Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1888-04-04
STRIKE FEVER RAMP ANT
Possibility of a Complete Tie Up ii
Chicago.
FREIGHT TRAFFIC AT A STANDSlILL
Five of the Great Trunk Lines the Lake
Shore, Alton, Ft. Wayne, Pan
Handle and Santa
Fe Now In
vOlVed.

III this city by the Chicago, Milwaukee
d st. Paul Railway Company, are on
strike that threatens to paralyze bust
ness on the $500 miles of road operated
by the corporation. The immediate
cause of the strike was the arrest of
William Quirk, charged with striking
Engineer Regus, who was in charge Of
the go" train that entered st. Paul
yesterday afternoon.
A crowd of strikers attacked a crew of
new men and the Pinkerton guards
The train was derailed, the train hands
beaten and stoned, the detectives dis
armed and roughly handled, and Super
intendent Besler of the 90" system,
assaulted and badly injured. The po-
lice were called and quiet restored.
Quirk, who appeared on the scene after
the trouble was over, was arrested.
He was st. Paul man and his fellow
workmen promptly struck. He was
subsequently released on bail and the
men determined to return to work. At 10
o'clock, as the men were getting their
engines started out, q message came to
the Western Avenue round house that
all the men should wait until Assistant
General superintendent Earling had
seen them before resuming work. Mr..
Earling soon arrived accompanied by
Observation-Disclosures Collins and
Hardagan. Jerry Dongherty, an en-
gineer, acted as spokesman for the men.
Mr.. Earling stated the case briefly. as
he understood it, and then said: eve
have submitted to many acts that we
have considered 1njustifiable on your
part. This ternOOn men in our en-
ploy deliberately derailed and wrecked
number of cars that are our property.
In addition to that they assaulted and
beat Superintendent Besler, OF the Bur
lington road. This is ineXcusable. We
will consent to overlook this, and you
can go to work. but the first work that
is done will be to replace those cars
upon the track where thev belong"
This the men refused to do, and the
conference ended, the men withdraw
ing from the room. The officials held
short consultation and then departed.
The strikers hung around for while
and one by one went home. The
strike was on. The roundhouse was
incapable of accommodating the
combined force Of day and night en-
gines, and several of them were
LETT on a side track. The
men who struck embraced twenty
four switching crews OF five men each
total of120 men. AS a direct and i'm
mediate consequence of the strike the
SuGIIc 11lS11U IIclSllU GIalllC. DOGu ll1TOu2A
and local, was completely suspended.
Ten freight trains had been made up
and would have been sent west. The
passenger engineers were with difficulty
restraining from striking. The leading
spirits among the strikers decided MOTTO
Interfere with the passenger, at trains
least not until this morning. The MllWau-
kee q st. Paul and the Council Bluffs ex-
press trains departed on schedule time.
The riot of yesterday after noonhas
had its effect on the new switchmen in
the employ Of the Burlington. Only
those whose duties kept them within
the co. yards were at work this morn
ing. When those who are delegated to
work with engines along the tracks be-
tween different points were called upon
this morning to go out with their en-
gines they refused, saying they didn't
want to trust themselves on the outside
and that they would not go unless they
were provided with arms so that they
could defend themselves if set upon by
the strikers. The yardmaster tried to
induce them to 90 out, assuring them
that they were in no danger. but the
men replied that once was enough for
them and that there was not enough
guards on the outside trains to protect
them.
At ~ O'Clock tonight a general tie-up
was inaugurated on the Milwaukee 4
St: Paul road, Not an engine or car
will be moved by the union men. The
engineers, fremen, switchmen and
brakemen have all been ordered out.
Only the freight and switch engines
were effected by the strik to-day, while
the passenger trains were running reg
ularly as usual. Tomorrow all work,
even on the passenger trains, will be
stopped. This decisive move was the
result of meeting held at Carr's Halt,
corner of Lake and Wood Streets,
tonight. While the officials of the
st. Paul, General superintendent I.
S. Atkins, Asst. Supt. A. J. Earling,
Division Supt. S. J. Collins and Master
Mechanic j. D. Lowery and Supt. of
Motive Power 6. M. Barr were anxious
ly waiting by previous arrangement at
the committee of the strikers hoping to
reach an agreement, the latter to the
number of about 700 assembled at the
hall on Lake Street and decided to ig-
more the officials altogether. and to call
out all the men.
eve have not been asked to send a
committee to the managers" argued
some Of the speakers. 'ELet them come
to us if they wish to settle all matters
amicably. The road does not feel very
much affected as long as it can run pas
senger trains. We will stop them all
and they will feel it soon"
The hall was packed. Nearly all the
local engineers, iremen, switchmen and
brakemen of the st. Paul railroad. to-
gether with representatives. from all the
other roads leading into Chicago were
present. The temper of the men was
wrought up to the boiling point, and
several very fiery speeches were made.
There seemed to be a perfect
understanding between the various
branches represented, and no one
after hearing the speeches could have
any possible doubt that conspiracy ex-
lists which threatens to tie mp all the
roads in Chicago. A Burlington en-
gineer, who was among the first speak
ers, announced that the St. Paul switch
men would have the hearty support of
the engineers on his road and advised |
them to stand firm in their position
He informed them that the Burlington
road was badly crippled and that it
was bound to be defeated in its
ficbt This remark was greeted with |