New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-07-20
MI ,EGRAPHERS ON STRIKE.
THE THREATS CARRIED INTO EFFECT.

IL
COMPANIES QUIT WORK.
The threatened strike of telegraph operators
..ol nlace about noon yesterday. In tins city
No employes OF the Bankers and Merchants
Con,nanv we're the only ones who did not JON
J. ,be strike. BY calling in operators from
.ho branch offices and having the men
~ aoube duty, the Western Union was
sMa TO transact large amount Oh
ILLNESS. although messages were only received
"s:oot ous: n delay. The smaller companies
1,, e"a seriously crippled. The strikers
Ia meeting and expressed surprise
"a satisfaction at the unanimity with
~hcb the strike had gone into effect
western Union officers say that the company
,;Il NOT retreat from its position. The strike
,ras General throughout the United States and
Canada.
rur STRIKE OF THE WESTERN UNION MEN.
,v.v1SG THEIR DESKS IN AN ORDERLY MANNER AT
THE PREARRANcED SIGNAL
The last work done by the Executive COMMITTEES
II the brotherhood of Telegraphers after Its all
Sov,s session of Wednesday was to prepare the
~r,er for the STRIKE which began all over tho
Ir,,,ea States and Canada yesterday. The order
nos cent ont IN cipher by John Campbell of Pitts
hurg District Master Workman. who is the chief
a~acn,,ve officer of the Brotherhood. thread, when
translated, as follows:
un,a.. otherwise instructed all members working for
the Western Union Telegraph Company, the Baltimore
anu p;d Tscsrsph Company, the Great Northwestern
TsieSraph Company of Canada, and the Mutual Union
1To@p,y at ia O'Clock noon washington time Thurs
day July 49, Commitno unlawf act ny oT1el n VI S"0
The fact that an order had been issued was
known to the Western Union officials and
the newspapers several hours before noon,
and dispatches from Chicago to the news
naners about 10 q. N. fixed noon as the time
sf the beginning of the strike there Nevertheless,
there were no indications of excitement either In
The executive offices or the operating room
AFINAL APPEAL FROM THE EMPLOYEES.
pGeneral Eckert about $3.50 a m. received the final
communication from the District Master Workman.
II was as follows:
sranb operaiors susmt ed to your consideration petit
ton ntrusted them for presentation 10 you ey .e
doubts as to the authority of that committee to
speak for the employees OF your company, ana paTe T
Cowry General superintendent, discoses to the public
the fact that you were informed OF ne narS OF & ySer
ordinary Circumstances, it would require bu! short
time 10 arrive at conclusion az , 70 NM ,bi psfteT
had been thoroughly discussed long before we
.r1 Saq 9eS1 Sn 'a dne to the You represent
onr and particularly to the general public
fIat this maj ter be speedily adjusted and that the re-
sponsbty of any future action may rest where t prop
ery belongs. IL Is with an earnest ueslre ior tnc n
mcnio1s settlement OF difficulties and regard for the
socaI and business interests people that send
appeal for the recognition OF the rights anu re-
dress Of the grievances Of your empi0ysS very re'
spectfuuy, ,,,t Jons 49,, - An unrE1on
To Mr. THoMAsT ECKERT, General Manager and Acting
President Western Union Telegraph Company
Pursuing his policy of ignoring all communica-
tions unless they came from the employees OF the
Western Union Company, General Eckert paid no
attention TO this letter and neither he nor his as
soc,ates even mentioned its existence TO the re-
por.ers. Eleven o'clock arrived. Jay Gould had
dropped into General Eckerts room, con-
yersei with him for few minutes and
disappeared. Mr.. SOmerville, Mr. ll1mstone and
occasionally Mr.. Van Horne, walked from room to
room; now they dashed upstairs afoOt ana then
they rode sereney up in the elevators They ex-
changed an anxious LOOK for a smile wheneTer they
passed the waiting reporters In the cor
ridOT and spoke sceptcaliy about the Likelihood OF
strike
NO GRIEVANCES LAID BEFORE THE COMMITTEE.
Ex-Governor Cornell was tardy in his coming, and
the subcommittee of the directors of which ne Is
chairman did not sit down 10 work until 11:3O
a. III. Mr. Cornell, j. w. Clendenin and John L.
Terry then met to consider the complaints of in
equalitles of compensation or condition OF
service OF employees of the Western Union
was not to be hurried he was vice-president of
the company during the great strike of 1870, and
there was nothing in the situation to quicken his
blood The committee waited for complaints and
statements of grievances to come down from the
operating room. None came. Then the members
sent for the heads of departments and waited for
them to come in and complain. Mr. Humstone had
no complaint to make, and whlethey valniy waited
for aggneved ones to step outside OF their gan-
cation and formulate their own petition,
the sun reached the meridian at Wash
ington and the day of probation was
over. The committee adjourned till III a. m. to-
day, when" said Mr.. SomervIe, speaking for the
company they will continue their inquiry into
the alleged grievances OF Western Union en-
ployes"
SCENES IN THE OPERATING ROOM.
For at least an hour before the strike there was
su evident hustle of preparation about the operat-
mg-room and connecting rooms. Tie operating
loom is on the sixth floor of the Broadway and Dey-
1t. building. 1t extends along the Dey-st. side the
entire depth of the building. gallery runs along
the length of the Broadway front, and both the
gallery and the main floor are covered with tables
divided and equipped for four operators each. The
operators on the " heatstone automatic instruments
SIT at tables in the northeastern corner OF the room.
some Of the men having tables along the wall while
the women operators are seated further toward the
centre of the eastera end Of the room. The remain
ing tables, including those in the gallery arc oc-
supied by men. On the floor above the operating
rom are the Offices of the Associated Pess. and on
that below is the dressing for the male teleg-
raphers Between the three room Yesterday morn.
ing there a constant passing to an fro of opera
torsapparoutly carry ying messages aud signals Many
young women. with bright faces and dresses that
A Al ha linn star oIa
seemed 10 be making an unnecessary number of
trips between the sixth floor and the lower stOres
Communications passed at times between the oper
stngroo and the street, and frequent onierences
IN Subdued tones of conversation were held by
a..A