The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-08-09
DESERTED ENGINES.
A Strike on the New York Gen.
tral Railroad.
Trains Abandoned Without Warning by
Engineers and Firemen.
Traffic Suspended and Passengers Delayed.
The Discharge Of Knights Of Labor
the Cause Of the Trouble.


men, DrOke ike HASH lTOHl CltdT SKY tU-
night, and all the length OF the Central was
tied up Trains were left by crews where
they stood when the order came. Two
passenger trains were left at Eighty-sixth
street in the tunnel The latest report is
that the West Shore road is tied up through
out its length. as well as the New York
and New Haven Railroad.
Gre at crowds of people crowded into the
Grand Central dep OF trying to have tickets
changed. No one seemed to know how it
was, or who ordered the strike. Even j. j.
Holland, the labor leader, denied he knew
who ordered it, or even that it was ordered.
POLICE PROTECTION.
Representatives of the railroad company
called upon Acting Superintendent of
Police ByTnes for protection and all the re-
serves on the east side above Forty second
street TO YOukers, and on the west side from
ST. Johns Park to YOnkers, were placed on
duty guarding tracks and property. The
depot at Forty-second street was under the
protection of full force of police, assisted
by members of the boat patrol.
Inspector Byrnes' detectives guarded the
switches and signal stations along the road
10 L OUhbTS. Alitl tDtS6 dl idllBtintuto luu
been made word reached police head
quarters that sume of the strikers intended
to take possession of the swltch-houSe at
Ell shty-seventh street and Fourth avenue.
Inspector ByrneS Immediately detailed two
detectives to watch that point and the in
spectOr himself decided 10 remain at head
quarters ali night.
To THE BITTER END.
Vice-President Webb of the New York
Central, On being interviewed by re-
porter, said the strike has extended only TO
West Albany. Ali of the men who went
out from the employ of the road tonight,
Webb said, would be promptly discharged
in the morning. Those men who remained
would be taken care of and amply pro-
tected, as well as the men who came to
work for the road. The road would take
on all good men who applied for work in
the morning as far as they were needed to
fill the places of the deserters. With great
emphasis the Vice-President announced he
would light the strikers TO the bitter end.
He said the new set of demands he had
never seen and knew nothing whatever
about.
In effect these demands are for mini
mum days wages of 81 80; station agents tc
receive an Increase Of So per month; the
men in the yards at Troy and Green Island
5nHii reouiTo tho sumo oonsPoEsatio:i at
Schenectady and East Albany; all hremen
on siX-wheel connected engines shall re-
ceive 2R cents per mile; all engineers on
the same cents; four-wheel engines, engi-
neers 31a cents per mile and 1iremen cents
per mile; all men who Work over time shall
receive double pay.
Webb announced that the fast mail had
pulled out of the depot at O'clock with
four mail-cars, but no passengers were at
tached 20 the train. The Nice-PreSldent
further announced that no attOmpt would
be made to run any trains tonight. There
are 10 means to get to Albany or New En-
tn ,frfht INIT fhn afnry nf
great avenue Of trade would be begun to-
morrow.
CAUSE OF THE STRIKE.
The strike was ordered on account of the
discharge OF certain employees. Under the
orders every train was abandoned, no mat
ter where it might be. Travel was not
only blocked on the Central road, but also
on the New York and New England and
the New York and Harlem roads, which
use the tickets OF the Central as far as
Melrose. There was great excitement at
the depot, where great crowds OF people
gathered. who expected to take trains out
of the city. The hotels in the neighbor-
hood are crowded with disappointed trav-
elers.
Last night J. j. Holland of the Execu-
tive Board of the knights arrived IN the
city. This afternoon he made three differ
ent attempts to have a conference with
Third Vice-President Webb in regard TO
the peaceful solution of the trouble. Webb
refused TO talk with him and motioned him
out If the office. The District Committee
Of knights meet this afternoon. Powderly,
President of the Knights, is in Philadel-
phia, ready to he called if his presence here
is required. The impression Is growing
that war upon the Knights was decided
upon some time ago, and that Depew, being
o posed to it, went to Europe to be absent
when the discharges should occur.
MORE ROADS INVOLVED.
at a late hour tonight it was stated by
some of the strikers that the Lake Shore
road as far as Chicago was in the same
tied-up condition as the Central. This
rumOr, however, could not be verified.
The scene about the depot five minutes
after it became known that strike had
been ordered wes one that viii! long be re-
membered. Tue waiting-roOm was crowded
with passengers. For some time the real
state of affairs did not dawn upon the
passengers, but when the facts at last be-
came known there was wild rush for bag
gage and a raid was made on the hotels.
The West Shore line was in shaky con-
dition tonight but up to midnight strike
was averted.
The POstOfice authorities received a tele-
phone message at 2:30 o'clock from the
Grand Central Station saying no more mails
would be received over the New York Cen
trail tonight.
A CONFIDENT OFFICIAL.
fGS-I Itolutub htDU SIdktu nv ldlb
hour that in the yards Of the Grand Central
Depot at Forty-second street, Fifty-sixth
street and at West Albany were about
$50 men. These men were all switchmen,
aud there was no trouble with the engineers
or tiremen. He intended to clear the tracks
of few stray cars tonight and get ready
to run trains after o'clock in the morn
ing. He said there might be trouble
when this was attempted, but the company
will be afforded ample police protection.
Webb stated that outside Of the local short
distance trains were fourteen trains that
O'Clock and midnight, but only one of these
went out-the fast mail train. They surely
would have trains running in the morning.
Holland of the Executive Board of the
Knights of Labor was seen for few min
utes later. He expressed himself as firmly
as Webb did, only his way Of putting it
was that the trains would not move for sew
eral mornings.
THE INSTRUMENT CoNTRADICTS WEBB.
In Webb's Office telegraph instrument
was ticking. reporter who could read
the instrument heard Utica call up New
York and ask Tor men to be sent there to
get passenger-cars out OF the yard. An
other message from Palmyra said that the
freight-yards at that point were blocked
and all freight at a stnndstill. Then New
York called up Syracuse repeatedly, but
could get no answer. 1t was rumored that
number of operators would 60 out at mid
night. These messages seemed to contra
diet Webb's statement that there was no
trouble west of Albany.
A notice has been posted in the Grand
Central Depot to the effect that ticket sales
had been suspended temporarily, and the
ticket agent would refund all money paid
for tickets if called upon to do so.
Late tonight j. j. Holland stated he had
not ordered the strike, but thought this di-
vision of the Knights of Labor might have
done it. Several strikers were interviewed
on the matter, but declined to talk further
than to say it would prove to be the biggest
strike before it was over that the people In
the East had seen for some time.
STONED THE ENGINEER.
Anr IN otoIncIr ~, N oh