The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-03-30
THE B. & O. STRIKE.
Switch Thrown Open and Cars
Ditched
BY THE STRIKERS YESTERDAY
Sugar Claus Undue InhueHce-Tele-
graphic Briefs From Vari-
GUS Quarters.
The Strike.

CHICAGO, March 60 Eighty five
switchmen from Reading and New York
districts arrived last night. They Will
be set to work to-day in the place of the
strikers on the Burlington road. One
of them said there were 100 more
ready to come Whenever Summoned.
The Burlington company received in
formation, this morning, that fifty of
their switchmen at Creston, Iowa, had
quit work.
In regard to the allegations that the
radical element in the Brotherhood was
chafing under the conservative meas
ures adopted by the chief and che state
ment that he contemplated simultane-
GUS retirement from his office as head
of the organization. he said: The
statement that the Burlington strikers
have cut away from the leaders and
their grievances committees is a base
falsehood. There is not word of truth
in il. The grievance committee, yester-
day, unanimously endorsed the action
OF the grand chief all the way through.
Ii it is true that committees have been
appointed by the radicals, and that they
have visited every road running into
Chicago, as reported, and obtained
pledges from all switchmen and switch
engineers, that under no circumstances
will they move Burlington cars, it has
been done unbeknown to me-. 1 can't
believe members Of the Brotherhood
will do any thing contrary to the laws of
the organization, or not endorsed by
me-"
CHICAGO, March 29.-The first serious
- In no JrD Of no
Burlington sWitchmen's strike occurred
this afternoon, about o'clock, at
KinZie Street ard Western Avenue. A
Burlington switch engine and crew at
tempted 30 transfer cars to the north
western track. a crowd OF sWitcnmen
of other roads, together with q miscel-
laneous mob of roughs, were standing
atout and ieerirg the new men. When
the train reached Western Avenue, the
switch was thrown by some one, anu
number of cars were ditched. The mob
then drove the freight engineer anu new
switchmen away. using them roughly.
Six or eight Pinkerton men were
on the train and attempted to
repel the attack, but were quickly dis
armed and took 10th eir~heeis to escape
the mob. General Superintendent
Bessler, Of the Burlington road, who
was on the train. was soon recognized
by the mob, and set upon. He was
badly used up, having both eyes black
ened and being badiy punished, but
finally he made his escape into 8
switch house. Thirty city policemen
| were then brought to the scene and the
mob quickly dispersed. William
| Quirk, Milwaukee & st. Paul switch
man, was arrested. A crowd followed
him to the West Madison station, and
offered any amount of bail for his
release. The police refused, however,
and locked him up. The Milwaukee
& st. Paul switchmen then, IL
rage, decided to quit work,
and Immediately deserted the trains.
The whole yard force of switchmen
engineers and fremen, 227 in all,
stopped, leaving twenty-eight engines
standing on the track. It is supposed
that the brakemen of the same road
will go tonight.
An evening paper asserts that at a
meeting of the engineers, tiremen and
sWltchmen, this aftsraOon, representa-
tives from all the roads resolved that a
general boycott should be declared
against Burlington freight on ali lines.
The sentiment expressed was that the
Burlington road had gone too far; there
was no reason why the demand of the
engineers should not have been COM
pile d with. The Bu-linaton road put
forty switchmen at work to- day, and are
gradually raising the blockade in the
yards. No freight has yet been offered
either roads, except to the stock yards
transit company, the manager Of which,
this afternoon, notified the Burlington
that he was unable to do anything
with Q cars, because the companys
switchmen would not touch them. The
truth of the rumored boycott On other
roads remains to be seen. The various
roads in the city have an enormous
number of cars consigned to the
Burlington road on their tracks, and
must get rid of them soon to avoid q
blockade.
The strike of the st. Paul men came
to an end as quickly as it began TO- day.
At 8. so p. NJ, two officials Of ths st.
Paul Company succeeded in having
Quirk released on bail. He went at
once to where the strikers were in SEES
sion, and was greeted with enthusiasm.
His presence put the men i'll a good
humor, and it was speedily resolved
that resumption of work was the
proper course to pursue. By p. N.
the men were again at their posts. and
ything on the st. Paul was moving
along smoothly as though nothing uI-
toward had happened.