10:30 am: A delegation from the pro-strike veterans meet with Mayor Gray and Minister Robinson at the Royal Alexandra Hotel to try to reach a compromise about today's planned march.
The Veterans plan to march from City Hall to the Royal Alex, (where they hope Robertson will address them), and then on to the Citizens' Committee headquarters.
The Mayor advises that such a march is against the proclamation of a few days before and that force could be used to break it up. The delegation would only agree to call off the march if the strike ended by 2 pm and the streetcars planned to run that day are taken off-track.
No resolution is found.
1:45 pm: Police Chief Newton contacts Mayor Gray at the hotel to say that a large crowd is gathering.
The mayor advises him to inform Commissioner Perry of the RNWMP and have his, and Perry's, men on the streets.
2:30 pm: At Main and William a large crowd is gathered waiting to form the march.
A streetcar travels from the north through the crowd. Angered, given the symbolism of the streetcar service, they surround it but the car makes it past.
Moments later, another car travelling north is not so lucky. It is pulled from it's wires and trashed. Unable to overturn it, the streetcar is set on fire.
Meanwhile, the NWMP had set up near Portage and Main and start off on their first, slow, pass through the crowd. Some insults are hurled, and a missile or two, but it is uneventful.
On the return pass from James Street back toward Portage one officer's horse trips on the bumper of the streetcar. The officer is dragged and a member of the crowd begins to attack him. At this point, officers draw their weapons.
2:35 pm: Mayor Gray, looking on from the balcony at City Hall, reads the riot act and gives the crowd 30 minutes to depart. As he turns to go back in the sound of the first shot is heard - the RNWMP fire a volley in the air.
At that point, chaos breaks out. Some in the crowd are frightened and stampede for safety. Some fights break out with police on foot, missiles are hurled at those on horseback and more shots are fired.
2:45 pm: The Mayor leaves for Fort Osborne Barracks to ask Ketchen to send in the militia: cavalry and machine gun mototorized units.
Slowly, but surely, the troops would clear the streets. A combination of the military, special constables and RNWMP would stay on guard until midnight.
That day there were a number of people shot and injured and scores arrested, the full extent of which would not be known until later in the day.
sequence of events from Confrontation at Winnipeg
