Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-02-28
A EEG KTRsstF.
One or tbe Most remarkable on
RoCOrd.


CHICAGO. February 2L-Iive minutes
before o'clock this morning the
Chicago. Burlington and Quincy yards,
al Canal aud sixteenth streets. presented
their usual appearance. The early morn
ing mail train had left on time, and the
switch engines were at work. One enei-
uecr took the switch train to Chicago
md Atlantic Junction shortly before 3
O'Clock. Hc said be had heard nothing
of the order to strike and that he would
certainly take his train to the juno
ron and run the engine back
90 the clubhouse. The other
engineers of tine switch engines
also said they had not been ordered to
strike. At $3.50 o'clock there vas the
usual movement of cars at the freight
and switching stations at Nineteenth
street and Western avenue. where the
cars for the Fast and stock.yards are
handled. Just before the time appointed
for the strike Irainmaster =. 7. Pope Is
sued an order that no trains should be
IQ wed west Of Chicago This was taken
III the few trainmen in the yards as a
confession that the company had secured
10 men worth mentioning. and that the
road would in a moment more be practi-
cally tiedup. At4O'clock precisely switch
engine No. 4l7went INTO the Western ave
nue. rouud-hOusc Three others soon fol-
lowed IT and the engineers and tiremen
quit work, and the strike was on in
earnest The strike promises to be the
most remarkable ever known, for in II
the strongest single labor organization
IN Ell tence hes been pitted against the
largest railroad corporation IN the West
and one OF the greatest IN mileage and
wealth in the world. Should the strike
long contiuue II IS probable that in add
ton TO the /, 400 men directly involved
great majority of the $4,000 employees
of the company will be thrown ont Of
work. Twenty i've thousand members of
the Engineers Brotherhood throughout
the country are called upon to CON
tribute of their savings, and the INDUS
tries of the vast section Of the country
tributary to the road are subjected to a
partial paralysis. The tar-reaching eff
fects Of the strike can be inferred from
the fact that the road has $3.50 miles of
main and leased lines, grldironlng the
states of Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, and
Nebraska. From Chicago it reaches to
Denver, over 1000 miles away, and
Cheyenne. Wyo., equally as far Min
neapolis 10 the north and st. Louis TO
the south are within its reach-the ter
ntory of an empire.
4 couple OF suburban trains were the
only ones 10 come in over the burllng-
ton road this morning. Master Me-
chan.c Rowland was IN charge of one
engine and superintendent tdnth ran
the other After the arrival of these
trains the depot master said that be did
not expect another suburban train be-
fore noon. As there were 10 engineers
and fremen 10 man one, and until the
general superintendent could secure
eone engineers and hrcmen, he was una
bic TO say whether there would be an
other train during the day. The only
ram that left the Depot mp TO I'D O'CLOCK
this morning was tue fast mail, which
departed at 3 o'clock and was manned
by a regular engineer and fireman from
the brotherhood.
The financial loss of the company by the
strke is the subject OF curious comment.
n ordinary times the gross earnings OF
the road ranged from $1,000. 900 to g.
100000 a month, but owing 10 the rate
war in progress for sometime past among
the western railroads large proportion
OF BurlingtOus business has been done
at an actual lOss. Whether the margin
OF profit on the remainder of the traffic.
hlIa .uH %.
make the strike almost a boon to the
company the higher officials probably
alone know. IL Is point that seems to
have escaped close attention by the
engineers, aud one which taken in con-
nection with the hostility Of the Knights
OF Labor may prove fatal weakness to
the strike.
The chief depots or round.houses OF
the road are located at Aurora ana Gales
burg, Ill Ottumiya. Burlington, and /
Cfeston, Iowa; Lincoln, Omaha, and /
McCoOk. Neb.
These cities are al the ends OF the (
working divisions OF the road at Omaha /
arrangements have been made with the
Union Pacific road 10 honor ali Burllng-
"" "cheh 10 common points. ~ u pre-
sumed that similar arrangements have
peen made with other roads
CHICAGO February a. General
Manager S'one, Of the Burlington road,
says every engineer on the main line Of
tne ROAD, except Que a. Gslesnurg. went
out to-day. A few suburban trains we're
run by the aid OF engineers drawn from
the shopmechanics, yard-foremen, &c.
p" The strikers didDot bring their engines
through to the eod Of then runs, but left
them at the nearest point when 4 o'clock
came. Thus oil our passengers from the
Missouri river were dumped 81 Gales
burg. and those which We take from the
Illinois Central at Forest were left at
Aurora. From the letter point we were
able 10 bring them ia without much de-