The Indianapolis journal., 1894-07-07
all the Railways Centering in the City,
Including the Big Four, Seri-
Ously Affected.
SPREADING AT DETROIT
Strike on All the Roads Ordered
Late Last Night.
Fears of Trouble at Buffalo and Other
Eastern POints-PreparatiOns Of
the New York Police.

CLEVELAND, o., July 6-Slowly but
surely the great railroad strike is sweep
lhg eastward. After an all-night session of
che members Of the American Railway
Union in which every road running into
this city was represented, 1t was decided
at an early hour this morning 20 tie up
every line centering in Cleveland. BY Z
o'clock the Big Four yards were reported
dead, with the exception Of an occasional
passenger train; the night force had quit
and the day men failed to appear for duty.
A like condition of affairs prevailed on
the Cleveland, Canton &c Southern road,
where work ceased at an early hour and
the yards were silent as the grave.
AS soon as the long session of the A. r.
u. came to an end numerous committees
were started out in all directions to notify
the men in the different yards TO cease
work. At o'clock the Lake Shore men
struck. Out of forty-eight yard crews and
engines on that road in this city only one
engine was working, and the men on that
said they had not yet been notified. One
or two passenger trains arrived and de-
parted during the early morning hours. but
long freight trains were being constant
ly pulled into the yards and deserted on
the main track IL seemed probable that
blockade would soon result. The Cleveland
& Pittsburg men promptly stopped work
when notified to do so by the committee,
and at $50 a. m. only crew out of
thirty was at work. The men who struck
are exclusively switchmen. and passenger
trains will only be affected by freight
blOckades. The engineers. firemen and road
trainmen will not go strike, but the
roadmen said they would not even couple
up their own cabooses to trains that might
b made up. In other words, they would
perform none of the duties of the striking
switchmen.
BY o'clock all the switchmen in the
Erie yards had been notified of the strike
order and promptly deserted their posts
Passenger trains at that hour were still
going and coming. but as in the case of
other roads freight trains which were left
standing on the main track threatened to
blockade all traffic in a short time. The
Valley CB. & o. switchmen also went out
early in the day. and the yards Of that
road are practically dead.
At 10 o'clock every road leading into the
city. with the single exception OF the Nick
el-plate. had felt the effect of the strike
and freight traffic on all lines was more
less congested and the suspension of
passenger traffic in many cases seemed
imminent. The Nickel-plate has generally
abandoned passenger trains for the West
I'm consequence of the tie-up on the Western
end of the road. So far as learned no vio-
lence of any kind has occurred.
At 2 o'clock the Lake Shore claimed to
have number of men at work in the east
ern yards at Collinwood, and the Nickel
plate had one engine at work. On other
roads, aside from an occasional passenger
train traffic was at standstill.
All the railroads have issued notices to
shippers stating that they will not receive
freight except subject TO indefinite delay
The Nickel-plate has laid off all freight
handlers
Six hundred strikers on the Erie road
voted to-day to resume work tomorrow.