William Gardiner, big shipbuilder on Fells Point, was having trouble. Some time before he had put down demands for higher wages in his yard by peremptorily hiring a number of colored mechanics and carpenters.
“And damned good mechanics!” he had pointedly informed his foreman. “Now you can tell those blasted micks, kikes and dagos they can leave any time they don’t like what we’re paying.”
Labor organizations were getting troublesome in Baltimore, but so far he had been fairly lucky in getting around them. He shuddered, however, looking into the bleak future. He’d better save all the money he could now by hiring more cheap niggers.
The white workers had swallowed their disappointment. Some of the more skilled did leave, swearing vengeance, but most of them hung on to their jobs.
“If we could only kill off these niggers!”
They did what they could, seriously injuring several, and bided their time.
Their chance came when Gardiner ambitiously contracted to build two large man-of-war vessels, professedly for the Mexican government. It was a rush job. The vessels were to be launched in August. Failure to do so would cause the shipbuilder to forfeit a very considerable sum of money. Work was speeded up. Some of the blacks were given jobs requiring the highest skill.
Then, all at once, the white carpenters swore they would no longer work beside the freedmen.
William Gardiner saw his money sinking to the bottom of Chesapeake Bay. Frantic, he appealed to his friend and associate, Hugh Auld. The small shipbuilder was flattered. Gardiner was a powerful man. Mr. Auld took the matter under consideration and came up with a solution.