Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1894-07-02
The Great Strike.

The boycott of the American Rail
way Union against Pullman cars in
consequence of the refusal of the Pull
man Company to arbitrate strike OF
its employees at the Pullman works,
near Chicago, has almost paraly zed bus
ines in that city. Mail trains which
leave the city on Sunday went out as
usual, however, except those on the
Rock Island.
The great strike on the Western and
Pacific railroads continued to spread
Yesterday, and at several points the
strikers resorted to violence in pre-
venting the running Of trains. Trans
fer business on the Belt Railway is en-
tirely blocked by the American Rail
way Union. This business is freight
interchange between all eastern and
western roads ccntering in Chicago
and so as the Belt Railway is tied up
the Interchange business between east
ern and western lines cannot be moved.
1t is absolutely necessary that this
channel of Interchange Of interstate
business should be kept open, other
wise the roads that use it for their
transfer must continue TO be paralyzed.
In several of the Chicago yards the
strikers have rescrted to violence. On
Saturday q train partly made up Of
Pullman cars was ditched by striking
switchman, who knocked the superin-
tendent down when he tried to prevent
bffn from throwing the switch. b. & o,
trains were stopped and stoned in
leaving Chicago.
A gang of strikers broke into the
Pan Handle switch tower of West
Pullman and drove out the telegraph
operator. A mob of three hundred
men made an attack on a train of mail
cars and Pullman sleepers and dining
cars at Chicago yesterday, and sacked
the dining car. Three Rock Island
passenger trains were thrown on sid
ing in Chicago Saturday night, and
nearly three hundred passengers were
detained in the hot cars all day Sunday,
the strikers even preventing them from
connecting a hose with tho village
Waterman to obtain water for drinking
and toilet purposes.
All the men in tho Union Stock ards
went out on strike. The officers of the
federation of labor notified President
Debs, of the American Railway Union,
that whenever they wanted their as
sistance they would call out all the men
in the trades in sympathy. The knights
of labor may also be ordered to strike
The citizens of Chicago are seriously af-
fected by the tie-up, the prices of fruit
and ice being raised to exorbitant fig
ures. The blockade of the California
roads is causing enormous losses to the
fruit growers. A number of engineers
and firemen on the Illinois Central re-
jected President Debs's solicitation to
strike. All trains on the Chicago, Rock
Island and Pacific Railroad, at Chicago,
were abandoned. Large forces of dep
uties were required to protect the mail
cars and the railroad property in the
Chicago yards.
Governor Altgeld has called out six
companies of militia to proceed to Dan
vile at once. Three companies were
ordered to Decatur. The troops are
sent on application of the railroads.
The strikers on the Southern Pacific,
in California, stopped trains by burning
a trestle and greasing the tracks for a
distance of eight miles. U. S. troops
We're ordered to Trinidad, Col, where
the strikers disarmed q thousand deputy
marshals.