Moving scenes as delegates gathered in Cleveland, Ohio for the first Marine Transport Workers Industrial Union convention march to the Lake Erie waterfront to deposit a packet of Joe Hill’s ashes in March, 1917.

‘Marine Workers Scatter Joe Hill’s Ashes in Lake Erie’ from Solidarity. Vol. 8 No. 377. March 31, 1917.

Cleveland, O., March 25, 1917. The Convention of the M.T.W.U called to order by Fellow-worker Clarence Edwards, Fellow-worker George Carey of Toledo was elected chairman of the First Convention at the Marine Transport Workers, fellow-worker W.M. O’Donnell, Cleveland, O., was elected recording secretary. Resolution committee: Fellow-workers Tom Jenkins, Osar Treat and H.W. Holberry. Audit committee Abe Holtsman, Albert Block and J. M. Slavick.

About 100 members are attending the meeting, for a baby so young looks good and healthy and will be able to stand alone before it is very old.

Fellow-worker Manning made a report on the strike at Ashtabula, as he has been sent back there to look after the strike.

During the afternoon session the delegates and members that are in Cleveland made the old town sit up and look. They marched to the city’s Ninth street pier and held a meeting there that attracted several thousand sightseers.

It was decided to distribute the ashes of Fellow-worker Joseph Hillstrom in the waters of Lake Erie. Fellow worker, Ben Klein furnished the ashes and at 4 P.M. the members marched to the pier and there held a meeting. The meeting being called to order by Fellow-worker George Carey, chairman of the M.T.W.I.U., who, after a few remarks, asked those assembled to sing some of Fellow-workers songs, “The Red Flag.” “The Rebel Girl.” “Hold the Fort” and several others being sung. Fellow-worker Carey then introduced the speaker, Fellow-worker H.L. Varney, who gave a “History of Fellow-worker’s Life,” detailing on the way that he murdered by the Salt Lake gunmen. He then explained why the Marine Transport Workers had assembled on the shore of Lake Erie on Sunday to carry out the last wishes of Fellow-worker Hill, and the benefits that the M.T.W.I.U. will be to the workers of the Great Lakes. For a short time he talked on the Everett, Wash., and other crimes of the capitalist on the workers.

By this time there were at least several thousand gathered on the pier to witness this ceremony and memorial to Fellow-worker Hill. There they stood with both eyes, ears and mouths open drinking in every word.

After Fellow-worker Varney read Fellow-worker Hill’s last Will and Poem, he walked to the edge of the pier and started to scatter the ashes in the lake, the crush of those assembled to see this part of the ceremony. Moving pictures were made of this and will be attached to the Joe Hill Reel at Headquarters.

It was one of the best propaganda meetings that has been held here in Cleveland for some time.

Many of the slaves coming to the members of the committee and asking about the organization and how to get application blanks; also where the meeting place was.

There was a large number of I.W.W. pennants and a large banner carried by the boys. Everything was pulled so quickly and quietly that even if the bulls and the police department would have wanted to stop us from using the pier, they did not have time to get the sleep out of their eyes until it was all over. The First Convention is still progress. But that is another story. Press Committee, M.T.W.U. Local No. 200, Cleveland, O.

The most widely read of I.W.W. newspapers, Solidarity was published by the Industrial Workers of the World from 1909 until 1917. First produced in New Castle, Pennsylvania, and born during the McKees Rocks strike, Solidarity later moved to Cleveland, Ohio until 1917 then spent its last months in Chicago. With a circulation of around 12,000 and a readership many times that, Solidarity was instrumental in defining the Wobbly world-view at the height of their influence in the working class. It was edited over its life by A.M. Stirton, H.A. Goff, Ben H. Williams, Ralph Chaplin who also provided much of the paper’s color, and others. Like nearly all the left press it fell victim to federal repression in 1917.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/solidarity-iww/1917/v8-w377-mar-31-1917-solidarity.pdf