Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1893-12-01
BIG RAILROAD STRIKE.
The Employees of the Lehigh Quit
Work Suddenly.

Pursuant TO an order from the Grievance
Committee in Philadelphia general strike
on the I,ehigh Valley Read was begun at
Easton, Penn, and elsewhere at 10 O'Clock at
night a fe~ days ago.
. TheT5 was no unusual demonstration.
The men simply quit work and stayed
away, They said all passenger traIna
~suld be run through to destinations,
and so would the perishable freight.
Other trains were side-tracksd. A stock
train was abandoned in the South Plainfield
IN. J. yards, and four coal trains were side
tracked along the New Jersey division.
The employees asserted that the sole ques
tion at issue was the right to join labor or
CARNATIONS and seek redress for grievances
through them. The order to strike was sent
out mysteriously and obeyed instantly.
The total number of men on strike was
estimated at not less than 5000 Those in
Guided ia the strike were the Brotherhood
Locomotive Engineers, the Brotherhood OF
Locomotive Firemen, the Order Of RAILROAD
Conductors. the Brotherhood of Rail-
road Trainmen. which includes the
brakemeD, baggagemen. etc. and
the Order of Railroad TeleSraphers. The OK
der for the strike came from Philadelphia at
6 O'Clock in the evening. The Grievance
Committee of the men had been sitting there
for weeks. A more complete temporary lock-
ing up was never before seen. The men in
the offices had not said a word to their SUI
periors about the time the strike was to
come. They hadn't said definitely that
was to take place at all. EX-
actly on the stroke of 10 o'clock one of the
operators in the office of the train despatch
ers got up from his desk. walked over to the
door. took his hat and coat from the hook and
walked out at the same moment the other
operator, who wasn't prepared TO go out, found
that he was pounding away with his key at a
dead wire. The wire had been grounded at
Pittston Junction and at the Coxton yards.
The instruments in the Office stopped their
ticking, and from that moment it wasn't
known where any train on the road was,
and there might have been a hundred in
danger of collision without any means
Of notifying them of their danger.
little after the operator mentioned went
out, and while the other operator
was engaged in discovering that the wires
had been grounded on the Wyoming
division, one of the oldest conductors onthe
road came in. His train had just arrived.
He told the Superintendent that a strike
had been ordered, and he couldn't take the
train any further
"You mean that you will not take it out
of the stationY asked the Superintendent.
"Yes sir" was the reply. 81 am Brother
hood man"
He was followed by other men. Then the
news came that the switchmen in the yarl
had Knocked off, leaving the switches as
they were set at 10 o'clock. Word also came
men were quitting at North and South
Wllkesbarre.
Trains were constantly coming in, and as
fast as they arrived the crews sidetracked
them and then went home or stood around
to see what would be done. The officials
didn't lose any time Some of the minor
ones went out up and down the tracks.
throwing switches and doing the work of the
strikers.
Tire one or two engineers that were loyal
were utilized getting sidetracked cars out of
the way to make room for more. No objec-
ton was made to this the part of the
strikers, but when an attempt was made to
move two cars of live stock out on tho
main line and get them started for their
destination, there was row. As fast
as the cars were coupled to an engine
they were uncoupled. They were uncoupIsd
from each other also. There was no show of
violence. Tie strikers went at it in a bust
ness-like way. and finally the attempt to
move the cars was abandoned until morning
A parade of the striking mon was held at
WiIEaGharra