The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-06-25
A BIG RAILROAD STRIKE.
THE ILLINOIS CENTRAL TIED Up
BY ITS MEN.

Freight Conductors Set the Ball in
Motion and the switchmen, Yard
men and Brakemen Have Joined
Hands With Them-Reforms and q
superintendent's Discharge De-
manded.
CHICAGO, July 24-No freight was
moved yesterday afternoon OF last night on
the Chicago division Of the Illinois Central
railroad. The cause of the stoppage was
the strike Of the freight conductors, sixty
in number. Difficulty on the part Of Supt.
Russell, backed by General Manager
Beck, with Trainmasters Berry and
Busher, leading TO the resignation
Of the two latter, precipitated
the strike OF the conductors. The strikers
were dissatisfied with a number Of moves
recently made by the new management Of
the road. A return TO former methods, the
reinstatement of two trainmasters and the
dismissal of supt. Russell are demanded.
To-day the strike extended TO the switch
men, yardmen and brakeman, and the busi-
ness Of the road is paralyzed, both freight
and passenger with no good prospects in
sight of settlement.
THE WHOLE ROAD TIED UP.
The strikers at meeting to-day resolved
TO tie up the road elsewhere Consequently
an order was made extending the strike all
over the Illinois Central in Illinois, Wiscou-
ain and Iowa, or, as the order reads.
wherever Supt. Russell has con-
troll" The strikers did not wish
to be held responsible for in
terfering with the United States mail,
express companies and bonded matter.
They therefore attached mail and express
cars to the engine Of the New Orleans mail
train. but left the coaches, with their exas-
perated passengers, unconnected. 1t was
the intention to send the dismembered train
down at the scheduled time, but Mr.. Sulli-
van, general superintendent Of the road.
explained that the railroad company has no
contract with che government TO carry the
mails except on regular passenger trains,
and the train dispatcher was not authorized
to give orders for the train 10 start until Ii
could start with all its usual passenger
coaches
THE COMPANY WARNED.
The strikers refused TO allow the whole
train TO move and warned Supt. Sullivan,
as they had not prevented the transporta-
tion Of mail and express matter. that the
railroad detained 1t at the company's own
risk.
General Manager Beck, General Su-
perintendent Sullivan and the heads Of
Lne untIlo department nh0 conference To-
day with representatives Of the strikers In
General Manager Beck's Office. The men
demanded that Supt Russelrs name be
striken from tho card and expressed de-
termination not to return to work until this
was done. General Manager Beck was
ordered to support Supt. Russell. but
the situation was admitted by that
official and bis subordinates TO be very seri-
ous the tie-up will cause serious trouble,
not only locally, but throughout large
section of country, both west and south.
The suburban traffic of the road is enor-
nous. Trains run in and out OF the city
every few minutes from o'clock In the
morning until midnight and are crowded.
REJECT ON COMMERCE.
The people who Travelled on the trains
are now thrown upon their own resources
of transportation, but IT Is not this that will
trouble the commercial world. To stop
freight traffic on the Illinois Central means
to prevent thousands and thousands of peo-
pie in Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois,
kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi and
Louisiana from getting their products
70 market. The yards in this city
are filed with freight cars, and the stalling
OF trains now in transit will jam every
transfer track touched by the road. Tue
Michigan Central Baltimore and Ohio and
Big Four roads, which enter the city over
the Illinois Central tracks, were seriously
interfered with, owing to the blockade OF
their tracks.