New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-08-03
WIRES ACTING BADLY.
WORK OF THE STORM AND THE STRIKERS
MUCH TROUBLE CAUSED IN ALL THE COMPANIES

complaint OF all telegraph companies yesterday as
the result of the STORM In addition to TINS unavod-
able annoyance the Western Union wires were still
further tempered with, numerous lines being cut,
crossed or grounded. it is alleged, by the striking
linemen to the serious detrIment of the service On
the Their hand. the strikers insisted that these
charges were unfounded being put forward by the
Western Union to cover up its inability 10 accom-
modate the demands Of the public. 1t was admitted
ct the Office of the company that, owing to the
combined difficulties caused by the storm and the
strikers, only twothirds ofthe usual facilities were
available From outside sources 1t was learned that
all the lines of the Western Union west from
New-York ceased working at p. NJ Ims
report was denied. as the rumor privately cir
cuated at the executive Offices OF the other COM
panies, that the operating room of the Western
Union was in a state of chaos General Eckert and
jay Gould spent over an hour In the operatiDgroom
in the afternoon where they were in consultation
with Traffic Manager Dealy The object of the
visit of these officials was explained TO be simply
~ to study the working of the Wheatstone system"
SERIOUS TROUBLE WITH TIE WIRES.
"Here of the things with which they are cross
ing our wires" said Manager Dealy. The " thing
referred to was piece of regular magnet or spider
wire, about yard in length one end being FAST
ened TO good-sized nail. 1t had been iouhd Dy
linemen engaged III looking for " trouble" at
s. f. Bogart at the request of Mr.. Deay, stated in
detail the points at which Western Union wires had
been tempered with. -Four wires" said
he "were crossed the Centre-st.
line at East Broadway. with five wires fastened to
spools; one wire at Washington and VestIy, ana
another at Washington and Dey SITS, was crossed
nine pieces of wire were placed on the line on
Nintla-ave. between Forty-second and One
hundred twenty fifth SITS; five pieces OF wire
were placed on the Gutenberg line over the hill
Our entire line was cut down for two sections at
West Hoboken, with twelve wires IN one line and
twenty eight in the other. This break located
with the galvanometer. All these cases have
mentioned occurred last night and were fixed to-
day Last night, also. the wires were crossed on
thirteen poles the other side of Paterson, extending
nearly half mile, our low grade wire TO the
West; there nine wires, all duplex or quadru-
plex They have evidently thought this would
stop large part of Our Western business. but our
circuits over the Erie and Midland made that all
good In all, we cleared 116 wires the day before
yesterday that had been cut or crossed, and ninety
four yesterday"
HAS tins sort of trouble continued to-dayr
was asked.
"Ths number to-day is legion. / have
counted 1O5 up to o'clock this afternoon.
Five pieces of wire were taken from what we call
the Atlantic and Pacific line between One-hundred
snd.tenth aud Observation-Disclosures sts, in
Harlem; four between Thirty.fourt and Fifty |
fifth sts East, the Long Island line the Broad
way loop line was crossed opposite No. IL by a |
wire dropped from roof; our cable box at the Gen.
tre-st. crossing, Newark. was Quilted between 10
m. and D. yesterday, but owing to trouble at |
Gutenberg this was not discovered until to-day.
There still three metallic crosses on the Guten
berg Hill line thirteen miles west of this office, and
E II
we had an accident that might happen at any |
time but of course the public will say that it is
fault as another result of the strike. The Ameri-
can Union and HUDSON River lines at High Bridge |
were carried away by locomotive; there were ten
wires of the latter and eight of the former line One
wire which had become loosened dropped down and |
was caught by the locomotives smokestack. That |
pulled tne other wires that they caught
by the roof of the first car and they all had to
down. This accident was promptly repaired"
EFFECTS OF THE STORM. |
As to the general effect of the storm the wires
Mr. Dealy SAID that it had covered radius of about
two hundred miles IRON Nsw-York ranging from |
Saratoga on the north to Baltimore the south |
and from Pittsburg the west to points in New |
England the east. Five strikers returned to work
yesterday and it represented that the position
of the Western Union generally was satisfactory.
An official of another company said that he
was sure that great part OF the trouble
with Western Union wires was due to natural
causes which the present force of linsmen alb
solutey INCOMPETENT or unable to remedy WHY"
said he, ~ can show you a dozen of these wires
from INV window here which have blown down OF
been crossed by the storm to-day, and I'd like to see
one of their green nemen get on any of these roofs
to repair them. The old linemen ALI staLd in with
they tell the new linemen, when they
want to get at their wires. to go 30
blank. The old linemeh were all solid With The
of money. aud the fresh fellows have no show at
As an illustration of the fact that the Western
Union is still much in need of rst-cass help 1t was
stated to a TRIBUNE reporter that one operator tins
week has worked forty-tbree hours without sleep
another worked from noon of Wednesday till
O'Clock Yesterday and several others have put ID
tNenty-four hours without rest.
SATISFACTORY WORKING OF THE RAPID
Superintendent Sherman, of the American Rapid.
said that Notwithstanding the storm their lines
working satisfactorily. They lost wires al
Bridgeport at noon, but these all right again
later in the day. Some wires also lost at Pitts
burg but they were working again before evening.
All the State wires were working spendidy, and
the Rapid was not more than thirty minutes behind
on any Of its business.
superintendent Price, of the Baltimore and Ohio, |
said there was nothing in the relations of his
company to the strike. "When will there be a
changefv was asked. I'VE don't want any |
change" was the reply.
The receiver at the Postal said the company's |
wires to Chicago were working all right.
General Manager Exert. of the Metropolitan |
Telephone and Telegraph Company. said that no |
wires had been cut yesterday, and none since the |
ffty-one cut on tuesday night He didn't |
know whom to suspect None OF the strik- /
ers have returned to work. but tie company |
has sufficient new men to keep its lines in good |
working order If the strikers will not interfere
with them.
When asked what he thought would be the result |
Of the strike, director of one OF the telegraph |
companies said al think it has settled down to |
. long aud bitter night. The " estern Union is a |
hard company TO buck against. but l believe tn |
operators will hold oup.
HOPES AND PLANS OLE TILE srRIKRRs