New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-08-16
THE sTRIKEOF EXPRESSMEN
sre1ous TROUBLE BETWEEN THE ADAMS
COMPANY AND ITS EMPLOYEES.
prs1NEss TRANSACTED YEsTERDAY-No
NEW MEN EMPIoYEp-A STATEMENT OF

.ou,a he learned yesterday the officials OF
~ 80 rxnress Company made no effort to get
-, .,,loves of the company IN TINS city ana Jersey
~ ,bo went on strike at midnight on frnaE' 10
O. - work and in consequence the COMPANY
oss a. these points is practically tied up Nenner
push ,,on,. ,rv 10 replace the strikers with new
few roriers were brought from other cities
mr. :. c.ore not more than a dozen OF them Inc
W" ,,,,s asnect of the strike last night was the
areot determination of both sid-s to hsht II ou'
- hlrter end as they both assert that prinClpes
" involved which they cannot abandon me uai
- che strike are that il will not only cause LOSSES
e 40 company from disruption of It's business III
10 and Jersey City. and of wages 10 the strikers
t"N &c compelled to remain idle. but that IL may
- 10 "a other cities where the company has onoes'
81 ~. srikers were orderly. and up TO a late hour
,,sh, the police reported that there hao oeeh lio
.s,rn.nces Of any kind among them Thefe are
-, sno men ont altogether. and about two-thnos OF
S' no If, Jersey City. The cause OF the Strike
, hacL The men say. to ast May and 1t cumi-
s IN 2 refusal Of the company TO reinsta'e "l'nih
.ss az, few days a man who the strikers declare
wv s,.,hsrgcd without reason. On Friday night me
h..a a meeting in Jersey City. and at midngh'
s vo,ed unanimously to go on strike
s.r,sers In this city number about $50. and were
,,.oa a. the company's yards at Forty-ninth-st
s Foprth-avc. she company's main ofhces at No.
70 proa5way. and at the branch offices
o11ET AT THE COMPANYs YARDS.
4, tho wards Of the company. at Forty-ninth-
=. little business comparatively was transacted
,oraov Whom a Tribune reporter called there
:, COW, only four two-horse wagons ready for ser
- md about the same number of single-horse
Ems There were about thirty wagons stalled
- tho wards The platforms under the sheds were
loaded with express goods of all kinds. ana the
,,s,ress Of the company appeared TO he paralyzeu'
,-rare were few men work. and most of these
ra clerks F. Hawxhurst. the superintendent,
going along We'll ana
,ht The cause of the large amount Of undelivered
Goods being on hand was that II being saturday
afternoon most OF the business houses were closed.
and Therefore the goods could not be delivered
until tomorrow. He also said that only about
forty Of the men at the yards had gone on strike
and that about dozen had been put 10 work In
their places. The latter were men who were on
the extra list He said that there had been no
attempt so far as ne knew. TO replace the strik-
ers with new men,
ASSERTIONS OF A STRIKE LEADER
The strikers have established headquarters at
Ledwith Hall. Forty-hfth-st. and Third-ave
Michael Kelly secretary Of District No. 40 of the
Knights of Labor has charge of the strike in
this city He said that the strikers were mem
hors of the Oriental Association. which Is animated
with the Knights Of Labor. and that the indirect
cause Of the strike a war which the COM
pany has Of late waged the association. The
men have been in hot water" continued Secre-
tarv Kelly ever since l.. c. Weir became presi-
dent OF the company. l do not think, however
thai the trouble is due nearly so much TO him as
10 the acts Of his subordinates Some OF these
officials have driven the men TO desperation one
Of them is Peter Miller who was recently made
general transportation agent, and who boasts OF
being able to break up any labor organization
lie has held his place only two weeks, and was
appointed because the company saw that trouble
was coming and wished him to take charge of it,
He was in the Sixth and Third ave. strikes
lie was a car-StdlleT OH tHe
When the men had trouble with the Adams Ex-
press Company last May they drew up a petition |
and presented il TO President Weir. Their wages had
been reduced and they were overworked me com.
Yany then agreed give them better hours and 1t |
was ordered that none of the day force shouId oe
kept later than $50 night. no matter how mucn
work there was to do. This agreement was kept Just
one month. and after that the men We're kePi a.
work long as the yard bosses saw NJ 81 i @bo
they have been working sixteen hours out or eish-
teen in which they have been KEPT on uuoy' e
were also informed that If they ala n0t reslen |
from the Oriental Association they would have 10 |
ieaVe the coIpSny einpioS hnr IN fersey CIV
We're Se' ieeiy di@harged because they were proni
William Prescott who had WORKED ior the /
company twenty-five years. He is one OF the best |
drove the same team of horses for seven years
lie received so month. The company now asserts |
three months ago. The pump matter however |
was settled befo e Mr.. Miller was put in charge |
mttees waited President Weir within the last |
few days but he refused TO SIC thT en- dne men men
the stablomen. although many Of them want to |
Join We want the horses taken care Of
WHAT PRESIDENT WEIR SAYS.
No shipments were guaranteed at some Of the |
Offices Of the company yesterday. President Weir !
gave out a statement, in which he said that a |
committee Of the men had called on him on Fri |
day with an ultimatum that if Prescott was not |
rens,ated they would strike. He said that he re-
fused 10 interfere in the Prescott ease He also |
said that the company handling all the bust |
ness that came TO 1t by hiring outside trucks and |
that as new drivers could he engaged the !
companys own wagons would be used
Il is said that AT a recent dinner OF express com
panes officials President Weir proposed that wages |
OF eu.lOves should be cut "Well.' ii Is said the |
president Of the WELSH Fargo Company replied let
them begin with you and me- The subject II Is |
said. then dropped.
FREIGHT DELAYED IN JERSEY CITY
The Adams Express Company does the bulk Of
the work Of the Pennsylvania Railroad. 1t could |
not handle the business in Jersey City yesterday.
and freight was piled high on the platforms, as
there were no wagons remove IT. railroad |
offcial said that the yards were choked with loaded
froightcars OF the express company Out of sew
enty- I'VE wagons the company had only two at
work 4 large squad OF police was kept on duty at |
the yards and stables during the day, but the strik
ers made no demonstration. The strikers held |
meeting I'm Franklin Hall and issued typeWritten |
statement OF their grievances. n was signed by d.
J. Walsh William Prescott and George Stinsman, |
Committee.
no TROUBLE II PHILADELPHIA
Philadelphia Aug. 1.-THE strike which
begun in New-York by the employes Of the Adams
Express Company will not. far as present in
cications point affect the company I'm this city