The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1894-04-14
Fifteen Hundred Miles OF That Line
Was Tied Up at Noon
Yesterday
The Men Demand That the Seized.
uie In Eject Year Ago
Be Restored.
Employees Were Ready 20 Move the Mail
Cars. bat the onioiAis say They
Cannot Clear Them.

. ever seen IN THIS country vas Witnessed
yesterday on the /. 400 miles OF the Great
Northern system. extending from Lsrimore,
N. D.. 20 spokane. on ths msin line. and
/ from Havre 10 Butte on the Montana Cen
trail. 10 began exactly al noon. and 20 a
certain extent was q surprise. because while
there have been rumofs Of strike of Great
Northern employees for some weeks and
several small ones on that line in this state
In the past SIXTY days. the first information
OF q general tie-up was received Thursday.
AZ the representatives OF the company in
this city told The ISDErESDEST az late a. II
O'Clock yesterday morning that they knew
of no intention OF the men 10 quit, aud that
they bad no knowledge of any grievances
10 was thoueht that there was probability
that the trouble would be amioably
settled before the tins set BY
the men 20 take action. while
there was no formal and public announces
ment by the employees that they would quit
work yesterday a. noon, as At was very gen
orally unde stood that the employees of the
company in the territory referred 20 had
notified the railroad officials that unless
the schedule OF wages in force on the Grea.
Northern previous 10 August, 1893 was re-
stored by noon yssterday, they would qui.
the service of the company. The schedule
Was not restored TO the basis asked for and
the men kept theif vsrd.
Al noon there we're several hundred peo-
pie down at the Montana Central depot.
Many of them we're employees Of the rail-
road. but the large majority we're people
who went down from Curiosity. Supt.
Bryan. Of st. Paul. Division supsrintend-
eut CuTrier, OF Crest Falls and General
Agent Harder, OF tins city, were in the
freight office. In reply TO an inquiry Mr..
Bryan said that he had no informatio a az
to what the employees wanted. and
he also denied the story that his
company had hired men 10 take the
place of the men who might guilt.
Beyond this the officials would give no in.
formation. saying they had none. On the
other hand, the men we're quite willing 10
tell just what they wanted, aud said that
Mr.. BRYAN was as we'll aware OF what they
wanted as they we're themselves. ID was
simply that the schedule Of wages Ia force
prior 10 August. 1898, be restored. ! his, ~
granted, would give them less than was
aid by either the Northern Pacific or the
Union Pacific for the same work. They
Also eAid that Mr.. BRYAN could not help
but know what they wanted, as their COM
mittess had info rmed the officials Of the
road several times in an official way that
the schedule 20 90 into effect April was
not satisfactory. and their representatives.
had not signed II.
IL the crowd expected anything out Of the
ordinary IL was disappointed. Promptly
~ noon the employees stopped work, the
same as they would have done had there
not been any ts-up. The Differences was
that instead of quitting work for an hour
thev we're prepared 10 remain idle for days.
A. 1890 the through train from the south
q
passengers aboard aud quite number on
the platform who wanted 80 go 20 Great
Falls. As quick as the train reached the
station the brakemen set the brakes on the
coaches; Two switohmen uneoupled the
mail car from the rest OF the train and 10
vas PULLED Awav from the train about ten
feet. Then the engine was uncouple1 from
the mail car and it went to the round house.
In about five minutes another engine
backed up to the mail car aud was coupled
to 10. Then the engineer and the conduc-
tor waited for their clearance order. The
time dragged on and still tho order did not
come. In reply to inquiries the officials
said as the operator IN the dispatohei's
Office had quit they we're unable TO give
any clearance order The operator 10 q
young lady and she atayed within
oall Of the officials ell day. Supt Barclay.
OF the Montana division of the railway
mail service. was nt the 6epot the mail
clerks we're on the car, but the mail did
not 90 DOT yesterday. The penalty for re-
70 sine TO carry the mail IL $40 pHokaqe an
hour for the fret twenty-thres hours delay.
and after that the railroad officials are liza
bic TO arrest.
there was a crowd around the station all
the afternoon. but the q Was not a sign of
trouble. The trainmen vie ready all the
time TO take tue mail car out. and ready
also 20 90 to work II tho sohei Was
agreed 20. but they could not 60 without a
clearance order A. 1880 D.. N. Supt. Cur
rir ordefs tue enPius Into the round
house. During the afternoon j. l.. Dunn
OF Great Falls. the oticial rep essntative OF
tho American Railway union, stepped 90
the end of the platform aud said:
Friends and fellow citizens: want you
all TO step this way and listen 90 me. We
are ready aud willing 10 move this mail car
The men are al their posts. ID IL the com
pany's fault not ours. that 10 did not leave
on time. We are ready and willing TO do
our part. The company will TRY 70 make IL
sp. ear that We are the cause OF the delay OF
the mail, but / want you all 10 bear witness
to the fact that We are ready 30 move the
car"
The through passengers went mp town
about two o clock and will remain here un-
al she trains are running again. some
people who wanted 60 get 20 Great Falls
hirsd rig aud will make tho trip that
way. Last night there was no intimation
from either side that she differences were
any nearer settlement than they were in
the morning. The railroad people profess
to bslievs that the trouble does nos amount
to much, ana dispatches from 81. Paul last
night indicate that either they HAYS no idea
there OF tho extent of the tie-up, O. that ths
officials are making NJ light of ~ as they
can. The men were very decided ia the
abatement that they would not 90 TO work