Evening journal., 1890-08-09
THE CENTRAL IS TIED UP
The Vanderbilt Roads Affected
49,. by a Big Strike.
WAR WITH KNIGHTS OF LABOR.


Central and Hudson River railroad and
the West Shore road, both run by the
Nanderbilts, were tiled up" last night at
o'clock After that time not a wheel
turned, excepting the 9and ii.40 p. m mail
trains from the Grand Central station
Over 10000 men are idle this morning, and
the probability is that the strike will be
long and bitter This Is the first strike OF
any moment on the New York Central
since It's formation, aud bids fair to be one
Of the most memorable in the history Of
labor troubles in the country
Ordered by the knights.
Il was ordered by the knights Of Labor
on the road, and the completeness Of the
tic up surprised every official OF the road
The knights were found Ia every depart
ment from the dispatchers Office to the
cleaners Of the engines. Engineers. fire
men, hrakemon, freight conductors, switch
men, switch tenders, dock lahorers, clerks
and every other class Of labor fell into line.
The cause OF the strike, which came so
suddenly, is said to lie in the fact that for
months, according 20 the workmen, prom
inent members OF the knights Of Labor on
various sections OF the road have been dis
charged without any reason being as
signed.
Their Appeals Ignored.
Committees We're sent from the several
local assemblies Of which the men were
members 20 General Manager Toucey, and
they asked for the mems reinstatement on
the ground that they were all old aud
efficient servants OF the company and it
was a violation OF the agreement made
with the company that the men were TO be
laid of in the order Of their employment,
the last comers and most inefficient men
TO be the first to go. The committee re-
ceived no satisfaction The men had been
discharged-for cause. il was asserted but
the cause was never given-and that set
tied the matter. Al its meeting two weeks
ago in Utica, District Assembly No 2iG,
comprising all the knights on the road,
also appointed its executive board to try
to have the men reinstated. The district
master workman was discharged as well
rs some members Of the district assembly.
Holland Refused an Audience.
The district board then appealed to the
general officers OF the order, and j. ]. Hol-
land, who was chairman OF the national
legislative committee Of the Knights OF
Labor at Washington, was sent for. He
came, but Vice President Webb of the
Central, refused to talk with him The
district executive board was anxiously
waiting ia the Grand Union hotel for the
return of Mr. Holland. When he came a
conference was held, at the close Of which
District Master Workman Lee gave out the
following for publications
The Knights Appeal.
Brother Co-workers Of All Occupations In the
Railroad Service;
The officers Of the New York Central aud Kud-
son River railroad are engaging in an effort to
inauguratc the policy carried out by Austin Cor
bin ON the Philadelphia and Reading railroad
which means the determination Of an labor or
ganigations among railroad employees While
they have only commenced ON our organization.
IL VIII be but shor time before they proceed
70 exterminate an other organizations
Hoping you will appreciate the situation-that
this action on the part Of the company means
what we have said namely, the determination
of an labor organizations. and that you viii see
the necessity Of cooperating with us TO set aside
this unjust action on the part OF the company, We
remain. respectfully yours
E2eculIvE BOARD ID. A. No. go X. OF l..
The Demands Of the Men.
The following demands were also form
ulated FOR presentation to the company.
They show that the men through their or
/ ganization desired more than the reinstate-
ment of the men:
That an men employed by the company In
any capacity, working for less than si.5J per day
shall be increased 60 Si5O per day. aud for an
station baggage masters there shall be an In
crease Of s. per month.
That the men employed in yard service at Troy
and Green Island shall receive the same compen-
sation as the men similarly employed at East
Albany and Schenectady.
That all lremen firing six wheel connected en-
gines receive as compensation 2i4 cents per mile.
| and all engineers running six wheel connected
engines receive 4 cents per mile. Engineers run
ming four wheel engines shall receive 81 cents
| per mile and hremen cents per mile.
All men working In any department shall re-
ceve double for overtime Submitted respect
fully EXECUTIVE BoARD, d. A. No. 2l6.
Done According TO Webster's.
Then the out Of town members left
hastily for their respective localities. They
had decided TO order a strike, and during
the afternoon a dispatch was sent 10 all
the forty-six locals along the road, con-
tanning the words "Webster's Dictionary -
That had been prearranged as the signal.
All along the road employees at once
stopped work. At the Grand Central depot
only one train out Of fourteen that should
have left the station between p. m. and
midni~ht was moved, This was a fest
mail train and carried ii6 Passengers. AT
II o'clock last night the Grand Central
depot was closed to the travelling public
and the following official notice was put
up at all the ticket Offices: "The sale Of
tickets has been discontinued temporarily.
The ticket agent viii refund if called upon
to do So"
A Fight 70 the Bitter End.
Vice President Webb says that the men
who left the earvfco Of tbe oo,,,,,,,,,. a. nm
be promptly discharged, while those who
remain true to their trusts will be pro-
tected and taken care Of, as would all who
come to work for the company. He said
with great emphasis that he would fight
the strikers TO the bitter end. Several Of
the strikers were interviewed on the matter
but declined to talk further than to say
that it would prove TO be the biggest strike
before it was over that the people in the
east had seen for some years.
To Tie Up the Vanderbilt Lines.
Not only did the New York Central en-
ployes who are Knights Of Labor strike in
this city. but those at West Albany went
out at the same hour, completely paralyz-
ing traffic on the company's lines there
and at Troy. Altogether nearly 1000 men
joined in the revolt, and fully twice that
number were thrown out of work tempo
rarily by the strike. Before tonight il is
more than probable that 1900 more en-
ployes Of the company will be thrown out
Of work by the extension Of the strike to
all the lines Of railroad In the Vanderbilt
systematic West Shore, the Lake Shore
and Michigan southern, the Michigan Cen
tral and the "Nickel Plate"
Ths New York railroad commissioners