The city was suffering from an economic crisis. Eventually scores of people lost their jobs and this led to the massive demonstrations and rallies. These became violent and led to confrontations with authorities. The mob consisted of around 4 000 men, who were said to be "a rabble made up chiefly of foreigners". The mob marched through the manufacturing district of the city, called "The Flats" armed with clubs and stones. Much property was destroyed, but they were ultimately taken down by the police. Men with flags shouted to the crowd to encourage them to join the riots, but only about a dozen boys joined them. The square was abandoned as the mob marched on. The crowd was "hooting and jeering those who didn't join them."