That was the day five Italian immigrant workers were killed in Toronto, Ontario in what is known as the Hoggs Hollow Tragedy.
Referred to as sandhogs, workers sought to connect a pumping station to the water distribution network.
They were building a water main in a tunnel under the Don River.
The project was already far behind schedule and over budget.
Workers were welding in a compression chamber when smoke began to overwhelm the main shaft.
Some workers made it out.
Firefighters were prevented from releasing water into the tunnel to extinguish the fire over concerns that it would cause a collapse.
There was no backup safety equipment at street level.
The tragedy shed light on the appalling wage and working conditions immigrant workers faced just outside the city borders.
The persistent public outcry prompted exposes and investigations that revealed just how bad conditions were.
It was truly a tale of two cities.
Within the city, union requirements guaranteed breaks and enforcement of safety regulations.
But just outside it was a different story.
According to Jamie Bradburn, who wrote for the Toronto Historicist in 2010, “workers on suburban projects faced conditions that included lack of proper sanitation, poor safety inspections, illegal withholding of vacation pay, unpaid overtime, cheques that often bounced, and groundless threats of deportation. The coroner’s inquest determined that callous management, incompetent foremen, inexperienced workers, a disorganized rescue, and inefficiency at the Department of Labour caused the disaster... Though no criminal charges were ultimately laid, the sacrifice of the five men at Hogg’s Hollow brought about improvements in the conditions that had led to their demise.”
January 11 - Battle of the Running Bulls
January 10 - The Rise of Settlement Houses
January 9 - Courts Stand Against Workers
January 8 - Oil Workers Walk Out Across the Country
January 7 - Tragic Youngstown Massacre
January 6 - Remembering Ida Tarbell
January 5 - Ohio First to Enact Black Laws
January 4 - Standing Up by Sitting Down
January 3 - The Power of Folded Arms and Marching Feet
January 2 - A Nation Fed Up, Strikes Back
January 1 - Transit Workers Push Back
December 31 - The Fight for Safer Working Conditions
December 30 - The Day Mines Were Made Safer
December 29 - The Day Work Was Made Safer
December 28 - Heroes in Space
December 27 - Musicians Fight Back
December 26 - Garment Workers Rise Up
December 25 - Debs Released; Real Gift is His Message
December 24 - A Christmas Eve Beating for Striking Workers
December 23 - The High Cost of Low Wages
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