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08/27/08 |
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A couple weeks after arriving home from California, I got a job at the Otis Steel Company in Cleveland. I was assigned to the Plate Mill at Lakeside and 33rd St. and told to report for work that same night at 11:30 P.M. In doing so, I returned to the night shift that I hated and had abandoned that hot and humid September night in 1934. As much as I dreaded working the night shift, I accepted it. |
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But all had changed. They were looking for a trainee in the upholstery department. They told me, that as a "springer", I would work only 3 days per week and I would only be paid for "piece work". I would nail webbing to the chair, install the springs onto the webbing, and then tie the springs down with strong twine. As a trainee I would earn a few cents for a small chair and a little more for larger chairs. The completed chairs would be returned to stock. Not until the company received new orders, would they be upholstered. Finally, I was told that I would earn very little until I became a skilled springer and a fast worker. With foreboding, I accepted their offer. The most unpleasant feature of springing chairs was throwing a handful of dusty tacks into my mouth and retrieving one tack at a time with my magnetic hammer. Often, when nailing the webbing, a single tack would get lodged between my teeth. The nailing stopped: spitting out the filthy tacks, I concentrated on removing the lodged tack from my mouth. After getting another handful of tacks, I would blow the dust off quickly before throwing them into my mouth. It was a most distasteful job. Is it any wonder this trainee did not become a quick learner or a fast worker? In the first two weeks, after working six days, I received a check for $2.10. After a couple months, I was able to complete a chair in the morning, and another in the afternoon, almost doubling my pay. But compared to the $40 per week I had earned two summers ago, it was depressing to continue this job as a springer. A dim future loomed. After 5 months, I was able to escape from this job of springing chairs. Through Fred Romito, who used to be our next-door neighbor on West Monroe, I began working at Stalwart Rubber. Freddie worked in the office. In that year the company operated out of the barn behind the owner's home in Maple Heights. Mr. Herman Osborn and his wife Ada were the owners. The company produced rubber gaskets, tubing, and garden hose. I was assigned to a machine that extruded garden hose, and for me, it was better than throwing those dusty tacks in my mouth. Two weeks later, our family was struck with a terrible tragedy. We were devasted, as was Uncle Ben and his family. A passenger train killed, instantly, his son Bennie and my brother Johnnie. This bizarre tragedy shocked Bedford. It happened on the Friday afternoon of July 8th 1932. |
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My brother Johnnie and his five cousins went down to the Bedford Glens to play in the amusement park. As they were about to head home, the boys found some old bread and rubbed it into the girls' hair. So the three girls ran ahead and took a short cut to Uncle Ben's house. Nearing the Pennsylvania Railroad Bridge, they climbed up the embankment, crossed over the pair of railroad tracks, walked along side for a short distance and then went down the embankment on the other side. The boys climbed up onto the tracks where they heard the shrieking whistle of an approaching passenger train. Bennie and Johnnie, facing the train, decided to stand "safely" on the other tracks and let the train rush past them on the tracks to their left. Perhaps they were trying to show how brave they could be. But as the train clamored closer, Bennie's brother, Donald, left them there and ran down the embankment. With all eyes trained on the fast approaching southbound train, how could they know that another passenger train was fast approaching from the opposite direction? They heard the thunderous noise of the train rushing towards them, but not that of the train coming from behind. In the few seconds that it took for the two trains to pass, we lost our brother and our cousin. The Cleveland News, an afternoon paper, ran an "extra" that day with this headline: Pennsy Flyer Crushes Lads. The next day both the Cleveland Press and the Cleveland Plain Dealer featured the tragedy on their front pages. The following excerpts are from The Plain Dealer: "Two Bedford boys were killed at the Powers Rd. crossing of the Pennsylvania Railroad at 5:30 last night when they stepped from the path of a passenger train directly into that of another bound for Cleveland. The two were Benjamin De Pompei, 13, of 594 Broadway, and his cousin John Pallotta, 12, of 16 Franklin St. who were going to the De Pompei home with other cousins after an afternoon spent at Bedford Glens and in the Metropolitan Park. The watching children on the stairs saw the train hit both boys. One body fell on the track, the other struck an iron post. Neither engineer was aware of the accident, Bedford police said, as neither train stopped. Both bodies were mangled. The group of children had gone to the parks to entertain the Rongone girls, 10 and 12, visiting at the De Pompei home. The boys were pupils in the Bedford grade schools."
During the following 3 days it seemed that everyone in town converged upon Uncle Ben's home. The two closed caskets lay in the front living room. All our relatives, neighbors, friends, and townspeople came to share our grief. The funeral service was held on Monday, July 11th with burial at Calvary Cemetery in Cleveland. The four witnesses to the accident were Pearl and Molly Rongone from Cuyahoga Falls and Bennie's sister Anita, and his brother Donald. All four had scampered safely down the embankment. Fortunately, 11-year-old Rudolph was not with them. He was in Cleveland with my mother and sister Frances, who were buying him new shoes. After the funeral, I returned to Stalwart's. It was fortunate that I had this new job to occupy my time and thoughts. Garden hose was the mainstay of the company. It was made in the fall and winter months, and then sold on consignment to Sears and other department stores. We worked a 12-hour shift (from 6:00 P.M. to 6:00 A.M.), six nights a week for $16.00, about 22 cents per hour. But Mr. Osborn only gave us half of our pay. We had to wait until April to get the other half. When Sears paid him, he was able to make a lump sum payment to us. We didn't mind the wait because at least we were working. A few months later, after Thanksgiving, I went to the Bedford Theater to see "The Last Mile" with Preston Foster. He played the role of a prisoner on death row. As he started walking to the execution chamber, I was unable to control my tears and burst out crying. Getting up, I hurried out into a light rain, which turned into a heavy downpour. Darting under a storefront alcove, alone in the dark, I cried hard. After unburdening my pent-up feelings of sadness over Johnnie's death, the rain let up, and I hurried home. In November, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, in a landslide victory, was elected President. The Democratic Party, with a huge majority, took over Congress. The worldwide Depression was wrecking havoc, spreading its misery and fear everywhere. Our government was paralyzed. Due to his overwhelming defeat, President Herbert Hoover was helpless to do anything. And President-elect Roosevelt could do nothing until he assumed office on March 3, 1933. In the interim, chaos set in. Poverty was widespread. Unemployment was at 25% - an all-time high. Federal Welfare did not exist. For many youths who quit school early to seek work, education ceased. Only a fortunate few graduated from High School. And yet, there was no increase in criminality or violence. I know there was a special kind of glue that held us together. There was a sense of belonging to one family, to one neighborhood, and to our hometown. There was a sense of duty and discipline. It was this bond that brought about the mutual respect to each - in our family, in our neighborhood, and in our community. When you are all in the same boat, you don't want it to sink. At the 1932 Democratic National Convention, Franklin Delano Roosevelt electrified the nation by flying to Chicago to accept the nomination. That had never been done before. It was an omen of what innovations were to follow. In his radio address, he said: "I pledge myself to a "new deal" for the American people". Earlier in a commencement address at Oglethorpe University, in Georgia, he said: "The country needs and demands bold, persistent experimentation. It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something. We need enthusiasm, imagination, and the ability to face facts bravely, even unpleasant facts. We need the courage of the young." On March 4th in his first inaugural address to the nation he said: "This great nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. Let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear - is fear itself. Our greatest primary task is to put people to work. There is no unsolvable problem if we face it wisely and courageously. There are many ways to achieve our goal, but if we only think and talk about it, we won't get there. We must act, and act quickly. The people of the United States have registered a mandate that they want direct, vigorous action. They have asked for discipline and direction under leadership. In the spirit of the gift, I take it." Roosevelt's message was a tonic for our nation. He lifted my spirit. I loved his words, caressed his ideas, and agreed wholeheartedly. He would be my new hero. And the philosophy of politics would become my new passion. Taking charge after his inauguration, President Roosevelt declared an emergency and closed all banks nationwide. With advice from his brain trust and the consent of Congress, he took bold action, enacting the following:
When the NRA, NLRB, and The Wagner Labor Relations ACT were passed, the effect on my employer, Stalwart's was immediate. This new legislation brought about the 40-hour week, overtime pay, the minimum wage, and the right of unions for collective bargaining. Overnight, I went from working 72 hours a week to only 40, and from a 12-hour night shift to only 8 hours, and with no decrease in pay. I was overwhelmed with joy. Now, I had more time, for reading, bowling, movies and plays. But it didn't last long. September 9th, the fateful day of my departure was fast approaching. Hugo P. Cipriani |
