1883 - July 23oo

During a bright, if a little warm, morning in August 1883, a reporter with the Spectator was sent out to inspect and write an article about a place most Hamiltonians only knew from the outside ,the Barton street jail:

“Everything is neat and clean at the jail. From the office to the topmost cell, everything is as bright as a pin.

“A SPECTATOR reporter, through the kindness of Captain Henery, was shown over the building the other day by Jailer Morrison. There are only 26 prisoners in the establishment at present, and it is hoped that the number will decrease.”¹

¹“A Visit to the Jail : Employment Required for the Prisoners.”

Hamilton Spectator.   August  08, 1883.

The first aspect of operations, at what was formally known as the Wentworth County Jail, related to what the prisoners were fed:

“Mr. Morrison led the reporter first into the kitchen, where two able-bodied prisoners, arrayed in the degrading prison livery, were firing up under two immense coppers – one containing potatoes and the other a mixture of oatmeal.

“In the morning the prisoners are regaled with gruel; at midday they have meat and potatoes or bread and potatoes on alternate days; at night they have bread. There was a time when porridge was the chief diet, with trimmings of salt and a drink of water, but through the kindness of the Government who raised the diet at the suggestion of Mr. Langmuir, inspector of prisons, the prisoners are allowed the solace of a potato now and then, just to remind them of outside luxuries. Spring chicken, plum pudding and strawberry pie have no meaning in the jail.”¹

In the area outside of the stone fortress, the reporter saw many characters he had observed in the police court:

“In the yard, flanked by a pile of wood for the sawyer, paced Mr. Dumphy, convicted of selling liquor against the peace of our sovereign the Queen, her crown and dignity.

“It is surprising what a change the prisoner garb makes in a man. It seems to retain, in a concentrated form, all the vileness of former owners, which it immediately imparts to the wearer. Go down to one of the clubs or hotels, and take the most fashionable dude that can be found. Bring him up to the jail, cut his hair, and put him into a jail suit, jerry hat and all, and a hardened, devil-may-care look will come over him in a very short time, and anyone who does not know him would pronounce him a very dangerous fellow. Mr. Dumphy could never be accused of being a dude, but still imprisonment has left its mark upon him.”¹

The man seen most often in the Hamilton Police Court was an individual who was arrested and imprisoned gain and again for his habitual alcohol consumption:

“In an apartment where a bench held up a miscellaneous collection of paint pots, bottles of oil, brushes, etc. stood Mr. Livingstone, the veteran drunk. He laughed and nodded familiarly as the jailor passed the usual civilities. Livingstone is the jail painter, and he is scarcely ever out of a job. It is sad to think that this old, poor man has spent the best part of his life in jail because he  not the resolution nor the will to overcome a low habit.”

Passing along a hall in the jail, the reporter encountered several prisoners, men and women:

“Mr. Anderson, the alleged embezzler, stood in one of the corridors with a hair brush in his hand, talking with a youth held for burglary. As the reporter passed another prisoner in the same corridor, he pulled his hat over his eyes and held down his head as if to escape recognition.

“The large cell which Major Phipps occupied is lonely and deserted-looking, the benches piled upon the table being the only reminders of its occupant.

“The female prisoners are mostly from the ranks of the drunken and dissolute.”¹

The reporter, observing so many idle and bored prisoners, suggested that something be done about that:

“It is to be regretted that no employment has been furnished for the inmates. Lolling in the window seats or walking idly in the yard does not improve them morally or physically, and some means of occupying the time which seems to hang heavily upon them, should be devised.

“ Poor old Livingstone is generally engaged painting the walls and surfaces, and keeping things clean, generally, but the other prisoners have apparently nothing whatever to do. In wintertime, however, when the furnaces are in operation heating the building, three or four are required to look after the apparatus, firing, carrying wood, etc.

“Mr. Morrison showed the reporter the balls and chains formerly in use when prisoners did outside work. An active man would find some trouble in running with such appendages to his ankle.”¹

Completing his tour, the reporter left the jail and then ended the article he wrote about his observations with the following comment:

“The interior and exterior appearance reflects credit upon the taste and management of the governor and his assistants. It is to be hoped that they may never have more to do than at the present time.” ¹

1883 - August 8a

After visiting and reporting on some of the most egregious unhealthy locations in Hamilton and after investigating what other communities were doing as regards improving the healthiness of their local districts, the Spectator reporter who had been on the case was then sent to interview two indivisiuals : Alderman Carruthers, chairman of the health committee and Police Chief A. D. Stewart

The reporter’s interview with the alderman included a focus on the Caroline street, a former inlet from the bay between Caroline street and Bay street, north of Cannon street which was being filled in by the dumping of all sorts of refuse into it:

“A SPECTATOR reporter yesterday afternoon interviewed the chairman of the health committee in regard to what had been done in the way of remedying unhealthy spots in the city, which had been pointed out by the SPECTATOR.

“In answer to the reporter’s question as to whether anything had been done to the Caroline street gully, Ald. Carruthers said that nothing had been done yet.

“ ‘Do you intend to do anything with it?”

“ ‘Well, no; there is nothing to be done there. The place does not smell at all.”

“ ‘Ought there not be some notices put up round the gully to prevent persons rom putting refuse matter there?”

“ ‘Yes. There should be. I have thought it advisable to have notices put up, prohibiting people putting any more there. The chairman of the board of works is having the stagnant water that has accumulated in the gully below Barton street drained off. That is the only place there, and when that is cleared away, the gully will be all right. There was one thing I saw there, and that was a bed of watercresses that I should have liked to have some of.”

“ ‘Is anything being done to the Cathcart street sewer, do you know?”

“ ‘No, I don’t; I spoke to Ald. McLagan, the chairman of the sewer committee, and he said they were getting along with it as fast as possible.”

“After this interview, the reporter went down to view again the place where the watercresses grow, and found as Ald. Carruthers said that nothing had been done save the draining off of the water, which is a good act in itself. The work of renovating the Cathcart street sewer is also commenced, but the workmen are down at the exit yet, and the people in the vicinity are still complaining of the sewer.”¹

¹ “Yours for Health : Points That Ought to Be Considered.”

Hamilton Spectator.   August  08, 1883.

          The police chief was asked about the role of his men in enforcing regulations in terms of unhealthy nuisances in the city:

“ ‘Yes,” said Chief of Police Stewart, to a Spectator reporter yesterday, in answer to an inquiry, ‘I have read about the scheme for sanitary supervision which they have adopted in Toronto. The idea of constituting members of the police force health inspectors is a capital one, for the officers know every nook and cranny of the city, and are therefore admirably qualified to nose out nuisances. But we cannot imitate the example in Hamilton. We have not one man, to say nothing of ten, to spare for such a purpose – and just at this season particularly, when three men are off at a time for their holidays.”

“ ‘How does the Hamilton force compare in numbers with the Toronto force?” was asked.

“ ‘We have 45 all told; Toronto has 150 odd, that’s the difference. I have for some years been advocating an increase in the force, but to no purpose. The commissioners don’t view the matter from my standpoint. Then there is another comparison to make. Our men have a district to look after quite as extensive as Toronto’s police precincts with the difference that it is less densely populated. Fancy how much distribution there must be of our few men to cover such an area and what disadvantages an officers labors under when so obligated to act without needed assistance. Once when Detective McKenzie (then sergeant) arrested a prisoner at the head of York street, it took him from 11:30 to 3:30 to land his captive in the cells. The officer knocked his obstreperous prisoner down 27 times, and the obstreperous performed a like service for the officer to the number of about 20 times.”

And the chief laughed heartily at the funny incident.

“’ But are not police ex-officio health inspectors?” the reporter queried.

“ ‘True, they are supposed to report all nuisances coming within their observation. The reports are recorded in a book and their duty in the matter ends. But to think of detailing members of the force to specially act in this direction would be useless. I want more men on the force as it is without proceeding to utilize some of those no employed for the purpose of sanitary inspection.”¹

 

1883 - August 8

As part of its continuing campaign to make Hamilton a cleaner place, the Hamilton Spectator found out about a number of initiatives being urged upon municipal officials in many locations. Reprinting the reporting from various newspaper, the Spectator added its own comment to each paragraph quoted:

“St. John Telegraph ; - Leading authorities on sanitary science in London are urging upon the people the very great importance of seeing that their house drainage is so arranged as to prevent the escape into dwellings of poisonous gasses from sewers. This question has a practical interest in every city. Its importance is too apt to be overlooked; yet there is no room for doubt that a great deal of sickness, and chronic ill-health if traced to their proper source, would be found to originate in imperfect house drainage.

This is a paragraph for householders. Read it, then go and see your plumber.

Kingston News : - Daily is our reporter accosted on the street and is requested to ‘pitch in’ to the board of health and the committee appointed by it to take the first steps toward cleaning the city. The people want to know if the committee intends to meet, if not one that would have some energy about it should be appointed. Our readers wish the board to wake up out of its state of lethargy and do its duty; see that the city is put in a healthy condition.

For Kingston in the above, read Hamilton.

Tilsonburg Observer: - The Observer man in his rambles about town has noticed that there are several localities in which the stench arising from decaying substances is positively unbearable, and he would respectfully call the attention of the council to the matter as one requiring the immediate attention of that body. The mayor is a physician, and he, at any rate, should know the extreme danger which arises from the presence in any community of unclean back premises during the hot months. We would also appeal to the people of the town to do all they can to help the health committee out in this matter by attending to their own premises, and by promptly reporting all nuisances to any officer the council may appoint to look after this matter.

The citizens of Hamilton should take the good advice tendered above.

Rochester Post-Express: - Figures which are given elsewhere show that nearly 50 deaths from cholera infantum were reported at the health office of this city during the month of July, and that of the whole number fifteen were reported from the Thirteenth ward, a ward which the investigations of the Post-Express reporters have shown to be in a deplorably filthy condition, where the garbage wagon is rarely seen, and where the refuse of the houses is allowed to lie day after day in the sun to pollute the air with its foul exhalations. It is time for the people, the press, and the medical profession to awake to the terrible state of affairs here.

Where about the Market street alley and Cathcart street sewer? Are the odors ascending from these places healthy for infants?

Cobourg Star: - The mayor called the attention of the council to a circular he had received from the Provincial board of health, and recommended that some action be taken towards carrying out the suggestion. Moved by Councillor Wilson, seconded by Councillor Daintry, that the health committee take such measures as will maintain this town in a healthy condition. Carried.

Will the Hamilton health committee follow suit and look after the Caroline street gully?

Belleville Ontario: The wet season, too, has created pools of stagnant water in many parts of the city which might become dangerous hotbeds of disease under an August sun. The sewers should be examined and cleansed if necessary. Decaying vegetable and animal matter should be deodorized and rendering harmless by disinfectants.  Delay is always fraught with danger.

Flush the sewers, drain your stables, wash out the gutters, clean up the alleys and use good disinfectant and you may feel comparatively safe from cholera.

St. John Sun; - Atmospheric dust is composed of various particles – some harmless; others fraught with injury to public health. As an instance of how disease may be distributed in our midst, we would point to the piles of street sweepings which are allowed to remain day after day decomposing in the sun, until a windy day scatters the dry particles in every direction to be inhaled by our citizens. When we remember that these piles contain the expectorations of consumptives and other diseased persons, in addition to mould spores, etc., it becomes apparent that the street sweepings should be removed at once.

Will the City Council order a general cleaning up of the streets and gutters? It is needed.”¹

¹  “Yours for Health: Points That Ought to Be Considered.”

Hamilton Spectator.   August  08, 1883.

 

(To Be Continued)

1883 - August 7

Four days later, on August 7, 1883, the Spectator carried the result of an investigation into the conditions of another  problematic alley:

“Complaints have been made of the bad condition of the alleyway running between Main and Jackson streets from Spring to John streets,

“A reporter took a walk through this alleyway yesterday morning and found that the reports concerning it had not be exaggerated. The alleyway is not very wide, and heaps of rubbish piled on each side have given growth to flourishing beds of burdocks, thistles and other weeds, which are more annoying than ornamental, and have completely blocked up any track for a vehicle which might have once existed. Now it is with difficulty that one can pick his way through without cutting his boots on broken bottles and old tin ware.

“There are, in several places, large manure heaps standing in the middle of the road, and as these places are made the receptacles for other matter, they are not very pleasant additions to the alley.

“There is one poster in the alley to warn people against depositing rubbish, dirt, vegetable or animal matter in that place, but as anyone wishing to read it has to climb up over a heap of manure, it is not perused much.”¹

¹ “Model Alley No. 2 : Points for the Board of Health”

Hamilton Spectator.  August 7, 1883.

Walking a little further east, the reporter came upon an exceptionally offensive portion of the alley:

“From Walnut to Cherry street, the alleyway was kept in fair condition, except near the Cherry street end where the odors that assail a pedestrian give him to understand that he is near a city farm. The person who keeps this assemblage of horses, cattle, pigs and fowls should see that the drains on his premises are in proper working order, as to all appearances the rain has washed a good deal of manure and other refuse matter into the public alleyway.

“From Cherry street to Spring street, where it ends, the alleyway is in very bad condition; very foul and disgusting smells arise from water-closets, and stables alongside of it, and putrefying heaps of garbage, with the usual compliment of old boots, tinware, bones, dead chickens and other rubbish lie stinking in every corner. From one house in this part of the alley all the dirty water and slops are emptied into the road, where it forms a rill of sewerage down the only path that the piles of rubbish and the too luxuriant growth of weeds will permit.”¹

 

(To Be Continued)

1883 - August 3aa

 

As part of its ongoing focus on the unhealthy state of many of the alleys in the city, the Hamilton Spectator, on August 3, 1883, carried a report on the condition of an alley which ran parallel to Market and York streets, between Park and McNab streets :

“The whole of the ground of the alleyway is covered with all kinds of decaying vegetable matter, filthy rags, and manure. The manure, which is piled up high against the fences of other citizens’ yards comes from Ten Eyck’s stables, and that, in the first instance, the public object to. Connected with the stables is a cow house and pig pen belonging to Mr. Thomson. The neighbors would not object to him keeping pigs and cattle in the alleyway if the law allows him to do so, but they decidedly object to it if they are obliged to put up with the noxious odors which arise from these places.¹

¹ “A Model Alleyway : What the Health Inspector Might Look After.”

Hamilton Spectator.   August  03, 1883.

It was learned that the alleyway in question had been recently used as a location to kill and dress three pigs. The refuse matter from that operation had been thrown on a dung heap and left uncovered. Later, a dog was shot and the carcass thrown on Ten Eyck’s manure pile causing anther stench:

“When the reporter it (the alley), there was the manure heap one one hand, a pile of lumber on the other, and a cesspool in the center of the road, leaving very little room even for a man to pass.

“In fact, every person living near who has a dead animal of any kind, a lot of decayed fruit or vegetables, or anything else that would be likely to cause an annoying smell, deposits it in this public alleyway, despite the notices posted up to the effect that all social evil doers will be prosecuted.”¹

 

(To Be Continued)

1883 - August 3a

Around the noon hour, Wednesday August 1, 1883, Mrs. James Foster, 182 Hughson Street North, opened the top of an unused cistern below her bedroom window:

“She saw what she thought was a couple of eggs on top and noticed a dark mess dimly in the water below. She called to the servant girl, ‘Come here. There’s a body of a dog or something in this cistern.’

“The servant girl came and touched the object with a pitchfork, when the horror and surprise of both the women, the body of a child rolled around in the water and sank again.”¹

¹ “Found in a Cistern : Horrible Discovery By Mrs. Foster.”

Hamilton Spectator.   August  01, 1883.

Later that afternoon, after the police had been notified and the body removed to the city hospital for examination, a Spectator reporter interviewed Mrs. Foster who recounted the story of an affair involving a young Irish girl, Maria McCabe. Maria had applied for work as a servant girl, even though, only a few weeks before she had given birth to a boy:

“She had no place to go. The young man in this city whom she alleged was the father of her child, either could or would not contribute towards her support, and out of pure kindness of heart, more than for any other reason, Mrs. Foster took the girl in.”¹

Mrs. Foster bought clothes for the child and gave Maria spare cash. All was fine until the previous April when the child disappeared. Maria could not give a satisfactory reason for the child’s absence. Mrs. Foster was convinced that the partially-decomposed body was that of Maria McCabe’s son.

Later that afternoon, Maria McCabe had been located by the Hamilton police and placed under arrest. She was brought to Chief Stewart’s at No. 1 station in the City Hall where she confessed to having drowned her baby :

“She was sick of it, she said, and wanted to get rid of it. She succeeded in getting rid of it. But retribution is sure to come on evil-doers, and it has come to Maria, although as time worn on she had doubtless grown firm in her belief in immunity from the consequences of her crime.”¹

Later in the evening of August 1, 1883, an inquest was held on the body of the child. A jury was empaneled and taken to No. 3 Police Station to view the body, after which they were returned to the court house to listen to testimony about the child’s death. Mrs. Ann Foster told of discovering the body in her cistern. Chief Stewart testified that the girl, Maria McCabe, had been arrested at the Victoria Hotel and that she had voluntarily confessed to having thrown her child into the cistern:

“She said she was sorry for what she had done, and was willing to suffer for her crime, and she was glad it had been found out and the baby’s body found. She said she had killed the child because Mrs. Foster had turned her out of the house twice. She had no home and no place to go. She felt miserable and sad and saw nothing but trouble and disgrace in the future for herself and her little one. When she appealed to the father of the child, who is well-known in business circles in this city, he laughed at her and refused to give her any help.”²

² “The Infanticide Case : Maria McCabe Makes a Full Confession.”

Hamilton Spectator.    August 2, 1883.

The last witness was Dr. Leslie who had examined the child’s body and testified that the corpse was in such an advanced state of decomposition that it was impossible to determine the cause of death.

The jury returned a verdict indicting Maria McCabe for causing the death of her child. The girl was held in custody for an appearance at Police Court.

On Thursday morning, August 2, 1883, Maria McCabe was brought to police court and committed to trial :

“The girl is slimly built, wears a pink dress and a black Gainsborough hat, and is rather plain in appearance. Her hair is brown; her eyes a bluish gray. Her mouth is full, and there are hard lines about it. Her eyes were red with weeping.”²

After Magistrate Cahill read the charge to her, Maria nervously whispered, ‘I did so, I did so.’

While Chief Stewart presented his evidence, the young woman broke down and burst into tears:

“Crying, she was led into the cells. The sound of her loud, heart-rending cries came floating up from the cells into the court room. She appeared to be in a perfect paroxysm of grief. Her cries grew louder and louder. Then the door was shut and only the occasional smothered yell told what was going on below.”³

³ “That Child Murder : Maria McCabe Committed for Trial”

Hamilton Spectator.   August 2, 1883.

The day after Maria McCabe had been formally charged with the murder of her baby, the following editorial appeared in the Hamilton Spectator:

“A young, unmarried woman of this city has confessed to having murdered her infant child. She is now in prison awaiting trial, and with the legal aspect of the case, we have at this time nothing to say. But there are certain things about this sad affair which call for careful consideration.

“Maria McCabe came to this country not long since from Ireland, a country renowned for the purity of its women. She is not an educated woman, but is possessed of average intelligence, and in the absence of evidence to the contrary, must be adjudged a pure woman when she left home. But in an evil hour, she listened to the voice of a tempter and fell, losing all that makes life worth having.

“It is terrible to think that a mother could so far overcome the natural love she must have had for her offspring as to deliberately compass its death, but it showed that she was not altogether lost to a sense of shame, and the wonder is that she did not also make away with herself. But her crime was discovered, and she now finds herself in a prison cell, an outcast from society. The lesson is soon taught. The young women of this day are as pure as those of any former generation, but the fate of this girl should not be without its effect upon those who need such a warning.

But Maria McCabe was sinned against; and what of the man through whose instrumentality she fell ? There should be no halfway measures. The officers of the law should seek him out and bring him before the bar of justice; and the people of Hamilton will not be true to themselves if, when he is discovered, they do not treat him with all the scorn and contempt his cowardly conduct deserves. Society is too prone to condone the offense of the man and make the woman suffer. Justice requires that he who tempts a woman to commit a wrong should be punished as a co-partner in her guilt; and if the law cannot reach him, he should be made to feel that the people of this city have no sickly sentiment to waste upon such as he.”⁴

⁴ “Maria McCabe”

Hamilton Spectator.   August 3, 1883.

(To be continued)

 

 

 

1883 - August 3

August 3, 1883 was the date chosen for the first annual Trades and Labor picnic. The locale chosen for the event the grounds was in the west end of the city, the Crystal Palace grounds.

An energetic committee had worked long and hard to finalize all the necessary arrangement to make the picnic a great attraction:

“The sports consist of a baseball match between the Primroses and the Baysides for the championship and $50; horse races, bicycle races, a lacrosse match and other games.

“A large attendance is hoped for, and if the weather turns out fine, it should be a great success.”¹

¹ “A Grand Affair : Hamilton Trades and Labor Demonstration on August 3, 1883.
          Hamilton Spectator.   July 31, 1883.

The demonstration committee had called for a “mass meeting” to be held at Larkin Hall on July 30, 1883.

As the well-attended meeting began, Fred. Jones, was chosen chairman and he started proceedings by noting that the object of the meeting was “to give an invitation to all laborers and unorganized branches of labor to join in the demonstration on Friday.”²

² “Labor Demonstration : Mass Meeting of Workmen at Larkin Hall.”

Hamilton Spectator.    July 31, 1883

The first speaker, Robert Coulter, said that the idea for a demonstration was set in motion by a certain group of organized laborers, but that it was hoped that all classes of labor would cooperate to make the day a success.

The Next speaker was Mr. F. Allen :

“He thought that the workmen had too many holidays sometimes, but just when they didn’t want them; for instance, there would be a cornerstone laying, or a Jumbo circus, and then the workingman must take a holiday so the capitalists could have a good time. Now the workingmen were going to take it in a more gentlemanly manner than the capitalist took theirs – they had first given due notice. He was glad that the committee had decided to prohibit the sale of intoxicating liquors on the grounds during the demonstration. The workingmen would show the citizens that they could have pleasure without having any liquor.”²

“Union is strength. This old adage was never more forcibly illustrated in Hamilton than yesterday afternoon, when the monster procession of the city’s artisans filed its way through the street. There has never before been an organized turnout en masse of the workingmen of Hamilton, and the present occasion will therefore long be recollected, marking as it does a memorable epoch in the history of trade unionism.”³

³ “Grand Labor Parade : Splendid Demonstration by Hamilton Workingmen.”

Hamilton Spectator.   August 4, 1883.

The date, August 3, 1883 had been chosen for the mass Hamilton Labor Demonstration because it was the birthday of Uriah Stephens, founder of the Knights of Labor.

A committee of the local chapter of the Knights of Labor had succeeded in uniting most, if not all, of the organized bodies of workingmen in the city with a large number of the city’s unorganized workers.

Over 2,000 people turned up for the start of the procession which had been scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. As so many people had come to take part in the procession, the parade marshals had some difficulty creating an organized line of march:

“The work of organizing a procession of 2,000 people and having it move in a particular order, and at a given moment is an achievement that has not yet been realize by any demonstration committee. Dealing with a score of bodies organized after different forms and having a varying system of official regulations, seeking to combine, in a harmonious whole, men who believe in organization, men who are indifferent to it and men who oppose it, was an undertaking that only a few of the most sanguine men would care to face.”⁴

⁴ “Labor’s Holiday : Grand Demonstration of the Hamilton Trades and Labor Societies.”

Palladium of Labor.   August 11, 1883.

The Palladium of Labor, the newspaper organ of the Knights of Labor, claimed that, despite the chaotic conditions at first, the procession started off only fifteen minutes after the time appointed.

The Hamilton Spectator had a different take on the matter:

“The start was announced for one o’clock, but it was about an hour later before order was evolved out of chaos, and the line of march taken up. To make matters all the worse, clouds gathered, and after lowering ominously for a while, began to discharge their moisture.

“There appeared to be some hitch in the arrangements and the marshals galloped to and fro in a state of great perplexity. People hardly knew the procession had started until it was fairly underway, the intention to follow out the program having to be abandoned.”³

An accurate count of the processionists was not made, but the procession took a full twenty-five minutes to pass a given point and when the head of the parade reached the entrance to the Crystal Palace grounds, the end of the parade was just starting out from the John and King street area at Gore park.

The parade was watched by large numbers of citizens all along the route:

“A dense crowd thronged the streets, numbers perched on verandahs and other available projections over looking the street, and every window along the line of march seemed to have a full complement of heads.”⁴

The Independent Band, numbering thirty-five players, led by Prof. Cotter, headed the parade and played a number of inspiring airs throughout the route of the parade. Brethren of the Knights of Labor locally, and from the nearby communities outside of the city, were given places of honor near the head of the procession, following the Independent Band. The largest out-of-city contingent was the 84 members of the Pioneer Assembly of the Brantford Knights of Labor. Following the Brantford visitors was what described in the Spectator as “a band of musicians in feathers and paint, all Tuscarora Indians, calling themselves the Grand River Band.”³

A notable float in the parade was that of the Longshoreman’s association – a ship on wheels, bunting flying and on her decks, shovels and tubs typical of the longshoreman’s work.

Large contingents from the Amalgamated Carpenters’ and Joiners’ association and the Cigarmakers’ union marched with the banners of the organizations. The firemen, under Chief Aitchison’s direction, also turned out in large numbers, accompanied by several pieces of fire-fighting apparatus. The members of the Typographical Union, No. 129, of Hamilton, marched, 75 in number, each carrying a Japanese parachute or carousel.

Unions and craft associations of all kinds were represented in the procession. Even some of the women laborers of the city took part:

“As if to prove that trades’ unionism is not confined to the sterner sex, some 68 young ladies took part in the demonstration; the committee, with true gallantry, placing hacks at their disposal. They are chiefly shoe operatives.”³

After the lady representatives of Hamilton’s work force came a few wagons decorated for the occasion:

“Gurney & Ware, the well-known firm of scale-makers, turned out, with their workmen, a decorated wagon with a handsome pair of platform scales and other of their wares. The Brickmakers had a wagon indicative of their trade, drawn by a four-in-hand.

“Hamilton, the hub of Canadian industries, is the only place in Canada that supports a workingman’s paper, and the PALLADIUM OF LABOR was the only journal in the city with sufficient interest in the printers’ art and the cause of labor to place a wagon in the procession. The wagon bore devices indicative of the press as the defense of labor and the medium of intellectual elevation of the masses, and distributed from the press a printed sheet with the motto of the journal, ‘The elevation of Labor is the advancement of the State.’ ”⁴

The procession ended up on the Crystal Palace grounds where it broke up, everyone proceeding to take in the events planned at that location.

Over 12,000 people entered the grounds for the afternoon and evening activities, which included a baseball match won by the Baysides over the Primroses:

“The batting throughout was pretty heavy, the fielding good, and the general style of play sharp and decisive. The boys felt happy over their victory and turned handsprings, threw up their hats and hurrahed in elegant shape.”

 There was a tug-of-war which pitted a team led by Fire Chief Aitchison against a team led by carter Tom Brick. The chief’s team won the first tug, but Tom Brick and his cohorts won the next two tugs, taking the $5 prize.

The lacrosse match was unfortunately hindered by the large crowd of spectators who swarmed all over the playing field:

“After a desperate effort to clear a space, which proved unavailing, the redskins plunged into the crowd with ball and sticks and a sort of stampede of the people from one position to the other was kept up while the game lasted. Innocent onlookers were unexpectedly knocked off their pins  or found their legs tangled in a lacrosse stick. The ball now and then struck a hard felt hat with a resounding thus, but for all this, the ground was not cleared and how the game was going, nobody could tell.”⁴

Throughout the afternoon and evening, scores of young people danced on an open platform to the music of the Meakins’ string band.

In the evening, another procession was formed around Gore Park for the march west to the Crystal Palace grounds:

“Every man in the procession carried a Chinese lantern on the end of a stick. The effect was beautiful. Loud expressions of admiration were heard on all sides as the procession wound its glittering way along. The crowd that lined the sidewalks and pressed around the procession was immense. A vast mob followed the band.”³

By 8:30 p.m., the procession had completed its trek. On an improvised platform, preparations for the evening’s meeting had begun:

“The platform was all lit up by Chinese lanterns, as was the interior of the building, in which was a great gathering of people of both sexes and all sizes, promenading or indulging in the pleasures of the mazy.”³

The finale of the day was a meeting which began with the singing of various labor songs by invited soloists, including Mr. Smithers Swanton, singing ‘The Hard Workingman’ and Mr. R. Coleman singing ‘The Nobleman and the Laborer.’

The meeting, indeed that day’s activities ended with a two-hour speech on labor by Mr. David Healey.