The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-06-24
RAILWAY STRIKE RENEWED.
The Lake Shore Switchmen at Chicago
Cease Work and a Blockade Results.
An Effort to Move Trains Resisted by a Mob,
Who Throw CoupliDg-Pins and Other
Missiles and Injure Several Trainmen.

| CHICAGO, June 23-Several consultations be-
tween the switchmen and the officials of the Lake
Shore railroad have taken place this forenoon,
the result of which has not yet been an
! nounced. 1t is stated that the switchmen be-
longing to the local union are again pressing for
| the discharge of the eight non -union men, on
whose account the strike OF sixty days ago oc-
Cured 1t was declared then by the switchmen
that the company had agreed to discharge the
eight non-union men within sixty days. but this
| statement the officials denied at the time, and
| said the men had returned to work without any
conditions whatever. The representative of the
| switchmen, on whose representations the atrike
was concluded, has since disappeared, and some
of the switchmen now declare that he misrepre-
sented the facts to them. On Sunday last the
| switchmen decided to strike unless the company
discharged the men, but yesterday decided
otherwise 1t is stated to day that the men
| have once again taken the stand that they will
| strike unless the non union men are discharged.
| Sixty-six of the switchmen in the Forty third
street yards went on strike this afternoon by
| order Of the union, and business is practically
at a standstill The matters at issue between
the road and ITS switchmen have apparently
been satisfactorily settled dozen times within
the last few days, but are in bad shape again
just how bad it is difficult to find out AT the
stock yards the dressed beef shippers were all
| notified that trouble was pending and that they
had best send their goods East by some other
line. A heavy downtown shipper, who wanted
to make arrangements to send some goods East
| to morrow. was advised to try some other route,
A.
The real question at issue now is the terms of
| settlement made two months ago. On the oc-
! casion of that strike the settlement was made
| by the intervention of Sheriff Hanchett and
| Commissioner Mccarthy. The company now
| holds that its managers did not make the
| promises which the men have supposed but
| consented only that the strikers should return
| to work. y
| About the time the sixty-six men quit work,
the committee which had been in session down
town during the greater part of the forenoon, de-
cided to order the men to go on with their work
Messages were drafted and sent to all the sta
| tions. At Fortythird street. for some reason or
other the switching crews either did not receive
their messages, or did not understand them, and
| all but two of the crews quit work. AT the other
engines at the stock-yards ran around and gave
notice to the different crews there, and they be-
gan to leave work. At the central Office the
committeeman and the officers could not under
stand this 1t was assumed however, that these
men had not got their messages to go on with
their work or else did not understand them.
Division Superintendent Amsden said that the
men at Forty third street had certainly gone
on strike. He could not explain it, he said. for
it was altogether contrary to the agreement
made by the committee.
The switchmen at Englewood and all along
the line in the city joined the strikers, and no
trains were allowed to move. About o'clock
an effort was made to move q train at Forty
third street Suddenly mob appeared upon
the scene. the members of which tried. by
throwing a switch, to ditch the engine and
train, and did succeed in getting the caboose off
the track Separate sections of the mob at
tackled the trainmen, throwing coupling-pins at
them sand kicking and pounding them. The
conductor, Charles Pease, of Elkhart, was badly
injured, being knocked down and kicked by
half dozen of the assalants. John Berger,
switchman, also hurt but how seriously
could not be learned. The engineer and fireman
escaped entirely. No arrests were made The
night switchmen unanimously failed to put in an
appearance for duty.
The switchmen held meeting to night, and
afterwards said they had decided to stand by
each other and fight the issue through, now that
they had committed themselves They declare
that there will be no compromise, and that they
propose to make the company come to terms
Their temporary executive committee was con-
tinued permanently consisting of D. O'Reilly,
chairman; William Fritch and Edward Pike A
squad of twenty police will be sent to Forty
third street early in the morning, and special
night force kept patrolng the tracks The
opinion is expressed by the strikers that the
company must either discharge the eight non
union men or all the strikers. The officials de-
clare positively that they will not do the former,
and in the latter event it is stated that the
freighthandlers may become involved.
Sheriff Hanchett said tonight: "If there are
any difficulties between the Lake Shore road
and its men the company is to blame-that
is all I have to say. 1 cannot give the
details of the agreement made, because the
conferences were of confidential nature, but If
the men demand the discharge of the eight OBJ
jectionables, and that is the cause of the strike
it is pretty plain that the company has violated
its pledges"
Money Not an Object with Plasterers.
PITTsBURG, Pa, June 23-The plasterers of
the two cities. some seven hundred in number
have gone out on another strike This will close
building operations for time unless the
trouble is settled. All the houses that were be-