New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-06-25
|CAR-WHEELS STOP ROLLING
A GREAT STRIKE ON THE ILLINOIS CENTRAn
RAILROAD.
TRAINAfE:N AND swITCHMEN DEMAND THE DI4
MIsSAL OF DIVISION sUPERINTEN
DENT-TRAFFIC DISARRANGED
OVER WIDE AREA.
tBY TELEGRAPH TO TIE z-rBuNk1

=
Chicago June PA great strike is in progreSe
on the Illinois. Central Railroad. The trainmen In
convention this morning ordered general stoppago
Of work on the system wherever F.. VI. Russell has
control superintendent This means that a strike
has extended to Cairo, and all the branches ID
Illinois, and north into Wisconsin and part OF Iowa.
This widely extended strike will take place tomorrow
morning. unless before that time the Grievance COM
mtee has in its hands the discharge or resignation
Gf General superintendent Russell. The road this
side of Centralia was Z" tied np' at O'Clock this
morning. and the striking trainmcn threaten TO stop
all the trains the entire system If their demands
not accecded to by the roads officials. All tho
suburban trains stopped, and the thousands OF
racc-ovcrs who wished 20 TO Washington Park had
TO hire conveyances or take the cable road Tho
suburbantes carried into the city In the carly
morning but had TO get home as best they coulos
The tie up stops the trains the Big Four route
which from Kankakee TO Chicago on the Illinois
Central lines Great Inconvenience and delay was also
caused 10 the Michigan Central and Baltimore and Ohio
roads, which the Illinois Central tracks for long
distance ont.
The demands made by the trainmen are that Dr.
vision superintendent Russell be discharged, and
Oliver Berry and J. F. Pushy, trainmaster and assist
ant tranmaSter who had resigned be reinstated Tne
men say that Russell has assumed authority which
docs not belong TO him and has been spy on The
employees. What makes the condition Of things par
ticuarly serious is the disposition Of superintendent
sullivan and the other general officers 10 uphold tho
division superintendent and 10 look upon the strKo
as mutiny. At first the trainmen conductors ana
switchmen working under them were the only ones
on strike, but this morning they were Joined by the
engineers and frcmen who had a meeting and decided
that the grievance Of the tIalnmen was their grew
ancc Overttires will be sent 10 the officers OF tho
Brotherhood Of Locomotive Engineers. the Brothcr-
hood OF Railway Tranmen and the swnchniens
brotherhood asking them TO authorize the strike ana
take the necessary steps give the strikers support
There are now 300 men idle, and the business Oh
the road i, paralyZed. The immediate cause OF th'
trouble was the resignation Of Trainmaster oiiver
perrv and his assistant Prshy. A went the
round of the freight yard yesterday that IL was tho
intention of superintendent f. u. Russell 10 u's"''s
herry and Pushy. As the trahhlH>'ef an" "'
stant knew OF no reason their dismissal they tooR
the bull by the horns and went To the superh'chdeh'
m Iear7, the truth of the rnmor They also tormu-
lated a grievance which has been sore point ior
some months with tile brakemen and conductors
Under the old rules a freight train arriving IN tho
depot first was always allowed 10 depart before h'
Others but Mr.. Russell put in force new rue os WIZ"
certain men were allowed to run their trains ociors
others despite the fact that they had arrived at tho
ae,ot much later Trainmaster Berry inquired
whether the superintendent would insist on te ne%
rule. lie answered Yes ana beng gue,soud rn0ed
er to their intended disml,.sl; asam rpnTn nera
IN The Affirmative berry and rushy then ano smera
handed in their designations. As the new, spread
like WiIdnre through the yarCs groups ot eAch~.
gathered together and decided TO stop Work unui tcr
Grievances were settled. =.
Ii,e strikers did not wish be held respoostose ~
Interfering with the Tnited states mails, tne express
companies and bonded matter. They thefciore ~
tacb.d the mail and 10 the engine on nS
New orleans train but left the coaches with tneH
yasperated passengers uncOnnectcd IL was the IN
tentiou TO send the dsmembered train down Al tlo
scheduled time but Mr. sullivan, the general supern-
tcnden of the road, explained that the railroad COM
many has no contract with the United states Govern
ncnt 10 carry mails except regular is>enger trains,
and the train dispatcher not authorized 10 give
orders for the train start until Il could start wtn
all ts usual passenger coaches The strikers reiseo
10 allow the whole train 10 move, and warned Mr
sullivan as they had not prevented the transporaton
OF tho mail and express matter that the railroad de
talped il at the cOmpanys own risk.
General Manager Beck. General superintendent sun'
van and the heads of the traffic departments han .
conference today with representatives OF the strikers
i'm General Manager Beck's Office. The men demanded
that Supernienden Russells name be stricken from
tho card and stated their determination not To ro
turn to work until this done
General Manager Beck ordered TO support Rus
sell. . - -
To stop freight traffic the Illinois Central means
10 prevent thousands and thousands OF people In
Northern Iowa, in southern Illinois, In Kentucky,
Tennessee Mississippi and Louisiana from getting
products to market. The yards in this city are filled
With freight cars and the stallng Of the trains now
in transit will Jam every transfer track touched BY
the road.