The New York herald., 1877-11-14
The New York Stone MasonS Join
the London Strikers.
They Have Neither Gas Nor
Butter.
NEW YORK PREFERRED TO LONDON
A Novel Way of Making "a Labor
ing Mans Pleasure Tour"
LONDON, Oct. 80. 1877.

is daily becoming more complicated and amusing.
Thrco months ago the London stonecutters who
were employed on the new Temple buildings close
by tho Thames Embankment, struck TOR higher
wages and for fewer hours OF labor. They had
been receiving nine pence eighteen ccnts) an
hour. They demanded ten pence twenty cents)
an hour, and that each working day be reduced TO
eight hours. Tho employers refused. and two months
later an advertisement appeared IN the New York
papers asking tor stonecuters to go to England and
work ior nncpcnce an hour Atter some delay ffty-
eight men we're engaged aud on tho 10,h OF October
they embarked Tor England in tho steamer Elysia
paper TO the following effect was signed by zach
workngman:-
Memorandgm oragroemsn. entered into between Thomas
the said Thomas Brien being good and efficient
hn s 10
and suh;cea oos to work with. and to remain in his
~ the sad stanley Bird to employ the said
for the torn six months from date OF beginning
OcropER O. 1877
THOMAS O'BRIRS Workman
jABEz ABBOTT. Agent for Employer
Appended to another similar document held ~
Agent Abbott was clause TO the effect that each
agreed TO allow Contractor Bird to hold his tools until
tho passage money and other for tho voyage
wero paid at the ratio OF three shillngs per week Tor
six months.
ARRIVAL IN LONDON.
Mr.. Booth of the nrm OF contractors, met the
stone cutting pilgrims at Gravcsend aud brought them
TO Temple pier, where they were to work. Quarters
wcrc assigned thcm at the Sussex Hotel, which is
kind OF New YORK Fourth ward den, whero lighting and
drinking are the features OF tho place. rho newly
arrived mon seemed well pleased, however and
on reaching the hotel they cheered the contractor
and expressed their readiness to begin work the
following morning. He loft them jubilant But ho
had hardly reached his carriage before picked men,
bers OF tho Masons' Committee OF the London
Trades Union swarmed into the house and began
to untold moving tale OF their wrongs The Ameri-
can heart was soon won, and on that very night the
guests accompanied their new friends in a body to
their headquarters ut the Sun Inn. There the cause
OF the strike was explained In suoA a way that tho
Americans declared that they had been deceived They
sud they knew little or nothing about the troubles
when they signed the contract 10 go 10 London,
and they seemed to get entirely now ideas OF
situation before them A meeting was held the next
ginning work as tney mad promised, the Americans at
tended the meeting At It's close nty two OF nty-
eight Americans signed the roll OF the Masons' Lon
don Union. The society promised 10 give them
'clear card" showing that they were members In
good standing aud also TO pay them ..strkers'
wages three shlhngs (sevsnty-nve cenis) day while
they were idle. Most oil the New Yorkors seemed
highly pleased with tho outlook, but few OF the
thoughtful repented Of their haste and notwlhstand-
ing the fact that they had sgued the rolls they
quietly won't 10 work as they had promised to do in
New York three weeks before.
The present situation 10 as follows:-rhIrteen men
are at work. Somo OF the strikers are IN the city
drawing seveniy-hv cents day. while others have
gone 10 ireland and Scotland 10 find work under the
protection OF the union, which pays their travelling
expenses from London. Mr. Booth. tho contractor,
says that ho has forty route from the States
sixiy coming from Canada and loo on their way from
southern Germany.
rHE AMERICANS INTERVIEWED.
The HERALD correspondent has interviewed several
OF 1.-THE Americana and their stories picturesque
ana ana amusing An Intelligent New Yorker, Of Thr,y-
complaints 10 make HIS employer was as good a
man as he had ever worked Tor and he proposed
to stand ny his agreement and work through tho
winter or at least long should receive his wages
and be properly treated The men wero poor ard
without money. They had given their tools us Sc
curty tor Their passage, aud thcy could get con-
troll Of them until they HAD worked long enough to
pay for their reiease. he udmitteu that he had
signed the Union roll on the rs night OF hts ARRIVAL
but be claimed tho right to cnange his nina, aud he
said that II ihe strikers were wise they would not
terfere with those who did not agree with them. In
regard TO the general complaints made about their
iare aud treatment board tho Eysia, of
the Anchor Line steamship Company he said that the
accommodations were poor, the ventilation bad and
the food, insufficient lhrty-two oil the men were put
"boiow'' in,o what he called the "hoid' and quar-
tered 10 places where cattle and sheep had recQ tIy
been transported the rest were assigned "ntcrme-
diale" quarers. But there was not room for the
TO exercise during bad weather and the bunks wcre
temporarily nailed up SO closely together that
there was scarcely space ior tho men TO
hsy had oSy Drsac ooss ssay sna Oue we
Five meals were not served, as on English passenger
steamers For dinner they had poor soup aud pota-
the fourteen days of passage, except during threo
days, when fresh meat was gwen them. supper con.
sisted OF tea and brcad and butter. On sundays and
Thursdays plum dun wDs served All OF the
speak Of the iiving as scant aud poor.
WORK.
Tho masons begin work O'Clock In tho
ing. At eight O'Clock they stop half hour tor break
fast, which brought from the hotel IL consists OF
cold meat, bread aud coffee and butter II the meat
runs out before the meal Is finished. The breakfast Is
served and eaten on single plate. Al noon the
are allowed ono hour 10 20 to their noiols for
afternoon, though any one can put extra time and
Work by gasllghL as the labor is performed under
Ono Of tho SAID that the real reason why
they came 10 Eng and Was that they had
nothing to do IN New York during the winter,
while the cost o iving there 10 hgD aud the weather
and coal expensive. They thought the Jour-
ney hither would be KIND OF winter pleasure trip.
The English climate Is warm, aud they AZ least would
be aolc 10 earn good living and see something OF Tho
European world.
BAD REPUTATION
But am sorry to say that these sensible views are
not Eed By all OF the rcvoldtionsts They sit around
ia the close barrooms; they pull thor siouch hats
thor eyes and the that they lcit Now
York. spent Two or three days in trying To md
some OF the representative strikers. but the be-
lin the bar said That he saw itte of the aHa M er.
hi Sins. Tbey did not 'comc In" until about three
ocl ck IN the morning, and then they went early.
Iie supposcd that they were drunk most OF tho time
from What he saw OF tnom.
Al UNHAPPY MASON.
Al the Hotel Sussex a young man was found who
ived ~ lhiadelphih. Al nrst he was quite silent,
but when he became Convinced that was AN Amerl-
can he awoke from his dumb nt OF suspicion and pro-
cccdcd 70 uhposom niHiscif IN bitter He said
that II ne had known the real facts concerning the
London strike he would never have saiied.
w hero wero you bora Y' askcd
I'm ENGLAND, but went TO America very young,
CoRREsroSDESr-Wha Is the chicf com plant you
have 10 make.
AMERICAN LABoRER--0i the deception which was
practiscd on us. WHAT tho he'll dld we know about
the value o. "nlncpencoS' Tboy told us that wa
were TO 10 paid nincpcnce nm hour ana thought
IL would purchase nucn moro than eighteen cents
would buy ia New York. But il costs us to 1--we
here than IN America. We work longor and have less
to eat
CHRONIC GRuMBLER.
CoRkEsPOSDESr--How do they iced your
AmEKicAS LABoRER-Thcy put iitio bread and
meat on one plate and charge twenty-five cents tone
shingl Tor II. We have no butter Tho bread s
poor victuais IL peddcd 10 while we are At work,
aud u largo piece OF bread Is accidentally offered
they pull II back again ~ tho hotels tho beds
poor, ana they havo no springs. They give US
candle 10 read by Ia rooms. There
~ no Rns nor none tho conycniC nccs
such us we have at home Expenses higher and
wages cheaper. The climate Is against US Wcdo not
feel IKE working under such sky AS they have here
Ia England. have hoard great deal about hno
weather. but We havn't seen II yet don't ike the
uttfr pAr sno ltvp