Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-03-17
The Engineers Strike at
Chicago.
Abandonment Of Work on Differ
ent Railroads.
The Full Particulars,

quite likely to result in serious interruption
to the travelling facilities Of these roads. We
condense from the accounts Of the Chiesgo
Tribune and the Chicago Times the full de-
tails Of this anomalous strike" Of engi-
neers.
The difficulty had its origin in 8 dispute
between the engineers and managers Of the
Galena and Chicago Railroad Company.
The Company had agreed to pay three dol
lars day to the engineers but subsequently,
adopted = schedule, imposing labOrs in the
shops when the engineers were not engaged
upon the road, and also requiring certain
trips to be considered ss days work, and
fixing the price thereof at from three to three
dollars and half. The engineers considered
this practically reduction of the three dol
lsrs Per day system, inssmuch as it imposed
extra labor, some Of the trips requiring hf-
teen hours and also commended that on other
roads engineers were not required to leave
their engines and perform work elsewhere.
Accordingly, at noon on the fourth instant,
the engineers abandoned their engines in q
body, and were iOIded by other engineers Is
fast as they arrived. Notwithstanding
this, the Galona and Chicago Union Company
managed to receive engineers and keep their
road in operation. Satisfied of the impOssi-
bility of bringing the management Of the
Galena and Chicago Union Railroad to their
terms by simply refusing to run Its trains,
the " Brotherhood Of the FoOtbosrd," )" an or
ganiEation Of engineers similar in its ehsrac-
ter to the Trades Unions" among other
mechanics, caused meeting of railroad en-
gineers from various roads to be held in
Chicago on Thursday last.
By authority of that meeting, circular
was sent to the supsrintsndsnts of the vari-
Gus railroads, requesting them to use their
influence to induce the managers of the Ga
lena and Chicago Union Railroad Company
to reseind the obroxious schedule and re-
osive back its engineers. The circular con-
cIudes with the following startling announce
ment:
"If such an arrangement is not speedily
effected, we have been instructed by the diff
ferent divisions Wo represent to-day, that
inaSmuch as our interests and the interests
of the engineers on the Galens and Chicago
Union Railroad are identical, and, as We bo-
lieve this is q direct attack upon the engi-
neers as q class, they would sustain the en-
gineers on the Gslena and Chicago Union
Railroad in their efforts to persuade the off,
GERS of said road to still adhere to their agree
ment of January 1st, 1854, at the sacrifice,
if necessary, of their positions as engineers /;
In, Il. Al
here assembled unanimously adopted the
following resolution:
"fResolVed, That If the present difficulty
Is not anieably settled by Tuesday, the 18th
instant, At y o'clock noon, We will, after ar
| irving at the terminal stations of our roads
with passenger trains, leave our engines,
and will consider that our services are no
longer rsquirei BY the company"
This circular is signed by some twenty en-
ginssrs, belonging to tho different roads ad-
dressed
The Superintsndents Of the Michigan
Southern, the Chicago and Milwaukee, the
Northwestern, the Rock Island, the Chicago
and st. Louis, and the Illinois Central Roll
roads received copies Of the circular. The
officers Of the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and
Chicago, the Cincinnati and Chicago Air
Line, the MiOhigsn Central, and the Chicago,
Burlington and Quincy Companies have re-
OeiVed no intimatiOn of the proposed aban-
donment.
To this the Michigan Southern road re-
piled that they had the greatest confidence
in and respect for their enginsers, but that
they could not undertake to dictate to the
Galsna company in matters entirely beyend
their control, that they protested against the
demand, and that they had no alliance
or connection with any other roads, in refer
ence to any relations between them and their
engineers. The Superintendent of the other
roads returned similar answers.
The strike, however, went into operation
on Tuesday, but was only partial, and prom
ises to be but temporary.
All trains on the Illinois Central were
stopped st noon Tuesday, save the evening
Hyde Park accommodation. The supsrin-
tendent has paid of all his engineers. Until
tho road is again supplied with engineers
none but day trains will be sent out. A
freight train will also be sent south on this
road this evening. Twenty-Five engineers
have HIresdy been secured, and will be set
to work ct once. There are threats of vio-
lsnos at Centralis, but Gen. Reid has sent
guard to protect the railroad.
The engineers on the Chicago and Rock
Island road refuse to run freight trains bat
run passenger and small trains.
The freight trains on the Michigan South
ern Railroad which ought to have left Tues
day afternoon Wsrs detained for want of
engineers. The $40 P. n. passenger train
was sent out BY anenginesr sent up iaeogaitv
from Toledo for that purpose, and the later
train by one Of the old engineers. It Is
rumored that so far as this road is concerned |
the matter has been rsconsidered by the en-
gineers and that they would return to duty |
yesterday.
Passenger trains left yesterday morning |
and evening as usual. We got yesterday |
mornings Chicago papers last evening.
The engineers Of the Chicago and St. Louis
railroad all abandon their positions. Those
Of the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago,
Cincinnati and Chicago Air Line, Michigan
Central, ohicsgo and Milwaukee, North
Western, and Chicago, Burlington and
Quincy Railroads, who contemplated joining
in the movement, had reeonEidsred their In
tentions.
A number of engineers are already on
their way from the East for the Galena and
Chicago Union Railroad, and more will fol-
low for other roads.
We are pleased to see that the prsss of