New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-08-01
TROUBLE WITH THE WIRES
TELEeRApHING SOMEWHAT DELAYED.

| Apparently the nly'development in the tsloernDh
strike yesterday was the trouble suffered by ~
Western Union Company in the working Of ~
wires. 1t arose from both the cutting aud crossing
of wires The striking telegraph operators iudig-
nantly repudiated the idea that any of their mem-
| bcrs had done the misc hef. and declared that the
Western Union was responsible They said that the
interference probably had occurred on the lesst i-
| portant wires, and that In disguiaa
tire ineficiency of the service the
company had interrupted the wires ITSELF The
employees of the Western Union paid of on tho
extra-pay basis that was established few days
after the strike began. The announcement was
made that the extra rates would be continued for
| the present. No officer would commit himself to
| the statement that this arrangement would govern
| all the salaries due this MONTH
MALICIOUS TAMPERrNG WITH THE WIRES
| The representatives of the Western Union charged
the delays that were complained of in the service e
the Exchanges to malicious tamper ng with the
wires. IL was said, however that Notwithstanding
| this cause the business done was about up to the
average, and was handled efficiently after the noon
hour. 1t was not till that time that the trouble
was removed. About 100 wires were interrupted
| from Monday night. There were thirteen between
New-York and Williamsbridge. twelve between
Williamsbridge and Scarsdale Uust beyond
brdge), and all the wires on the Pittsburg Fort
Wayne and Chicago Railroad leading out of Chicago
I at Englewood, place near Chicago that were cut
crossed. The wires at Thirty fourth and Fifty
eighth sts and those leading to the oil regions also
| were tampered with. Press Agent Somerville said
that some Of the interruptions were caused bv an
| actual severing of the wire. The most of IL was
due however TO the crossing of by tying them
together with thin wire about the cross arms Of the
taIa Tba ~ hun nfip fcn
trouble could not see these cross connections n
darkness, and had great trouble in discovering
them even in daylight. Between sIx-
teen and eighteen wires were cut a
Gutenberg. j. The company has established .
patrol 10 protect the cables crossing the North and
East and is also patroling the house-tops of
buildings where numerous wires are connected.
LEAVING THEIR KEYS OPEN.
This trouble, it is asserted, did not prevent the
company from clearing lis hooks of messages on
Monday night. After noon yesterday business was
done well, it was sail. Annoyance is experienced
from the railroad telegraph operators but it comes
principally from Irregularities committed when all
the wires are tested as to their conditions IN the
morning Mr. Somervlle said that railroad men
who would not dare to refuse commercial business
would leave their keys open when the morn
ing test was done and in that way and other ways
prevent the company from using all the wires The
position of both tho company and the strikers
was unchanged The Western Union claimed two
recruits from the strikers here, at Boston, aud
several at other places in the country. principally
at the West and Northwest IL was mentioned BY
Mr. Someivlle that the former manager at the Office
in AshevIle. N. c. who bad struck, had not been
reinstated because his place had been filled before
he applIed to he taken back. No. more Engish
operators are said to have arrived.
THE BRoTHERH OOPS LATEST ORDER.
If there has been any serious Gripping of Western
Union business account of the latest order of tho
Brotherhood, the fact could not be learned either
from the Western Union from the railroad
companies. Inquiries made at numerous Offices
called out the same answer in substance There
has been no interruption in the telegraph
service as it is connected with
the railroads, aud is expected. So far as the
handling of business for the Western lion Is
cerned, operators receive 1t as usual-subect to
delays"
of the New-YOrk, Lake Shore and Western Rail-
way, we cannot control. Operators make all sort1
OF excuses TO discourage those who otter commercial
messages They say that the wires arc out of oroer
and PROMPT delivery cannot be guaranteed. Ii the
sending of the message is insisted on, IL IL taken
bect to delays that sometimes last so long that
the message is not sent at all As regards our rail-
road work, we have no fault whatever to lind with
the telegrapheIs."
mo change from yesterday-everything quiet
and all our business satisfactorily DONE" was the
statement made at the office of the New-York. New
Haven aud Hartford Railroad
No change whateyer since the issue of the Last
order by the Strikers" the report at the New
York Central and Hudson River Railroad Office.
STRIKERS IN GOOD SPIRITS.
The leaders of the strike we're IN high spirits al
day and professed themselves as more conideut
than of the of the strike. Ii stated
that two OF the men who went back 10 the Western
Union Company on Monday returned to the rsuka
OF the strikers and brought with them two of the
men who had been working steadily. The stories
that the linemen have been tampering with the
wires or have any intention of so doing were inds
nantly denied. Fresh orders have been issued h
the inemen not to meddle with the property of tho
company under any circumstances and the Brother.
hood has offered a reward for the apprehension oi
anybody found so interfering. Although II was pay
day ut the Western Union office none of the strikers
went tO get the money duo them. Tie report OF the
attempt TO cut the New jersey cables was regarded
as O hoax, and there was considerable merr,meut
at the expense of the Western Union oficiah
who took trouble to Illustrate the attempt.
A meeting of the strikers was held in the after
noon at Clarendon Hail. Master Workman Mitchell
presided. dispatch was read from Philadelphia
denying the report that there had been break in
the ranks of the Brotherhood there. Ii concludedi
We have lots of money aud everybody IS cheerful"
Reports were received from Richmond, Portland.
Terre Haute, Jacksonville, Fla; Pittsburg Toledo
Scranton, Augusta, Ga; Rochester, London, Ont.j
and Louisville stating that everything was "solid-s
dispatch from Toronto said: " All Canada ad-
vices are favorable, especially those from Londos,
Hamilton and Kingston" Speeches were made BY
Messrs. Morrison. McClelland, OReilly, Jansen and
others. A proposition to resume open meetings vas
voted down.
THEY DENY THAT ANY WIRES HAVE BEEN CUT.
In speaking of the charges that the llnemen TN
tended cutting the cables, Mr.. Mitchell said: THAI
Is done purely for effect by the Western Union
people. We have given specific orders that there
shall be such interference. and there will not be.
We will not only prosecute any man found tamper-
ing with the wires, but In any wires or cables
are cut malciously we will furnish the company
with linemen to put them In repair we
are going to fight this battlo fairly ana
squarely. We have sufficient confidence u
the strength of our position to de