St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-03-28
The Burlington Switehmen
Make a Plain Statement
Of the Case.
Being in Constant Danger Of
Their Lives They Had to
Quit.
There Was but Little Change
in the Striks During Yes
terday.
Tracks and Crossings Guard
ed by Pinkerton Men and
Police.

CHICAGO, March 27.-The Chicago,
Burlington & Quincy switchmen make
the following statement:
'Much has heen said by the officials
of the Chicago, Burlington q Quincy
company about the switchmen quitting
work without giving the company any
notification or presenting any grievance.
The reason the switchmen acted as they
did may be summed up as follows: The
general superintendent, Mr.. Besler, and
the trainmaster, Mr.. Pope, were both
aware that the switchmen were diSsatiS-
fed with the incompetent men that
were running engines in the switch
yards. AS proof of this it is only
necessary to instance the following:
Friday afternoon and evening, March
%, MI. Pope requested the Switchmen
to go up to the trainmaster'S Office. as
Mr.. Besler desired
TO TALK WITH THEM.
Nearly all of them went to the Office
and listed to what Mr.. Besler had to
say. They told him then and there that
they could not work with the men who
were then running the engines, enumer-
ating hundreds of incidents that to all
railroad men would prove beyond
question their incompetency. Hum
dreds of times men have had to jump to
save their lives. Trains were con-
stantly being run at the rate of forty
miles an hour right through the yards.
The present force of switch engineers
do not understand even the most simple
signals. The switchmen told Mr.. Bes
Ter that they could not afford to risk
their lives any more than necessity re-
quired. His only reply to all their COM
plants was: ''Have patience, gentle
men," The only thing they asked for
was competent men. but they were
given no assurance that the matter
would be remedied. 1t was
NATTER OF LIFE OR DEATH ~.
with them, and they quit work indiyid-
ually, without any organized strike.
Almost One-half of the men that quit
work do not belong to any organization.
There was no occasion for notification
the company was fully aware of the
complaints and made no move to remedy
the existing state OF affairs. The Off
cials were notified by nearly all the men
men, and they acted in quitting the
same as they did in notifying them-as
individuals. The switchmen of the en-
tire Burlington system were in the same
condition that the Chicago SWitchmen
were and acted in the same manner.
Inasmuch as the engineers and firemen,
through their proper officers, offered be-
fore their strike, since, and do now.
offer to submit the whole matter per-
tanning to the strike to committee of
three managers of any three first-class
roads running into Chicago, we can not
see the justice in asking men to Sacri-
flee their lives and limbs upon the altar
of any mans petty pride or self-import-
ance."
THERE WAS BUT LITTLE CHANGE
apparent in the "Q' strike to-day be-
yOnd the arrival of number of switch
the strikers. A gang of twenty of these
new arrivals was put to work late this
afternoon in the yards at Western ay-
enue. They said they were from Read
ing. Pa, and were a portion of sixty
more that arrived last night and were
distributed between Chicago and Au-
rora to-day. The company had six
switch engines at work to-day, and a
yardmaster said there were forty
switchmen at work in the yards. The
company is endeavoring to handle such
freight as requires immediate attention,
and is still receiving freight for all
points in Illinois not reached by other
roads, The lumber district is in bad
condition, and as this is the busy season
of the year the lumbermen will lose
large amount of trade. A meeting of
the lumbermen was held this afternoon
to discuss the situation and propose
some plan for the raising Of the eHl-
barge on their business, but after some
informal talk the meeting adjourned
without action. No trouble has been
experienced from the strikers to-day,
and it is thought none will be. The
railroad officials, however, are taking
every precaution to protect the new
men by having the yards, tracks and
crossings constantly
PATROILED BY PINKERTON MEN
and policemen. Several of the morning
papers stated that trouble was antici-
pated with the striking switchmen to-
day, consequently small crowds gathered
at various switching points in eXpecta-
ton of witnessing conflict between
the strikers and the new men, but they
were disappointed, as nothing out of the
ordinary incidents of every day work
occurred. An evening paper says:
"The probability of the brakemen going
out increases, and though both the COM
pany, the strikers and the brakemen
themselves deny any knowledge of such
a move, it is quite evident to close OBJ
server that another strike is in the air,
and may materialize at any moment.
From information received by an engi-
neer prominent in the councils of the
brotherhood, the brakemen's grievance
committee will without delay present
list of grievances to the ''Q'' officials.
If this list is not met with by the o.
with promises that the demands shall be
granted it is considered most likely that
the brakemen will strike. One of the
brakemen, when questioned about the
tised in some of the papers for brake
men, that's all | know about it,"