Daily globe., 1883-08-15
THE TELEGRAPHERS.
THE MEN RETURNING TO WORK IN
SMALL DETACHMENTS.
Senate Committee on Education and
Labor Interesting Testimony Given
Yesterday-Wire Cutting on an Extensive
Scale.
THE LABOR INQUIRY

oono'oAAoA ouo-OoAmlttoe on LABOR and
education reassembled to-day. John F.
Mcclellan, member of the Brotherhood of
Telegraph Operators, resumed his testi-
mony. He said the estimated cost of a
telegraph line 1,5O0 miles long would be
$725,965. Telegraph operators were gen
orally young men and lived in boarding
houses. They generally came from the
better classes of society. The morale of
the operators as class had greatly i'm
proved within the last ten years, and this
was one result of the organization which
had been effected. Most of them were
single, but some were married men. Wit
ness thought $50 month was reasonable
estimate for food and lodg-
ing for single man.
Only one in one hundred ever saved any
money. The highest paid operators did
not receive enough to enable them to lay
by anything for support in old age. In
1870 the Western Union company required
every man coming into its employ to take
an oath he would never connect himself
with trade or labor organization. This
was called the iron clad oath, and was ad-
mlnlstered to every PEI son who took part
In the strike of 1870. After the existence
of the telegraph brotherhood was made
known-recently, railroad superintendents
| issued circular which was sent to every
employe of the company forbidding him to
| connect himself with the organization
under penalty of dismissal. Day opera
tors worked from a. m. to at night, and
had but two or three hours to devote to
amusements. Night operators had more
time at their disposal. No
such thing as vacation was
known in the telegraph business.
Thomas O'Reilly, telegraph operator of
twelve years. experience, has charge of the
| Wheatstone instruments in the Western
Union Office. He had been an operator in
that system for ten years in Scotland.
He came here about a year ago. The
Western Union company gave them $50 a
month as retaining fee until the Wheat
stone instruments should arrive. Prom
ises were repeatedly made that the Wheat
stone men should receive as much as first
class Morse operators. On the 2Sth of
last February it was announced that
the Wheatstone system would begin
operation and the Wheatstone operators
were told that their salaries would be $50
per month. The operators on the other
side were better paid. They had three
weeks vacation each year, with a salary,
and during sickness received half pay.
After being a certain number of years in
service, and their record being good, the
operators receive pension for life, and
sometimes at full pay, when he becomes
superintendent.
John B. Tsltevall, an operator employed
by the Associated Press, confirmed the tes-
timony of previous witnesses in regard to
the strike.
ID. W. Orr, of Philadelphia, a member
of the Brotherhood of Telegraphers, said
the salaries paid the operators in Phila-
delphia ranged from $50 to $50 per
month. One of the objects of the brother
hood was to establish Telegraph compa-
ny on the cooperative system, by which
the operators should own their own lines
and thus be enabled to protect themselves
against their employers. Evidence of hos
Utility of the Western Union company to
wards its employees, was systematic poll
| cy of reducing the salaries of its operators,
during the past ten years. Witness also
testified to the prsctice of the Western
Union company in blacklisting men found
organizing an union or association of
| operators.
Eugene j. OConnor, OF Boston, chair
man of the executive board of the broth
erhood OF telegraphers, gave the statistics
of the growth of the Western Union COM
pany since 1866 Since the beginning of
the strike the membership of the brother
hood had nearly doubled and now num-
bered about 10000. One-fifth of the oper-
ators in the country were women, and
| about 500 of these had Joined the strikers.
There were very few first-class operators
| among them, as their strength was not
equal to the work required to attain such
proficiency.
CUTTING THE WIRES.
NEW YORK, Aug. 14.-The strike of the
telegraphers presents no new features to-
day. Somerville, of the Western Union
company, said 127 wires of the gold and
stock telegraph which supply most of the
circuits to brokers' offices down town and
are carried through Church and Rector
streets in seven cables suspended under
the elevated railroad girders were all cut
last night and in such way that the wires
cannot be connected again at the points
where severed. Temporary repairs have
been made with other lines, and the COM
pany hopes to be able to repair the bal
ance to day. A dispatch received by the
company to-day states that New Orleans
telegraphers were weakening and that two
strikers had returned to their keys. In
Meridian, Miss, the Western Union wires
we're cut in Harlem and Manhattanyille to
the number of dozen Or more. A few
wires were cut near Newark and others
near Fleetwood. A rigger for the Western
Union company was assaulted by two of
the striking line men to-day when he was
leaving the company's building. The of
tenders were arrested and taken to court.
where they were held for examination. So
far as could be learned up to noon to-day
none of the wire cutters were arrested.
HOLDING THE CITY LIABLE
NEW YORK. Aug. 14.-The Western Un-
ion Telegraph company has sent letter to
Mayor Edison, setting forth the losses sus--
tanned by them by the cutting of their
wires and notifying him that they will
bring a suit against the city for the re-
covery of damages. The mayor has con-
suited with the superintendent of police
as to measures to prevent the further cut
ting of the wires. The superintendent in
formed the mayor that special instructions
were given the captains of the several pre-
ciQctS of the cItV and no effort uf,uI6 ha