Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-01-19
CAR MEN QUIT.
A Strike on the Lines of D. & r.
|. Railway Company.
MOToRMEN AND CONDUCTORS OUT.

Twenty-three Men on the Main Division
Stop Work this Morning-Their Places
Filled and After Three Hours Interup-
tion Cars are Again Placed en- the Road
The Position of the Men and that of the
Company-rhe Prospects.
Twenty three men employed as motor
men aud conductors on the lines of the
Davenport & Rock Island Railway COM
pany quit work between and 9:15
tn morning. The action was the result
of an agreement formulated at meeting
of the men involved, held last night in the
c., r. |. s. P. passenger depot, which |
was to the effect that the men were to
leave their posts on reaching the barn
from their differe Mt runs after s o'clock.
The % men who went out do not in-
cuda all of the Car men. five motormen
nd three conductors refusing to go out
wniie one wac sure udered his car took
out hhoiher one few minutes later.
SchLitger ard Assistant Superintepdents
Huntoon and Hill were soon on hand and
in short time had several OF The cars
manned and again out on ths road aud by
II o'clock the entire complement was re-
placed, though several cars were in the
hands of green men, on both ends, and
in some instances former conductors were
acting as mOtormen. While The service
was therefore restored, the cars were run
ming with more or less irregularitY.
Cause ofthe Strike.
The strike on the part of the men was
due directly to a special order posted
yesterday in the Moline avenue car
b. rns, and pertaining to the government
of the men employed on this side of
the river. with reference to damages
eutai'e1 in accidents. The order briefly
told, set fortd that hereafter the rule
applying TO holding Car men responsible
for damages to the company's property
resulting from csrelessuess would be
stringently enforced.
The Mems side
The men state that the str Ike is the out
growth of the order Masking motormen re-
sponsible for the breaksge on their cars
more than anything else. This they have
considered an unjust and unre asonsble
demand on the part of the comp any, and
il has been a subject Of discussion ever
since its first mention. Jus. before
Christmas cars II ard 43 in charge of
j. ohm To,line and Leonard Norberg. re
lspeCtiveiy, ran together necr he blue
barn, both cars being damaged. On Mon
day last roth the mOtcrmen mentioned
were informed that they would be expect
ed to pay for the damage to the cars.
Norberg left his car that evening and
Toline asked for his money yesterday,
saying he would rot consent to pay for
damages that could not possibly be
avoided. When they received the orders
for their wages, each was certain
amount shOrt-Tolliue $40 and Norberg
Sc, that being the damages they were as
sessed. The men held meeting at the
c.. r. l. q P. passenger depot last night
aud after long discussion it was decided
to make a formal demand for resdjust
ment by striking at o'clock this morn
ing. The men state that they were
prompted in this by the fact that Motor
man Klein had left his car a day or two
ago on the same account, he having been
charged 80 for damages to his Car and
that an order had been posted for its
general observance.
They Deem 1t an Injustice.
A number OF the men who were seen
il a body by an ARGUS representative
this morning. stated that they thought it
unjust and unreasonable for the company
to ask its men TO pay for damages done
to its property, as was the case in the
collision at the blue barn. Both motor
men state thst it was an utter impossi-
blity to stop the cars owing to the slip
perry condition OF the tracks, and the men
slso state that their duties being on the
front end OF car during such weather
as we have had are hard enough without
being asked TO contribute toward the re-
pairs on the cars.
Present Their Grievances.
They have prepared statement Of
their grievar Ces which has been signed by
all the men who left the cars. It is ad
dressed TO Assistant President L1rdner
and General Superintendent Schnitger,
aud protests first against the order COM
polling mOtormen TO pay for the damages
on cars, and second demands he rein
statement of TIE three men who quit on
account of being charged with the dams
ages. A third article in the sorm of
resolution states that the men consider