Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-04-10
I'd EDITION.
-FOUR TH0USANDQUIT
A Great Strike on the Worlds Fair
Grounds.
SHIPS GATHERING IN HAMPTON ROADS
Suspected Murderer Arrested in
Southeastern Virginia.
OTHER TELEGRAPHIC NEWS.
HIPS GATHERING IN HAMPTON ROADS
OTHER TELEGRAPH1C NEWS.
FOUR THOUSAND QUIT WORK.

| Strike of Mechanics the Worlds Fair
| Grounds.
| CHICAGO, April 10.-At the most critical time
possible for the worlds fair the big exposition
| today encountered its great strike. Four thou
sand union men quit work with prospect that
many more might Join in the stampede before
night. 1t was the elimination of much con-
troversy over what is claimed to be an agree
ment between the worlds fair officials
| and the representatives of union labor,
| by which all disputes between employers and
| employees on exposition work were to be
settled by arbitration. The men contend that
some Of the exposition officials have shown a
disposition, now that the fair is nearly
completed. to deny point blank any
thing asked. and that this has nota.
| bly, been the case in the carpenters
time, the exposition authorities. it is al
| legged, declining to sign the scale proposed
| by the carpenters union for the new
season. although a majority Of the large
| contractors in the city had signed. Today
| was named by the business agents Of the build
| ing trades council as the final time at which
arbitration must be assented to if q strike was
| to be averted.
| Early this morning the emisaries detailed to
\ pread the news of the order Of general strike
were on hand at the various entrances The
| delegates were quickly strung along the fence
from 56th street to 9th street in regular picket
/ line formation.
George Gary, the president Of the bridge
workers union, was marshal OF the forces, and
with willing assistants his work of detailing
was well done. Each side street leading to the
grounds was picketed on both sides alike to
make the canvass of incoming workers as COM
| plete possible.
"Are you a union man?'' was the question
| each dinner pail carrier was asked, and if the
| answer was in the affirmative the order OK the
council was communicated.
Very few union men disobeyed the order. II
the subject of examination proved to be a non
| union man a short statement Of the condition
of affairs was given and his membership In the
| union solicited. No threats were made of
bodily harm if he showed an inclination to pro-
| coed to work.
As the hour approached 8 o'clock the dele
| gates began some very lively work. The men
| who had joined the strikers now constituted
| themselves delegates.
Some mounted boxes at the gates and
| shouted, Attention n MON men" or some such
salutation to attract attention. Stump speeches
on their grievance became the order of the
moment and moro recruits were added to the
| ranks. At 7:45 a party Of half dozen
delegates started in at 65th street gate to make
| a tour of the grounds. The party walked rap
| idly and by the time the transportation, cold
storage. electricity. mining, administration,
agricultural and machinery buildings had been
| passed the party, amounting to near 200,
| brought up at the liberal arts building.
Dennis .Healy a non-union carpenter, de-
nounced the strike and was promptly beaten
| into insensibility by Edward Morris, a union
man.
The trades represented are the carpenters,
painters, ornamental iron workers, bod car
riers. TIN and sheet iron workers. cornice work.
ers steam filters, gas filters, electrical workers,
tile workers, mosaic workers, hthers, gas and
electrical fixture hangers cement finishers, fresco
painters, hosting engineers, marble cutters,
gravel roofers and other small trades. The
bricklayers, stone cutters and plasterers are
not involved.
THE MEMS GRIEVANCES.
The men claim that the council Of admins
tration of the worlds fair has broken faith with
the allied trades upon the arbitration
question, and that the outlook is for
further violations OF agreement on other
points. Considerable correspondence has
passed between the officials of the trades unions
and the worlds fair authorities, and the result
being unsatisfactory an order was issued late
last night for the men to strike.
Early this morning the men began to gather
at the entrances to the worlds fair grounds. but
few of them passed through the gates. Instead
they formed in groups at each of the entrances
and as fast as workmen approached they were
taken in hand by the pickets and asked
to refrain from going to work The impor-
tunities of the strikers were generally sue
cessful, and only a small percentage of thou
sands of mechanics employed in the white
city, began their daily tasks when the
whistles blew for the commencement Of work.
There was no violence whatever and beyond
an occasional mutter or threat there was no
in dicatioE Of any
Decisive action taken by the construc-
| ton department Orders were issued to the
uniformed Columbian guards to remove dele
gates found actively soliciting men to quit
work. From that time on patrol wagon calls
were pretty frequent.
Probably so per cent Of the trades interested
did not 60 to work, and many men Of the other
| trades who were not directly interested knocked
| off work to await the result Of the trouble. In
addition to these it was said that most Of the
non-union men and railroaders were ready to
| quit if the strike was not speedily settled.
At 10 O'Clock, however, a messenger came
| from the administration building Of the
| worlds fair inviting the representatives OF the
strikers to a conference. The invitation was
at once accepted and the forenoon wore on,
! with the men idling and smoking on the out
| side while their leaders were closeted with the
| council Of administration.
OVER THREE THOUSAND MORE OUT.
BY o'clock about 1000 men, all told, had
| quit work. An hour later ], 500 electrical
| workers went out.
The prompt removal Of agitators angered
| crowds of men at the gates and great deal of
| threatening talk was INDUCED in. Numerous
personal encounters occurred between strikers
under the influence of liquor and non-union
men, who showed disposition to go to work.
Finally a SQUAD of officers called out,
who ordered the men to either go to work or
| leave the vicinity. Tho latter order they we're
slow TO obey and a result several received
some hard raps from the officers clubs. The
officers, after a half hours work, succeeded in
| forcing the men across the street, where they
held them by patrolling up and down in front
I Of them