their agent, Samuel G. Rea, and $1 per week has been deducted from their slender earnings by the firm until the full amount of the passage money, $21.25, has in each case been paid. Ninety cents per day and certain kinds of work were promised them, but it is estimated that less than half of them are receiving that amount, the balance being obliged, till places are mode for them, to put up with 85 cents, and in a few instances the youngest among them receive only the paltry sum of 80 cents per day.

The kind of labor has been objected to, and two weeks ago when a certain piece of work was assigned to them to do, which the Yankees had refused, they struck in a body. The difficulty was quickly adjusted and they only remained out one day, receiving a promise of different work. It has been given out that skilled laborers were required and that none could be obtained in this country; but the fact that they are required to do the same work as others already employed would seem to disprove the statement. The business is practically a monopoly, as in addition to the two above-named places there are but a few factories located in New York city, Patterson N.J., and in Ohio.

A call was made last evening on several of the operatives at Jamaica Plain. The first seen were two sisters, one 19 years of age, the other 21. The conversation was addressed to the youngest, who was barefooted with the merest apology for a dress. She said she was from the north of Ireland, and had done flax spinning since she was 10 years old. "I have been in this country for only a few weeks, and was induced to come here with my sister and a few other friends by an agent of the company, who promised us 90 cents per day and steady work. Tickets were furnished for our passage over here and 91 cents each week was to be deducted from our earnings by the company, but you see it will take five months for me to pay them, and it leaves me nothing to send to my folks at home, who are dependant on me for help. I am more fortunate than some and get $5.10 per week. My board costs me $2.50 and taking out the dollar for my passage, it leaves me $1.60 per week. Some girls I know have only $1.30 left a week.
"The work is not what I expected, and I shall only stay here till I pay the firm and then hire out for housework or go back home, where I made better wages than I can here. Besides, the hours are longer. I do not think the girls are treated fairly, and wish something could be done to prevent others from coming here.

Inquiries about a number of others elicited about the same replies, all being emphatic in denunciation of the firm and anxious to obtain other work.

[The article goes on to describe a search of passengers on an arriving steamship.]


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I found it interesting that these young women were not helpless victims. They were willing to walk off the job, and ready to go back home if necessary. Of course, the desire on the part of companies for foreign labor hasn't changed, has it?