Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1895-09-04
LEFT THEIR BENCHES.
Employees Of Large Manufacture
ing Establishment Demand
a Cash Pay Day.
BIG STRIKE AT TWO RIVERS.
Three Hundred Men Are Out and
the Number will be In
creased-SpeciaIs.

Two Rivers, Wis, Aug 29.-TSpecial. I
The employees of the Two Rivers Manu-
featuring company, comprising the crews
of the sawmill and pail factories and num-
bering over 300 men, went on a strike at
10 o'clock this morning. A union was
formed here lately embracing the en-
ployes of this company, and after organ
izing they made written request upon
the directors at Milwaukee asking for
a regular cash pay day.
AT mass meeting last evening letter
was read from the directors refusing to
accede to the demands of the men. After
a deliberation an ultimate was sent to
Milwaukee giving the company until 10
o'clock this morning to grant their de-
mand. No satisfactory reply being re-
ceived the men walked out at the time
stated.
The probabilities are that the men en-
ployed in the company's chair factory
will walk out at noon, swelling the num-
Der to over 500 men. The strikers are
orderly and are parading the streets and
holding mass meetings. The Two Rivers
Manufacturing company has been operat-
ing factories here for forty years and
has never had cash pay day. The COM
pany maintain a store and the men are
expected to do their trading with the
company. Mann Brothers of Milwaukee
are agents for the Two Rivers Manufact-
uring company and dispose of the pro-
duets here. Both concerns are practical
ly under the same management
The men had another large parade this
noon and were joined by a large num-
Der of chair employees when the parade
passed the factory. Another mass meet
ing will take place this evening.
Two Rivers, Wis, Aug. 3O.-[Speciall
The strike situation remains practically
nmnIOVnS of a
Two Rivers Manufa curing company
are out with the exception of the river
drivers. 4 few men in the chair factory.
sawmill and foreman and men in charge
of the several steam plants.
The plants now affected by the strike
are the pail, chair factories and saw
mill. The pail factory is one of the
largest institutions of the kind in the
world. The main building is 600 feet
long and three stories high. This plant
uses Il combined horsepower of 700 and
gives employment to over 300 hands.
A great deal of the work here is piece
work and there is no dissatisfaction as
to wages, the demands being only for
a payment in cash. This factory turns
out the famous cable ware patents on
which have been acquired by this COM
pany exclusively. This fact has enabled
the company to tide over the late panic
and they have kept the factory running
with a full force without loss of time.
Connected with it is the sawmill plant.
At a meeting of the union held yes
terday afternoon peace officers were
elected to see that order is maintained.
At present il is impossible to foretell
what the course of events will be- AS
yet there has been no conference be-
tween the employer and employees and it
is impossible to tell what concessions eit;l-
er is willing to make. There seems to be
no grievance with the men except a de-
mand for = cash pay day.