New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-07-24
THE OPERATORS STRIKE.
ATTITUDE OF THE WESTERN UNION.
ABLE TO HANDLE ALL BUSINESS, THE OFFICERS

So far as can be judged the now week opened yes
terday with the Western Union Telegraph Company
| able to cope successfully with the situation Of
affairs brought about by the telegraph strike.
The officers assert that their force of operators hero
| and elsewhere was equal to the handling Of the
business offered with no greater delay than Q
maximum of few hours. The greatest delay
naturally was felt the busiest circuits, but 1t II
| declared that for some of them there wero
operators enough to take care Of more messages
than were presented. As to the condition Of tho
wires the most emphatic statements were
made that the force of linemen left was
sufficient to maintain the lines in an efficient
! shape under ordinary circumstances. although the
| work of construction has been totally suspended.
| In regard to the attitude Of the company and the
strikers change was apparent, and the only now
Developments indicated were possible crisis in tho
relations between the railroad telegraph operators
and the company.
| NO WORK FOR THE SUBCOMMITTEE.
| The Sub Committee on Complaints of the Execu-
tive Committee of the Western Union held no meet
ing yesterday. 1t is understood that the members
regard their functions as ended by the action Of tho
operators in striking 1t IS expected that the COM
mittee will report to the Executive Committee at
its regular meeting tomorrow. DR.. Norvin Green.
| the president of the company, who Is now In
Europe has been kept advised of the situation or
affairs but it is said that no other communications
| of Importance have passed between him and tho
| company. The Western Union people are reticent
in regard to the cable operators engaged in England
in case of the emergency of strike among those on
this side of the Atlantic. prominent director ssids
| 81 understand that the party were to sail from
England on last Saturday know of no land telo-
graph operators engaged in England The
cable men had to be engaged because Of their
| special training for their work. We do NOS
anticipate any strike here however" Press Agent
Someryille OF the Western Union, also said thas
there had not been breath of trouble among tho
operators of the different cable companies. The
| cable business had been even heavier than usual
| since the strike.
| STATEMENTS OF Mr.. soMERvILLE
| A visit to the operating-room OF the Western
| Unions main Office was denied TO TRIBUNE re-
! porter. Mr.. Somerville said that there were 700
| operators at work. The force was abous
equal in numbers, but of course not In efficiency.
TO the regular day force. There were extra men at
the commercial exchanges. Business had been going
| fairly well. The extreme delay to the principal
| points had not been over an hour and half There
| were some points in New-Jersey and Pennsylvania
which could not be reached because Of railroad
operators refusing to take business and OF Interrupt
tions to the wires. Not over eight or ten places
| were affected 1--WE are able to do all the busIness
| offered" Mr. Somerville said. "but there has
| naturally been falling Oh. At noon weue
| through the operating-room and the number OK
| messages filed was a little more than half OK ths
| usual number We could have done more business
on .ome circuits than was done-say Cincinnati
Indianapolis, Cleveland and Boston We had all
we could manage, of course, on heavy circuits like
the Chicago circuit. All the general district super
nteudents report that they doing fairly well and
the situation elsewhere is comparatively the sans
as here.p 1t was denied that there had
been any detection from the operators loyal to tho
company. On the contrary, it was alleged. some OF
the strikers at different place. had been taken back
and sent to stations where they were not known.
"ro show you how we'll we are doing under the
| circumstances.n Mr.. Someryille said, I'VE opened
to-day special press service to Detroit, Buffalo,
Toledo and Cleveland, We purposed doing before
the strike"
| District Superintendent w. c. Humstone said
that the company had reopened SIX of the principal
branch offices. There now about thirty in all
| osened out of 153. There are said to be no mora
than twenty-three offices which have direct wires
out of town.
WORK OF THE LINEMEN.
d. Doren, General Superintendent OF Constrne-
| ton. was asked how many linemen the company
had in New-York. He declined TO answer. :" IL
makes no difference what the number IS" he said.
| owe have all tho men we want. we
| bave brought no men in from the couE-
| trvp Mr. Doren explained the absence OF
the usual number of men constantly on the poles IN
ordinary times by the statement that new constrnc-
ton work had been entirely suspended. Yesterday
morning all the city circuits were reported by ths
lnemen to be IN order, except five or six Mutual
Tuion wires which were down. The condition Of
| the wires is reported every morning Mr. Humstons
stated that the line force sufficient TO maintain
the wires intact, except IN case OF
| tornado or violent storm. Inc damage
| 20 tho wires by the Munro fire was
said to be ineonsderable and the "crUsses" OF CIR
| euits by broken wires were soon remedied. ASSIST
ant General Superintendent Merrihew said late in
the afternoon that there a gooc deal of trouble
| to the wires in the country from thunder-storms
No charges of cutting OF wires made by any Oh
| the Western Union officials.
| The Associated Press received at its New-forx
| office the following number of words on the dates
| mentioned: July Is. 2.577; July l6, 7347; July
| II. s7ss: Iuly 49, 9909; July 10, lO,4O2 aud
.JnIv % 9. .249 words. This shows that on the two
days of the week during which tns
strike has been in progress the pres
service has handled considerably larger
number okwords than were handled on me AVER. Th.
| age on the days just preceding tne strike !no
sta1 ement does not include the cable news OF tro
weather sent from the Southern cities over .nS
wires since for special reasons the volume OF
business coming frou. both sources has been largely
| increased since the strike.
| THE RAILROADS AND THE STklkEkS.
| LITTLE TROUBLE ANTICIPATED-ViEWs oN BUN
SIDES OF THE QUESTION.
| The probability of the strike extending to the
railroad operators caused considerable anxious dis
cu,sion in railroad offices yesterday. The Western
Union has contracts with nearly all the railroad
| compapies. and messages taken for the
telegraph company at the railroad oinces
Since the strike began good deal OF extra work mas
hsen thrown on the railroad operators, and some OK