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Monday, October 01, 2007 | 
97 years ago today.
From the Los Angeles Fire Department Historical Archive...
"From 1886 to 1917, Harrison Gray Otis was the owner and publisher of the Los Angeles Times. During that time the newspaper pursued a strong conservative viewpoint, and was militantly anti-union in its editorials and in its relationship with employees.
On October 1, 1910, in the middle of a strike called to unionize the metal trades of the city, the Times building was dynamited. The south wall facing Broadway Street collapsed, causing the second floor to also collapse under the weight of its machines onto the first floor. The first floor then collapsed into the basement, destroying the heating plant and gas mains. The building, with many of its workers trapped inside, was soon an inferno. There was a loss of life of at least 20, and about the same number were injured, some of them permanently.
In an unusual move the mayor hired a private investigator who was able to implicate a number of men in the bombing. These included Ortie McManigal, James B. McNamara, and his brother John J. McNamara (secretary-treasurer of the International Union of Bridge and Structural Iron Workers). McManigal agreed to testify against the McNamara brothers.
Organized labor, in turn, saw this as an all-out attack on the unions and labor in general. Samuel Gompers, president of the American Federation of Labor, hired Clarence Darrow to defend the brothers. Darrow called them "pawns in a vast industrial war."
By the time the trial began, however, Darrow had come to the conclusion that the brothers were guilty. Rather than fighting a hopeless battle, he persuaded the brothers to plead guilty. That decision stunned the city and inferiorated the Gompers (sic).
James McNamara got a life sentence, while his brother received a sentence of 15 years. Two others, David Caplan and Matt A. Schmidt, were later implicated and received life sentences. The damage from the trial was to plague Clarence Darrow for the rest of his life." [additional photos and information]
Submitted by Brian Humphrey, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department
6 comments:
That decision stunned the city and inferiorated the Gompers.
That should read:
That decision stunned the city and infuriated Gompers.
Anonymous 9:21,
Thanks for the note. It's nice to know that someone (anyone!) visits our blog and reads so closely. :)
The quoted text above was posted verbatim from the LAFD Historical Archive, where its source is solely listed as the "USC Information Services Division".
You are absolutely correct in that the text includes misspellings (did I spell that right?) and incorrect grammar that fails to convey an accurate message.
Had I written that myself, I would be aghast. I am however grateful for your highlighting the error, which I should have more clearly mentioned or referenced as being verbatim from the archive.
Being that the text is from an outsourced historical document, I feel somewhat uneasy about 'correcting' anothers footnoted works, no matter how silly their writing may seem. I'm sure you understand.
Thanks to you...
The entire article is now prominently " " quoted, and the sentence in question now includes (sic) with a hyperlink to the source document in question.
I appreciate you so politely bringing this issue to our attention, and for allowing us to more clearly share the genesis of the error.
Respectfully Yours in Safety and Service... and struggling with grammar and spelling in my own write, er.. right.
Brian Humphrey
Firefighter/Specialist
Public Service Officer
Los Angeles Fire Department
Mr. Humphrey,
I was going to offer the same comment, but did not want to offend you. I am pleased to learn that you so warmly welcome critique.
Monica G.
Brian, you find the rarest and most interesting news items. I always enjoy reading your selections. Keep up the great work. You are an invaluable resource to us all.
Emily,
Thank you for your kind words. They mean more than you know.
As you might imagine, I treasure being an employee of this great City, and am honored to serve as a member of the LAFD.
The history of the Los Angeles Fire Department is clearly inseparable from that of our municipality, and it brings me great pleasure in knowing that you and others find it of interest.
Respectfully Yours in Safety and Service,
Brian Humphrey
Firefighter/Specialist
Public Service Officer
Los Angeles Fire Department
Historical footnote...
The Firefighter pictured carrying the casket, Fireman Joaquin L. Constantine, was an LAFD rookie with less than 90 days on the job when the Times Building was attacked on October 1, 1910.
A highly devoted employee, he would later die of duty related causes as a member of Engine Company 17 on October 15, 1933.
May he rest in peace.
Respectfully Yours in Safety and Service,
Brian Humphrey
Firefighter/Specialist
Public Service Officer
Los Angeles Fire Department
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