The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-08-18

tnc local situation. If any OF the members
are asked to assist in any way to mako up
ordinarily belong to q switchman. Q strike
OF the brakemsn will be ordered. The men,
so the informant says. are in the MOST
nearly accord with the switchmen and will.
Ing TO- strike on the slightest provocation
snonld they see that such q move would
oring the struggle to . finish. IL
ls also learned from areliable railroad man
that Chief Arthur. of the Brotherhood of
locomotive Engineers has been sent for.
The object of his coming could not be
learned. Chief Arthur is known to be one
OF the most conservative labor mon In the
United States. and his coming is supposed
TO DC Tor tho purpose of restraining his
men, rather than to involve them In tho
present difficulty. Another version, how
ever. puts it that the Chief intends to pro-
tect the interests of the engineers in case
the firemen strike On former occasions he
has always refused TO allow Brotherhood
men to go out on trains with green hremen.
Third Vice-president Webb was seen this
afternoon. He was net bit ratified. and was
serenely confident He said: I'VE shall
attend strictly to business and we shall
look to the State of New York to do the
same and protect our men from assault.
THIS can not be done with few milItiamen,
or with Thousand. The reported strike
on our line amounts to nothing. Our men
arc satisfied. They declined to work be-
cause they feared molestation. Many OF
them returned TO their places this morning
We have assured them ample protection
and entertain no fear of results. We have
run the New York Central as q nom
unIon road for two years and We
Ike 1t. Our men are higher. paid
than those of any road, and are
been spared the constant firing of commit
teemen and grievances at US. which was
almost continual while the union was try
Ing to help US run the road. The situation
resolves itself into this; We can run this
road now, this minute, with the men we
have at our disposal if we can guarantee
them protection in the discharge of
their duties. The State of New York must
do that at once. We are in no trouble
whatever. All we want is soldiers to pre-
vent the men beng killed or injured Mt
their posts. As soon as there are soldiers
enough we will have switchmen and other
help IN abundance. The New York Gen.
tral. es said, will run it's road in it's own
way"
WHY THE CENTRAL MEN STRUCK.
General Superintendent Voorhees,. of the
Central. said this morning that about $50
of the company's men were out. Continu-
ing. he said: This is purely . strike for
increased pay. The pretenslon of the mon
that they want fewer hours Is all humbug.
They have worked in the past eleven
hours day, actual work, and they expect
TO continue that way, but they want their
hourly compensation increased by an
amount which Is practically 10 per cent 1t
is, as l said before, a strike for increased
pay. The men have never before made the
slightest objection to the number OF hours
they work."
They niade formal demand for lti"
Yes. The night force came to us on
Tuesday, at noon and made the same de-
mand as had been made on the other roads.
They belong to the Switchmen's Union.
and suppose they made up their minds to
GO as the other union men did. Their de-
mand was refused. The men employ ed on
this road at Buffalo have been receiving
more pay than any other men performing
Ike service on any road In the State OF New
York. and We decided not to grant their de-
mands."
Asked whether the fact that the West
Shore has been carrying freight transferred
from the Erie had any thing to do with
prompting the CentraPs men to 90 out, Mr..
voorhees, said he did not think it had. I'VE
are Obliged to handle whatever freight is
brought to u.s. said he.
The New York CentraPs yards In this
city passed through q strike two years ago.
I-ss company defeated the men, filing the
yards with nOD-uni0n wOrkmen. 1t wad
not believed that the union could again
get O strong hold in the yards. but commit
tees have been working for several months
preparing for a strike. A vote taken in the
yards week ago resulted in three fourths
OF the men agreeing to strike for the ten
hour system If necessary. The action last
night was the result of the ballot. The
company employs about twenty-five day
engines and something over dozen night
engines. each having a switching crew OF
three men, besides the engineers and firemen,
making total of ab0ut 175 men in the
swltching service in the ards This isnearly
as many men as went out in the strike on
the Lehigh Valley, the Erie and the Buff
falo Creek roads. thus ubling the num-
ber of men out. The day shift of the West
Shore swItchmen worked about one hour
this morning and then dropped erything
right where it stood. Their demands are
similar to the demands of the Central men.
General Manager Halstead,' of tho Della
ware. Lackawanna IL Western. has issued
imperative orders that no freight shall be
received from any of the tied-up roads
The order also instructed agents at all
Junction points not to accept any freight
that has been diverted from the Central,
the Erie or the Lehigh Valley roads. Lake
above lines will also be refused. should 1t
be offered to the Lackawanna at this point
SUFFERERS BY THE STRIKE.
The fast-freizht lines are probably the
greatest sufferers by the strike. Thousands
of dollars worth of perishable goods are
standing on the side-tracks of the several
lines. and nothing can be done towards
forwarding them. The receipts of grain
during the past three days have been
nearly $500, 900 bushels and 200, 600 barrels
of fiOnI, the largest midsummer business
known at this port. If everything was
running smoothly there would be- trouble
in getting rid of this large amount of
freight. In fact, the contract houses were
keeping 1t moving fairly we'll, but now
that the Central road is in the same pre-
dicament as the Erie. nothing can prevent
q serious glut of grain in the Buffalo ele-
vatOrs and detention of vessels In the
river. 1t is true there are nearly two hun
dred canal boats waiting loads, but the
stuff received is contracted through by rali
at a rate far below the canal Boat-Owners
find they can now squeeze the railroads,
and are ordering an advance OF cent above
last week. Predictions are numerous OF q
or cent rate on wheat to New York be-
fore the strike ends. The scarcity of coal
IS another feature Of the strike. The line
steamers were compelled to go TO other
yards for fuel, and only the Lackawanna
road is able TO furnish cargoes for the up
per lakes. The coal is back of the STRIKE"
said an Official. "Shipments OF coal for
the past three days were only ten thousand
tons. There was some talk on the dock
this morning of q movement against the
Lackawanna unless that road ceased aid
ing the Lehigh."
Grand Master Frank Sweeney. OF the
Switchmen's Union, said to-day, when
asked as to the chances of the strike
becoming general mo man can predict
where this thing will end. 1t may spread
like wild-fre. Certain it is that the men
have done everything that . man with an
ounee Of seif-respect could DO to ayoid
forcing the issues to a strike. The Iehigh
Valley men frat a x ed for q reform in GER