Strange Times 141: Railroad Torpedoes

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Today we venture to the capital of excitement, Albany, for a story of strikebreaking run amok. Stone a car on…

May 21, 1921

• Etta Hail, wife of a Chicago banker, is arrested and charged with stealing valuables worth more than $25,000 during robberies carried out while masquerading as a maid.

• Called before Congress, “pure food expert” Dr. Harvey W. Wiley insists that beer is not medicine, and should be considered illegal under the Volstead Act.

• Under pressure by so-called “coal barons,” West Virginia declares Mingo County in a state of insurrection, invoking martial law in an attempt to quell the ongoing mining strike.

• Although initially feared to be a total loss, the passenger liner Panhandle State will sail on schedule Tuesday after suffering less than $10,000 in damage during an engine room fire.

• The Weather: Fair and warmer today; Sunday, fair, continued warm; moderate southwest ends.

The Albany trolley strike had been going on for some time when this article was written, and it seems to be coming to a boil. If you are puzzled by the usage of the word Albanian, know that here it means “people from Albany,” while the word jitney is being used to refer, I think, to privately run taxicabs.

If you find yourself baffled by the sentence, “To add to the excitement the crowd stoned the car hill at high speed, but the motorman lost control of it,” well, you’re on your own because it has me baffled too.

ALBANY, May 20.—As a result of further rioting here tonight in the trolley strike, it is likely that additional state troops will be called to Albany to preserve order. There were several riots, during which one man was shot, several others were laid low by the clubs of State troopers and policemen and much damage was done to trolley cars. After 10 o’clock all trolley service was abandoned and the partly wrecked cars were taken to the barns under guard of State troopers.

The worst riot occurred in front of the Albany Club in State Street. As a car went up the hill, it exploded several railroad torpedoes. This was the signal for general disorder. The motorman put on speed, but in front of the Ten Eyck Hotel a man ran behind the car and pulled off the trolley rope. As he did so a policeman arrested him.

The crowd then tried to take the prisoner from the officer. To add to the excitement the crowd stoned the car hill at high speed, but the motorman lost control of it. It dashed down the hill at high speed but the motorman clung to his brakes and stopped the car before it turned into Broadway.

Meanwhile, a dozen policemen and a number of troopers cleared the way to the station where the prisoner was locked up.

Albanians, angered by the attempt of the police to bar jitneys from the street, took this method of showing their opposition. Thus far about 50 jitney drivers have been arrested and their license plates confiscated. More than 150 arrests have been made in an attempt to stop the jitneys from competing with the United Traction Company.

While half a dozen State troopers were patrolling near the Union Station tonight some one in the crowd fired a shot which struck Garry Bohl in the leg. He was removed to a hospital. State troopers charged the crowd and broke many heads. In various parts of the city smaller riots broke out.

All was quiet during the day and the cars were well patronized, but as darkness came on trouble broke out. Sometime last night the windows of Mayor Watts’s office in the City Hall were smashed.

Tonight the City Hall was guarded by policemen, but notwithstanding this a dozen cars were stoned near it.

About a hundred State troopers are on duty tonight and word has been sent to all the barracks to rush every available man here by noon tomorrow. At least two hundred troopers are expected.

Mayor Watt and Captain George P. Dutton of the State Police conferred tonight. Neither would discuss what occurred at the conference, but Mayor Watt said later he hoped the presence of militia would be unnecessary. If Mayor Watt makes a request for the National Guard it may be necessary for Governor Miller to return from Lakewood, N.J., where he is spending his vacation, to issue the order. Acting Governor Jeremiah Wood is in the Adirondacks tonight with a group of State officials and is far from a telephone.

Major George F. Chandler, head of the State Police, was at his home at Kingston tonight, but he is expected to take personal charge of the troopers tomorrow.

ALBANY, N.Y., May 20 (Associated Press).—During renewed rioting tonight because of the United Traction Company strike, a passenger on one of the trolley cars suffered a fractured skull by being hit by a missile thrown through a car window.

Howard W. Slade, aged 57, a pharmacist, was the passenger injured. After being struck he walked to his home, and it was not until a physician arrived that the graveness of his injury was discovered. The doctor stated that he considered the injury serious.

Garry Bohl, aged 23, received a bullet wound in the leg, but at the hospital to which he was taken it was said that the wound was not serious.

Corporal Hutton of the State Constabulary suffered a dislocated arm when struck by a missile while escorting a car to the barns.

A girl, caught in the crowd at the Union Station, was injured by being jammed against a building when a mounted officer charged the crowd.