The herald., 1893-11-19
A BIG STRIKE COMMENCED
The Lehigh Valley Railroad
Tied Up.
All the Company's Employees
Quit Work.
Not q Wheel Turning on the Entire
System.
The Officials' Refusal to Treat With
Representatives of Labor Unions
the Cause oil All the
Trouble.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 18.-A general
strike was ordered on the entire system
of the Lehigh Valley railroad at 10
O'Clock tonight. The immediate cause
was the company's refusal to recognize
any committee or body of men as repre-
sentatives OF the employees of the road.
The men had certain list of grievances
to present and the officers Of the road
refused to treat with them. The gen.
eral committee, sitting at the Brigham
house. this city, then sent a delegation
to wait upon Vice-P President Voorhees,
this evening, as last effort for recogni-
tion, and failing to secure it, ordered q
strike of all the employees.
At 10 80 the road began to tie up and
not wheel is expected to be moving on
any part of the entire system by day
light. Eighteen hundred and ten men
will be idle at day break. The strike
was not unlocked for by the employees
or officials of the company. VI.
Vice-President Voorhees, sat in hie
Office tonight patiently awaiting the in
telligence he knew would come. He
thought the men would strike at z
O'Clock, but when that hour passed and
no intelligence was received, he said IL
O'Clock and remarked that the men were
very considerate indeed. Voorhees, has
had great deal of practical experience
in hadling big strikes. He was identified
with the New York Central when the
knights OF Labor tied the road up.
Chairman Wilkins of the strikers said !:
"We hope to succeed, and it lies with
the men themselves. They are in
earnest and volunteered to stop work.
The company has abrogated ita agree
ment with us made last August. II the
officers will simply live up to what they
agreed to, no further trouble will ensue.
We will not see any train abandoned
until it reaches its dastinatiens mar III
we countenance the destruction OF any
of the epmpsny'a property. It is ouI
dsrffe to WIN only ny fair means.
Hss.slt is.stated by persons who have an
inkllng of what is going on between the
men and their employers that the whole
trouble was occasioned by the discharge
OF Chairman Hughes OF the Railway Tel
egraphers' association. Mr.. Hughes said
tonight,such is not the case. His dis
charge was but a minor question. He
oai0 uDop hips 90 WCit hn OtacI bludlA
grievances, would of course come up, if
their representatives., as such, could gain
o hearing with the officers of the road.
The strikers affirm that only the princi-
Piles OF the organizations are at stake,
and not one cent of money either way.
The strike is said to involve more
than 95 per cent of the employees, in
cluding all the mlen in the mechanical
department, and engineers, fremen,
conductors, brskemen and operators.
The effect OF the strike, it is said, will
act disadvantageously against the an
thracite coal trade on all points between
the coal regions and lake and seaportB.
If it is protracted any length Of time it
will probably be the cause of the shut
ting down of many mines and throwing
thousands of men and boys out OF work
until the trolble is settled.
Reports from the principal points be-
tween here and Buffalo at am. show
that the men are all out and the road
tied up. Passenger trains and stock
trains are standing at terminals and di-
vision points without any crews to run
them.