Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1877-07-27
The Strike at Chicago.
Correspondence of New York Herald

CHICAGO, July ~, 100
The crisis came this morning, and Chicago
heaved great sigh Of relief as the day wore on
without the dreaded scenes Of violence, anticips-
ton of which has kept the city in turmoil oil
panic and fear for the last four days. As was
predicted in last nights dispatches, the trouble
began among the employees at the Michigan
| Southern Railway, and when once begun spread
rapidly till the men Of nearly every road IN the
| city were involved in the strike. The men en-
ployed in and around the yards Of the Michigan
Central Railroad struck Upon being interrogat-
ed this forenoon Mr.. II. c. Wentworth, general
passenger and ticket agent, stated that all the
men, from car washers to engineers, and inciud-
ing switchmen, brskemen fremen and freight
handlers, in fact all except the men handbag
/ passenger trains, had struck.
now THE STRIKE WAS INAUGCRATEp.
A committee appointed for the purpose by the
men waited upon the officials and asked that their
former wages be restored. The general superin-
tendent refused to accede to THEN demand, where
upon the committee retired, and soon after the
men left the yard. The company have not sent
out any freight trains, and will not send out any,
nor will any be received and all work has ceased.
| The crowd, composed of some 500 Michigan
Central and Illinois Central men, then started IN
procession to visit the other yards and enforce
strike. They proceeded first TO the Baltimore and
Ohio, where the men fell in readily and without
much persuasion. The crowd of bowling men
and boys then marched to the Rock Island yard,
between Fifteenth and Sixteenth streets, where
they took the men off their engines and told them
they must quit. The mob shut the water of the
tanks aud when everything fixed TO suit them
they started for the Chicago, burlington and
Quincy. Here the men did not Offer the most
feeble resistance, but LETT their engines ami
switches at the word of command from the mob.
Tie agent OF the Rock Island freight house shut
the doors at their approach, but was soon com
PEELED TO open them again. Inc crowd visited
the Chicago and Alton freight depot, but were
met by the men of that road who had quit the
company, having stopped the traffic, both passen.
ger and freight. Tue crowd scattered then into
small parties, one of whom numbering about five
huDdIedi marched north TO Van Buren,, across the
bridge TO Market street, stopping al the stone
ward of j. l.. Bush, where there were about
thirty five men AT work. They tried TO persuade
the men to ION them, but they refused, saying
that they were satisfied; that MIR. Bush was pay
ing them all he could stfJrd-s2 per day. Some
loud talk vas iLdulged in, butthe stone men were
firm; so the crowd left, dwindng away as they
struggled along.
IN THE LUMBER DISTRICT.
At about nine o'clock tins morning a party of
boys and men marched along Twenty second
street, through the lumber yards and the vicinity
OF the plsnng mills. They carried a banner in
scribed, "Justice aud IIberty-Grand Mass Meet
ing This Evening" They went to the sash, door
and blind factory of Palmer, Fuller q Co and
asked TO be allowed to 60 through the shop and
talk with the workmen. This request was re-
| fused, whereupon some threats were made by diff
| ferent members of the striking party. Finally
the proprielors told them they would stop work
at once and let them talk with their workmen out
side. AT hstp past nine, work stopped. The
! Chicago Planning Mill Company also stopped work.
| Duiour Brothers X Rowes planning mil closed at
noon. The Union Planning Mill Company, tess,
Phillips Il Co. and g. W. Pickney 4 Co. were not
visited by the strikers, though they passed along
running, and purpose to go on until they are com
PEELED TO shut down.
THE LUMBER YARDS.
There is as yet no trouble in the lumber yards
or the docks A portion Of the crowd that
gathered first at the switch yards marched west
on Sixteen street to Blue Island avenue, up the
latter to llalstead, and then marched back and
forth in that vicinity for hours, demanding the
men should quit work.
CROWD OF DEAD BEATS.
! These men and boys were not the aggrieved
| railroad men, they were mere roughs, loaiers and
dead beats. They made their first onset upon
Wilson's packing house at that point. The labor
inside did not want to stop; they were getting
on an average Sl60 a day, but Mr.. Wilson, see.
| ing that the mob were determined to have their
| own way or cause destruction of property, told
the men TO stop. When they assembled on the
outside of the house he made them speech, de-
claring that he would never ask man to work
| for less than Sl.50. The men cheered him hear
tily, and said that they would that no harm
was done him; that they would come back As
soon as they could.
From Wilson's the crowd went north on the
canal, stopping every kind of work
Among the larger works which the mob stopped
were the Excelsior Iron Works, National Boiler
Works, Greenebsum's Iron and Nail Works, c.
G.. DixOns Wood Moulding Company and the
Chicago Die and Machine Works. There
some gun stores near Crane Brothers, into which
some OF the roughs entered, but were disappont-
ed on finding that the means of killing had been
removed.
ACTION OF THE AUTHORITIES.
The most careful preparations have been made
for the protection of the lives and property of the
citizens from violence. Should any ensue, the
Grand Army OF the Republic has been notified TO
be in readiness. Colonel Carroll and General
Beam issued q call this F. NJ. for a meeting OF
the Veteran Club at the Grand Pacific Hotel 10
night. The First and Second regiments Illinois
State Guard and the Ellsworth Zouaves are quar-
tered at their armories. Two companies OF in
antry have been detailed to guard the West Side
Waterworks. A large number of special police
men have been sworn 10 and put on duty.
An Incident of the riot at Pittsburgh. special
despatch from Pittsburgh to the New York Times
relates the following:
An incident worth mentioning was the attempt
of the Roman Catholic Bishop Tuigg to make a
speech TO the mob this afternoon. He was ap-
pointed on the committee by the meeting of citi-
zens TO counsel with the mob, and when mounted
on chair on the front platform of passenger
car, began to advise the men to dsperse quietly
to their homes. kettle full of tar was set baz-
ing under his nose, and the crowd treated him to
a running fire of rude remarks, some of them not
at all complimentary to his reverence. man Of
great nerve, he was not to be inundated, and