New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-08-17
NEW LIFE TO THE STRIKE
THREE HUNDRED SWITCHMEN QUIT WORK
AT BUFFALO.
REFUSING TO TAKE THE PLACES OF THE sTKIK:
ING KNIGHTs-MUCH FREIGHT BLOCKED
AND THE SITUATION GRAVE.
IBY TELEGRAPH TO TIE TRIBuML1
TBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBuNL1

Buffalo, Aug. l6.-Several union switchmen
were ordered to take the places of the striking
Knights on the Central Railroad early this morn
ing. They refused and went strike. The fact
that 300 switchmen have gone strike and
that freight is bIockaded is important, but that
the Switchmen's Union by order of Grand Master
Sweeney, has come TO the rescue Of the knighta
is still more significant. II is said by the men
that the strike is likely to extend all over the
Vanderbilt system and that it certainly will oc-
cur should an effort be made to have unior
switchmen handle Central or West Shore trains
1t is also stated that should roads outside the
Vanderbilt system consent to take Central freight
the swtchmen on these outside roads will at
once strike. There is concealing the fact
that this mornings strike has greatly added to
the gravity of the situation. Tranmaster Maloney
said:
We are having no difficulty in handling trains
The passenger trains, although little
late, are moving all right There h
some difficulty with the freight trains
but we will have them in shape by tomorrow.
just to show you how they are organized, let mo
tell you how they struck. The night gang quit
work at 3 o'clock this morning for some reason
| don't know why When L asked them they
said they didn't know But they went out just
the same. w hen the Uay men cdnic -
o'clock they knew nothing of the strike. but
when they found that the night men had gone out
they quit work also. / don't believe one of them
knows what he is out for. When | asked them
they said they didn't know"
West Shore and Central engines crowd every
track from the north to the south side OF the
Central depot and for long distance east. An
| openng in the crowd made at Michigan-st,
so that foot travel was unimpeded. The yards at
| Chcektowaga are filed with loaded freight cars
| and have been all the week Freight had Iust
| begun to move from there when the swltchmen
struck to-day. The big yard at East Buhalo,
the biggest of the Centraps system, is filled with
! cars The main tracks are clear, but the passen-
| ger trains are all late, having TO move slow on
| account Of dangerous switches. Superintendent
| Burrows said this afternoon that he would have
| lots of new men on Monday and that there would
! be no trouble Rumors flying about that the
! fremcn will quit work, but there is no sign OF
! trouble The pol te are ready for any emergency
but Superintendent Burrows says he expects no
trouble.
To say thpt the local striking Knights of Labor
are iubilant wolld bc TO put it mildly Ihey
are overoyed at the turn affairs have taken,
! and seem more confident OF success than ever
They held meeting this afternoon for the purpose
|
the Executive Committee from Albany, saysi
buffalo is considered the key 10 the situauou.
and we will do our best to hold it. l made one
prediction and that materialized, so / Will make
another: Inside OF five days you VIII see steps
| taken by the railroad company looking toward
arbitration; you mark my words"
The live stock shipments from this point, de-
spite the assistance given by the West Shores
Iacl<awanna and Erie are at least week behind.
II was said tonight that the switchmen on te
| Central and West Shore petitioned for u" Chicago
wages before the strike in the East They asked
that an answer be returned to their petition on
or before August ls. No answer has been received
Therefore" says one OF the labor agitators now
in town looking on and encouraging the strlKei
/ the switchmen were ready 10 strike next Mon
/ day. anyway, if this had not been preclpltated.
| As it is now, the swtchmen declare their men
must be taken back and the wages OF all raised,
/ too" will -, TT.
| The Laclawanna Lehigh Valley and Er6
switchmen have informed their roads to-day thas
/ they would refuse TO handle freight consigned 10
/ the Central A strike was Imminent for une,
but the Lackawanna decided to raise the switch
mems nav and to refuse Central freight. The
4 I,pigh also refused to help out the Central while
the Erie couldn't if it wanted to, on account OK
/ fhp rush of business.