Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1892-11-26
FIREMEN QUIT WORK,
Steam Goes Down Rapidly, Elevators
Stop Work and Big Buildings Grow

morning against reduction or wages.
| This reduction had been ordered by
General Manager st. John on Wednes-
| day 70 take effect to-day. The men had
told their superiors when informed Of
the decided cut in wages, that they
would not work for less than they were
getting and were then reminded, they
say, that if they did not choose to ac-
cept the company's terms they were at
| iiQerty TO seek work elsewhere. They
decided to quit at the midnight change
of men last night, but they did not
serve their employers with definite no.
tice of their Intention.
The company employed about fifty
| firemen on the ffty-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 morn
ing, because in those hours there is not
so great demand upon the service.
| The 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 a large
number OF sympathiZers who had left
their beds to see the beginning Of the
| fight. They were all resolved that they
would not 60 back unless the proposed
reduction was abandoned. While they
waited they told the story of their
troubles. They had been receiving %
| cents an hour and were working from
eight to ten hours day.
/ nh hQ1 0nDnnppQ6 that
hereafter they would be paid but twen-
ty cents an hour and would be expect
/ ed to work twelve hours a day nearly
all OF them had been steamship fire.
men and those said that this reduction
would bring their wages down to a low
er figure than they could got a. sea es-
pecially on American boats and ali
/ Joined in saying that IL was a physical
/ imp0ssibility for a man TO fire the boil
ers Of the steam cOmpany's plants
twelve hours a day for many days in
succession, The steamship man said
| that the fire rooms Of the plant were
hotter than that Of modern steamer
where a man only worked four hours al
q stretch aud then was allowed TO rest
eight hours to say nothing OF the long
vacations with full pay when the vessel
was lying in port. A few policemen
asked the meaning of the meeting, but
did not moleSt the men when they
learned why they had assembled and
saw that they were orderly.
AS the hands on the big clock on
Courtland street ferry pointed to the
zenith, the strikers all assembled at
the entrance to the big boiler house.
The men at work finally left their posts
upon the sidewalk were greeted with
cheers, and in some cases were caught
IN and carried on the shoulders OF the
strikers to the corner. There was not
fireman left in the house, and before
the men left they had opened the damp
ers, letting great volumes Of cold air
into the furnaces and bringing the
steam pressure like q shot. Engineer
Clarence, who was in charge, rushed
out into the streets and begged the men
TO return, but was met with peremp-
tory but polite refusal. Then he caught
up q directory and began to hunt up the
residences of the officers of the COM
pany. As he turned TO the telephone
to call messenger, his eve caught the
needle OF the big steam gage on the
wall travelling rapidly toward the
zero point. He changed his plans and
darted back into the building, starting
uD the big blowing engines and shout
ing to three switchmen to help him.
These were the only people in the build
ing. They ran to the boilers to raise
what steam they might with the fires
that remained. The strikers were ju
biant with the CONSERVATION they had
caused. He said the newspapers, which
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 could come out at all, and the
Dostoflice and Western Union telegraph
service would be seriously hampered
and that the big Office building down
town would be cold This morn
ing before o'clock the
steam had fallen from the
regular pressure of Sc pounds to the
square inch to the less than so pounds
and was still rapidly falling. The ele-
vators in the Western Union Telegraph
building at Broadway aud Dey street
had tn stop running, and in this build
ing and in the general postotiice the
electric lights were out, as there was
not power enough TO run the dynamOS.
There was a great hurrying around TO
start fires beneath the long idle boilers
Of their steam plants, and there was
Dandemonium in those Of the morning
newspaper Offices that were caught
,,itbont mower AZ the very hour when
their presses were about TO start. The
naDers rose to the occasion and their
editions were run off, but ia hundreds
of Office buildings where the steam COM
papy'S power is received there is great
climbing of stairs to-day as Ia the WeS-
tern Union building.
Later in the day the company claimed TO
have replaced "a Of the strikers, with lUO
applications in hand.