The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-11-26
INCONVENIENCE BY A STRIKE.
Firemen Put New York Newspapers and
Owners of BuildinRs to Lott of Trouble.

Firemen Put New York Newspapers and
Owners of Buildings to Lots of Trouble.
NEw YORK, Nov. 25.-Ai the fremen en-
ployed on the steam company's great plant
between Greenwich and Washington
streets. at Cortland ferry. struck at ten
minutes past 10 O'clock this morning
against q reduction of wages. The
company employs about fifty iremen
on the fifty-six boilers located around the
bases of the great chimneys. which are
among the most prominent landmarks OF
the city. Eleven of these men work from
midnight until morning. because in those
hours there lie not so great a demand for
service. This night watch gathered at the
four corners Of the block on which the plant
stands. shortly before midnight. last night,
and were soon joined by nearly all the men
of the day shifts and q large number of
sy,npathizers, who had left their beds to
see the beginning OF the tight. They were
all resolved that they would not 60 back
unless the proposed reduction was sban.
doned. While they waited they told
receiving % otnts an hour and were work
ing from eight to ten hours q day. The
company had announced that hereafter
they would be paid 20 cents an hour n
S w01ld ls expected to work twelve shsY hours bss =
been steamship firemen and these
said that this reduction would
bring their wages down to q lower figure
than they could get at sea, especially on
American boats, and all Joined in saying
that IL was a physical impossibllity for o
man to fire the boilers of the steam COM
pany's plant twelve hours q day for many
days in succession.
There was not q fireman left in the house
at midnight and before the men had left
they had opened the hampers. letting great
volumes of cold air into the furnaces
and bringing tho steam pressure down like
q shot. Chief Engineer Clarence. who
and begged the men to return, but was met
with a peremptory, but polite. refusal.
Then he caught up Q directory and began
to hunt mp the residences Of the
to the telephone to- call q messenger his
eye caught the needle of the steam gauge
on the wall travelling rapidly toward the
zero point. He changed his plans and
darted back into the building, starting up
the blowing engines and shouting to the
Waterman to help him. They were the
only people in the building. They ran to
the boilers TO raise what steam they might
with the fires that yet remained.
The strikers were jubilant at the CON-
%sternation they had causec. They said that
the newspapers whicn get their power from
the company, with the exception of one,
which has its own steam plant. would be
late on the streets if they conld come out &C
8fAs ~ WIZ a ~
telegraph service woul be seriously
hampered, and tho big Office buildings
would be cold In the morning. Before /
o'clock the steam had fallen from the regu-
the square inch to less thar fifty pounds,
and was still rapidly falling. The
elevators In the Western Union Telegraph
building at Broadway and Dey street
had to stop running. and in this
building and in the general postofioe the
electric lights went out, as there was not
power enough to run the dynamos. There
was q great hurrying around to start fires
beneath the lOnG-ldle boilers of their steam
plants. and there was pandemonium in
caught without power at the very
hon when their presses were about to
start. The n newspapers rose to the occa-
sion. and their edition were run off, bat In
steam company's power Is used, there
was great climbing of stairs to-day.
On the Western Union Building
five of the six elevators were motionless,
the one In operation being run with steam
from o boiler in the building.
Later in the day the company claimed to
have replaced twenty-four of the strikers,
with one hundred applications in hand.
The Girls Stuck TO Their Union.
CLEVELAND, o., Nov. 25.-For the past
few weeks an effort has been made to or
ganize a union Of girl and women employees
of steam lsundriss. Twcnty-three girls in
the Troy steam laundry joined IL, and last
Wednesday they were given the alternative
of leaving their employment or the union,
They stood by the union. L. b. McGuire.
of the general executive committee knights
of Labor. is In the city. and is preparing to
prosecute the proprietors of the laundry
unde the Llewellyn law, which imposes q
penalty for disoharging employees for be-
longing to labor organizations. 1t il
claimed that this law, which 10 q new ono
Is clearly unconstitutional.