Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-01-16
SHOTS WERE FIRED.
The Entire Allegheny and Manchester
Electric Line Tied Up.
ATTEMPTS MADE TO DERAIL CARS.
Strikers Deny They Had Any Connection
With the Disorder.
AFRAID TO RUN CARS IN WOODS RUN

The long-threatened strike of the Pitts
burg, Allegheny and Manchester Traction
Company's employees came yesterday morn
ing without word of warning. The result
was a tie up and an immense amount OF in
convenience to the patrons of the road.
What further results will be can only be
conjectured, as both the strikers and the
company officials respectively declare their
intention of holding out until they win.
Yesterday morning the first car left the
sheds in lower Allegheny at o'clock,
manned by Superintendent Greenwood and
Chief Dispatcher Irwin. A crowd of the
strikers were on hand and jeered at the
officials, but made no other demonstration.
Later another car was put on. But two cars
were run during the day, but in the evening
another was manned and sent out.
After it grew dark the motormen ran very
slow, and it was fortunate thing they did.
At several dark places along the road they
came across railroad ties laid across the
tracks, rocks piled up and switches wedged
open with boards driven into them to throw
the cars off the track. Later, as the cars
passed along Beaver avenue, they passed
over torpedoes laid on the rails,
which exploded with report that fright
ened the lew passengers who patronized
the road and several times men on the side
walks fired revolvers into the air to frighten
the men operating the cars. In justice to
the strikers it must be said they deny any
connection with these demonstrations and
declare their intention 10 conduct the strike
quietly and without violence and that the
deviltry is being done by ill-advised sympa-
thizers.
Fifth Avenue Rules in Allegheny.
The cause of the strike is not easy to un-
derstand, as each side gives an explanation
entirely different from the other. AS far as
can be learned the trouble dates back to
the time when Mr.. Cotton was superintend-
ent of the line. He was popular with the
men, and they have been dissatisfied ever
since he was superseded by Super
intendent Greenwood. Lately John Irwin,
who was dispatcher on the Duquesne
line, has been made chief dispatcher of this
road and has been introducing rules of the
Fifth avenue and Duquesne companies
which the Manchester employers are unused
to and are evidently not in love with. Su-
perintendent Greenwood and Dispatcher
Irwin are the men whom the strikers con-
denim.
The strike was unanimously agreed upon
at meeting held yesterday morning shortly
after midnight, and none of the men ap-
peared for work at the usual hour. The
majority of the strikers spent the day at
home or at the meeting room in Enterprise
oil bor hold CT iuhE
District Master Workman Dempsey, of D.
A. 8, X. of L., was present and installed 30
new members. This he says is the last but
four of the 212 employees of the road to join
the organization and all are out on the
strike.
The immediate cause of the trouble and
the view the strikers take of it was ex-
planned by Master Workman G. P. Morton,
of L. A. 379S, last night as follows: "Our
Grievance Committee was instructed to
visit Mr.. Dalzell, President of the road,
last Wednesday and state our case. He
told them to put it in writing and make it
Short and sweet His order was obeyed
and on Thursday the written report was
submitted. Mr.. Dalzell promptly refused
to grant our demands and there being moth
ing else left us we struck.
Kicked on the New Schedule.
Our grievances are numerous Six weeks
ago we had an agreement with the company
that u hours should constitute. DAVIS
work at 50 % per day, 40 minutes being
allowed for meals each day. On the first of
this month Mr.. Irwin came and last Sunday
evening, without any notice to US, he
posted new and very Objectionable
schedule to go into effect next morning By
it the number of trips to be made by regular
cars on the Western avenue line was in
creased from u to A. The Rebecca street
cars that formerly made IA trips were
increased to Is. With the increased
number of trips 1877 hours at least
are required for days work, and no meal
time allowed. Mr.. Irwin also introduced
"swing runs" a new thing on this road.
I was put on 'swing rum and started
to work at 6:53 in the morning and worked
until 9:30. Then was off, but had to stay
around until Hos when I made another
trip, and was off duty again until o'clock
when 1 went on again and worked until
9 in the evening. That made me
work practically IA hours a day and many
others were in the same position. To make |
matters worse we have been reduced to 81 rs |
per day because We had a few hours in the |
day when We were not actually on the cars
Most of the men ON the road would be COM
PEELED to work from one to four hours over
q regular days work under the new sched- |
ule."
Mr.. Morton explained several other
grievances, and claimed that Dispatcher
Irwin exhibited favoritism in placing the
men and was unduly eXacting at all times
The demands made by the strikers are that
all these abuses be rectifed, and that Fred
Ashley and John Christy, two men dis
charged recently, be reinstated. They also
ask that Conductor Eberhart, on one of the
night cars, be taken off and replaced by an
older man in the service, the run being con-
sidered a desirable one, to which an old man
is entitled.
President DsizeI Makes Statement.
President Dalzell, when asked what
grounds the company took, raped his |
said: 81 mean to win this strike if 1t takes |
five years. These men have acted hastily. |
They think they can run now as we did |
with horse ears, but it's mistake. We |
must have discipline and the men must
obey the rules or we can't make money.
1 believe that outsiders have caused |
this strike. Not more than
80 per cent of our men were in favor of il.
but the others were drawn into it. 1 have
always used my employees fairly, and,they
know it. I would take every one of them
back if they came, but if / am compelled to
start the road with new men the old ones
can't get back. Why, some of these fel-
lows want us to become responsible for the
collection of the dues of their labor organ
ization. We decline to conduct collecting
agency. We expect to start some cars to-
morning, and though the public
may be inconvenienced for few days, 1
will win this fight at all hazards"