The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-10-18
As a Result One of the Greatest Railway
Systems in the Country Was Tied Up,
And 1t Was Not Till Night that Even the Tele.
graphers' Car Vas Convinced the Order
Was Hoax-The Funny Man Fired"
RARE PRACTICAL JOKER.
Operator Barker Ties Up the Santa Fe Raj


on the Santa Fe system, about nine hun
dred in all. struck this morning. at 10
o'clock. in response to an order alleged to
have been sent by Chief Ramsey, of the
Order of Railway Telegraphers Tonight
they went back to work. The operators
were informed by Chief Ramsey, at 8
o'clock tonight, that the order directing
them to strike was forgery, and instruct
ing them to return at once to their posts of
duty. The operators. immediately upon
receiving the ORDER returned to their keys.
and the work of strengthening out the
tangle caused by the str,ke began.
Operator Barker ct Dodge City. Kans.,
after reading the accounts in this morn
lng's paper of the strike on the Gulf. Colo
RADIO q Santa Fe divisions of the Santa Fe
system, thought he would play joke upon
the manager of his Office. He wrote the
following message and. after signing Chief
Ramscy's name to il, laid It on Manager
Swett's desk:
ST. LOUIS, Oct. IL.
To All Operators and Managers:
In view of tho fact that the Gulf, Colorado &
Santa Fe Is controlled by the Santa Fe road, i,
therefore. declare strike on the entire Santa Fe
system. to take effect at 10 o'clock NJ. Oct IL
See that no tclegraphing is done, no tickets sold
and that nothing Is done to iniure our course
Till you are regularly relieved
Manager SWEET. after reading il, im-
mediately repeated the message to the
next station, and within fifteen minutes it
had been received by every operator at
minutes later every operator on duty had
quit work. The operation of the road was
completely blocked and dispatcher Bark
ers joke was complete.
Barker is doubtless the only man who
got any fun out of the joke, and his enjoy.
ment of it probably received q sudden
check when he learned that it had resulted
In the complete suspension of all business
on the road. 1t was mighty serions busi-
ness for the Santa Fe road. For
twelve hours their business was at
q stand-stiil, and an immense amount Of
traffic was lost to it. Orders were sent
out to all stations to managers to decline
to receive freight. and no freight was re-
ccived during the ontiRs day. Passenger
trains were somewhat delayed, but were
kept moving on the freight tIme-card
schedule. So far as learned this method of
handling passenger business met with COM
parative success. No accidents have been
reported, and the trains were not greatly
delayed.
Immediately the news of the strike
reached Santa Fe headquarters here Gen.
eral Manager Robinson sought to put him.
self In communication with Chief Ramsey.
After some time it was finally ascertained
that the car of all telegraphers
was In Sc. LOUIS comforting with
Missouri Pacific officials on the pro-
posed new telegraphers' schedule on that
wire and when he was reached he could do
nothing until he had received an authorita-
tive report Of the strike from some OF his
trusted ientenants on the line. 1t was.
therefore, not until z o'clock tonight that
o message was received from him stating
that the order was forgery and that no
had ordered rhe men to return to work at
once. At the same time this message was
received the operators received message
ordering them to go to work Immediately.
The OF Ter was com Piled with Immediately
and che road resumed business at 7:30
O'clock.
THE JOKER TIRED"
During the day the entire system from
Chicago to the Pacific coast and from Kan
sas City to Galveston was practically &C O
stand-stIll, over two thousand operators
at his post was the operator at Barclay.
Kan. and he says he knew the order to
strike was q hoax. The loss to the COM
pany 10 very great, while the only benefit
to the operators is in showing the perfect
manner in which they ore organized. Op-
orator Barker, the joker, has been dis
charged.
General Manager Robinson endeavored
all the aftern oon to convince the strikers
that the telegram purport,ng to come from
Chief Ramsey was forgery, but the men
took no stock whatever in the story that an
operator attempted to play O joke. The
Gulf. Colorado & Santa Fe, on which the
first strike occurred. IS not owned by the
Santa Fe, but il is leased and operated by
it. and General Manager Robinson is second
vice president. Last spring Grand Chief
Ramsey secured for the operators who
went out to-day an annual increase in
wages of some $4,000. Operators receiv-
and Si5, and train-dispatches were in
creased from 500 and Sl25 to S1c5 and $50.
In nm interview this afternoon General
Manager Robinson said:
"The agreement made few months ago
between the officials of the Santa Fe system
and Mr.. Ramsey, chief of the Order of
Railway 1elegraphers. and sighed by
both parties To the compact provides
that thirty days notice shall be given by
either party TO the other requesting q
change ID the same. In regard 10 the
strike on the Texas lines 1 will say that
the company has always been willing To
meet the men and confer with them about
their grievan Mr.. Wheeler. general
manager of the Texas limo, several weeks
ago telegraphed Chief Ramsey that he
wished to have him come to Galveston tn
adjust the grey aDces. Mr.. Ramsey wired
that II would be impossible for him TO
come before the latter part of the month
or the first of the next so he fele-
graphed Mr. Tobcy to 10 in his stead.
This was about ten days ago. Mr..
Wheeler wired MIR. Ramsey that so many
interests were involved and the matters at
stake so important that he wished Mr..
Ramsey would give the matter his personal
attention and that General Manager Rob-
inson would meet with him at convenient
time. Mr.. Ramsey telegraphed NJ. Wheeler
that he would withdraw Mr.. Tobey. j have
been waiting for HIM To fix time when it
would be convenient for him, which sup
posed would be the last of the month. /
have been absent In the Panhandle coun-
try and did not return to Topeka until yes
terday morning. / went ont for q drive.
and did not return home until about 1:30
o'clock. found there telegram which
had arrived in cipher during the
night, had been translated and de-
livered ut my house after i had
started out for the ride. This telegram