St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-03-10
The Railroad Situation in the Southwest
Unchanged Freight Traffic Prac-
tically Suspended.
A Determination Manifested on Both
Sides to Make This Strike
Test Case.
over 5000 Persons Not Directly In
terested Suffer Loss OF
Salaries.
Master Workman Powderly Says
knights of Labor Assemblies Cam
not Become Political.
The Great southern Strike.


ST. LOUIS. March 9.-The most import
ant and serious development of the strike
at this point and that which will result
most disastrously TO passenger traffic. is its
extension TO the yard and switchmen of
the Bridge and Tunnel company. This
move includes all the employees of the COM
pany except the engineers and hremen.
The superintendent OF transfer and three
yardmasters will attempt TO make the trans
fers as usual. The significance OF this de-
parture can be better understood when il is
known that 225 men are employed in the
handling OF the traffic which passes over
bridge, and that il is not possible for four
men at each end of the bridge TO throw"
the switches and perform the other duties
incident TO the business. A labyrinth OF
tracks converge at the entrance 10 the
bridge and tunnel on both sides of the river.
and the switches are worked by an auto
matte and complicated system OF levers
which can only be mastered by men trained
IN their use. The places OF the laborers
about the yards might be readily supplied.
but Switchmen skillfull i'm the manipulation
OF the switching contrivances now en-
ployed. and possessing a knowledge of the
incoming and outgoing trains. are made by
experience, and their places cannot be sup
piled by green hands.
FREIGHT TRAFFIC SUSPENDED.
All freight traffic over the bridge is en-
urely suspended this morning. and none ex-
cept passenger trains have been allowed to
pass over since last night. The passenger
trains are made up by the yardmaster and
superntendentS, who do the switching
necessary to bring the trains into position
at the union depot. Each road is Obliged
to use its own engines in making up aud
transferring its cars as none of the bridge
engines are in Use. The bridge cOmpany's
engineers and firemen have not as yet gone
out, but they refuse TO do any OF the work
which has heretofore been done by the
Shopmen, such as repairing. cleaning. etc
Whenever an engine becomes injured. or its
machinery needs cleaning. there is no one
TO do the work. and the engine is put aside.
All passenger trains for the East and West
have succeeded in starting out this m 1rning,
but all have been more or less delayed on
account OF the few men in the yards and
denot experienced in making up the trains.
The Brotherhood of Engineers is not af-
fected. An officer of the Missouri Pacific
company expresses the opinion that the
strlke VIII De more intensely contested
than that of 1877.
RECEIVER browns STATEMENT.
ment regarding the difficulties, the follow
ing being the portion bearing most directly
on the strike:
Much has oeen said since the strike about
the discharge of c. y. Hail. foreman of the
freight car shops This was apprehended as
an afterthought. Hail was an incompetent
man not acceptable to the employees, and
about the 18th of February he obtained, as
we learned, leave Of the master mechanic TO
be absent three hours and was absent three
or four days without further permission aud
gave no excuse for the same. The master
mechanic, IL these are the facts. very prop
erly discharged him. Mr.. Hall made no COM
plaint 10 the receivers or TO any superior
officer OF this action of the master mechanic
So far as we are advised the employees of the
| shops made no complaint of Halls discharge.
| At p. m, Monday, March |, at a signal for
| the men TO leave the shops. they left, un-
douDtedly upon the order OF Mr.. Irons
chairman OF the executive board. Knights OF
/ Labor, aud have not since returned 10 duty
/ The receivers believing that majority Of
/ the men went out
! AGAINST THEIR WISHES
/ and were satisfied with their relations to tn @
| company and the receivers, and left under
some mysterious influence exercised by Mr.
/ Irons. and desiring To give them full oppor-
/ tunity 10 return en- masse directed the gen.
eral superintendent TO publish an order
of the evening of March 1. giving the
/ men until 10 O'Clock of Thursday, March l.
an opportunity TO return 10 their places
/ with an assurance that all who returned
/ would again be placed upon the rolls and
/ those who did not would be discharged. The
men did not return to the shops at 10 O'Clock
/ Thursday, as invited TO do by the genei al
| superintendent aud they were thereupon Of
! fered their pay, which they declined. This Is
fair. full and complete statement of ali the
/ facts preceding, connected with and subse-
| quent 70 the strike, and there will be no co n
/ traQictiOD OF them from any reSDectable or
! reliable source. and upon these facts the re-
! ceivers are willing to be judged by an Impair
tial public and by the intelligent and honest
| employees Of the company