The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-03-09

Great Difficulty in Gettiag Ont Passenger
Irains-Five Thousand Miners in Penn
syIvania Quit work-The Strike Likely
to Become General.
ST. LOUIS, Mo, March 1.-The strike
situation bore an unchanged aspect Monday
morning, Rumors of its further spreading
are thick and it now looks as il the predic-
tion of Saturday that the whole of Gould
interests will become embroiled, will be
verified within a very short time. Great
difficulty is experienced in getting out
passenger trains because of absolutely no
men to be procured to do the work Nothing
but the mail trains are generally run
Engineers and tiremen are unflinch ing in
their refusal to touch an engine until it has
been properly prepared for the runs
Brakemen, firemen and switchmen are join
Ing the Knights of Labor in hundreds The
st Louis assembly alone has initiated 800
men since Friday.
The engineers, none of whom have joined
the strike formally, are prevented from
working by lack of strikers assistance upon
their engines, and are counted in among
themselves by the knights so far as their
value to the roads is concerned.
Another general order is expected
from the executive board in Mar
SHALL Tex, which, it is predicted, will call
from their work all the knights now left on
the roads, and will still further cripple
them. In this city all the Missouri Pacific
employees who are Knights of Labor have
struck, and a number of them who we're not
knights have Joined the order and
left their work No freight trains
ard no passenger trains went out of
st Louis on the Missouri Pacific road
and its business in every department is at a
complete standstilL The knights have been
holding quiet and orderly meetings in their
hall, while their executive committee is in
session and is waiting to hear from the rail
road authorities, to whom they are looking
for proposition for a conference at which
their differences can be arranged
The strikers exercise great care that the
delay of the mails shall not be attributed to
them. They have appointed delegations
from their number to prepare the mail cars
for their trips, switch them into t.lsition and
attach them to the engines This rreaaution
makes it impossible for the United States
government to prefer charges against them
for delaying the mails, and thus the govern
ment can find no preteXt for interference
unless violence is resorted to. 1t was with
the greatest difficulty that any of
the Missouri Pacific trains could be
moved Monday morning from tho Union
depot, as the officials of the road could per
suade none of the strikers to assist in max
ing them up Assistant Superintendent
Stillwell, Of the Union depot, assisted by
three yardmasters, however, succeeded in
starting all the passenger trains on time,
the strikers offering no resistance to their
efforts Not a freight car on the Missouri
Pacific has been moved from this city since
Saturday night, and the probabilities are
that none can be moved until the present
difficulty has been settled or unless the rail-
road company fill the places Of the striking
Knights of Labor by non-memberS of that
organization
At the meeting of the Brakeman's brother
hood, Sunday afternoon, as near as could be
learned their grievance is their wages are
too small They want Chicago prices, or
$50 per month, instead of $50, which they
are now getting. A committee of the brake
men called upon Mr. A. W. Dickinson, Mon
day afternoon, and notified him that after
5 O'Clock no Missouri Pacific or Bridge and
Tunnel eonpanys cars wsuld be handled
until the present strike is over