noon
It was the evening of the last day in the month ; the day when the Federative Council of Railway Workers had sent its ultimatum to Receiver Guilford . The reduction in wages was to go into effect at midnight : if , by midnight , the order had not been rescinded , and the way opened for a joint conference touching the removal of certain obnoxious officials , a general strike and tie-up would be ordered . Trains in transit carrying passengers or United States mail would be run to their respective destinations ; trains carrying perishable freight would be run to division stations : with these exceptions all labor would cease promptly on the stroke of twelve . Such was the text of the ultimatum , a certified copy of which Engineer Scott had delivered in person into the hands of the receiver at noon . It was now eight forty-five P.M. . The east-bound night express was ready for the run to A. & T. Junction ; the fast mail , one hour and thirty-five minutes late from the east , was backing in on track nine to take on the city mail . On track eight , pulled down so that the smoke from the engine should not foul the air of the train-shed , the receiver 's private car , with the 1010 for motive power and `` Red '' Callahan in the cab , had been waiting since seven o'clock for the order to run special to Gaston .