On this day in Labor History the year was 1918.
That was the day that bringing in a scab driver to run an elevated train in Brooklyn, New York ended in tragedy.
Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers were out on strike against the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Co..
The company had fired several union members for wearing union pins.
To keep the trains moving, the company hired replacements and put them to work with little preparation.
Edward Luciano received far less than the 60 hours of training that operators typically received before he made his fateful run.
The next day the New York Times reported on the deadly results.
A Brighton Beach Train of the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company, made up five wooden cars of the oldest type in use, which was speeding with a rush hour crowd to make up lost time on its way from Park Row to Coney Island, jumped the track shortly before 7 o-clock last evening on a sharp curve approaching the tunnel at Malbone Street, in Brooklyn, and plunged into a concrete partition between the north and south bound tracks.”
At least 93 people died.
Some estimates were more than 100 were killed.
The operator and several company officials were put on trial for manslaughter.
No one was found guilty.
The company did however pay out damages to some families.
Negotiations between the company and the union would continue until 1920.
The union eventually won most its demands.
In the years after the crash new safety measures were implemented for elevated trains to help guard against human error.
August 2 - The Hatch Act Enacted
August 1 - The Assassination of Frank Little
July 31 - NFL Players Fight for a Voice
July 30 - Medicare Becomes a Reality
July 29 - An Unlucky Day at Shamrock
July 28 - Burning Veterans Out
July 27 - The March of the Mill Children
July 26 - ADA is Signed into Law
July 25 - The Colonial Conquest of Puerto Rico
July 24 - Building a New Federation
July 23 - The More Things Change, The More They Are the Same
July 22 - The Nation’s First General Strike
July 21 - The Crazy Eights
July 20 - Delivering Respect
July 19 - Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Announced
July 18 - Chicago Stockyards Workers Kick Off Historic 1919 Strike
July 17 - Growing Teamster Power
July 16 - Ida B. Wells-Barnett is Born
July 15 - Murdered for Standing Up
July 14 - Happy Birthday Woody!
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
In the Great Khan’s Tent
Visualize Meditations
The No-Frills Teacher Podcast
The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast
The Mel Robbins Podcast