The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-09-10

Air PlummeT Defeated the Noof4-bN
striker-A Remarkably Fine Man
Next morning Dave came along as I
was getting Up steam. and asked: Well,
young fellow. how did you make Out?'
Pine
Have q good time"
yes, indeed; the best ever had in Ey
lie"
Glad Of IT, NOw's the ume-while you're
young. By and by. when you have fam
ily 70 support. aud have to be forever on
the lookout for job. or, If you've got one.
on the lookout to keep it, you won't have
much fun. I tell you"
That evening Ed Dennison and his cous-
iu, Ben Allen. who was visiting him from
Greytown, called for me to 60 down TO the
round house" and have a talk with Dave.
We picked up Joe Evertou and Tommy
Woodford on the way
Ed introduced his cousin, to whom Dave
spoke pleasantly. You don't seem to
ADMIRE my mill. young man,
why. no: you see 1 was little disap-
pointed. Ed. has been telling me all the
afternoon about The wonderful engine
locomotives, big, handsome engines
Il was true that Dawes old engine did
not make a very creiitable appearance.
She had been a fTst-class machine in her
day, but that was long time ago.
Were you ever in strike, Mr.. VIII
loughbyT' asked Ed.
"Oh. I've been in a few little rumpuses;
and one that, only for the tact Of one
man. would have been a pretty serious af-
fair / guess"
"Oh. tell Us about that. won't you,
pleaze?"
Yes. don't know but what / will.
Come out here under the tree, where We
can be comfortable, for it's a middling
long story"
Dave leaned against the tree. his hands
clasped behind his head. while we lay
in a semicircle on our stOmachs, before
him. We rested our chins In our hands
and kicked our toes in the dirt.
4 was promoted" said he, from fire.
man 10 engineer q years ago last fall. The
w. & T. was as good road as ever laid
outdoors for a man to work on. I've
known engineers. after losing their jobs
go there and work up to promotion again
rather than look for JOB running some,
where else. Ia only been running about
year, and had got married, when We
got a new general manager. He was an
Eastern man by the name of Harnden.
been at the helm three months before we
began to notice things. The pay car, which
had always been as regular as the mall.
frequently dropped in from a week TO a
month late. Our supplies were gradually
cut down and became so miserably poor
In quality that we could hardly get along
with them. The shop crews were reduced
until only the most urgent repairs were
done The track gangs the same way;
the sections were heightened out till a
man couldn't go over one in an entire day.
As the time rolled on. engines cars and
track became 50 out of repair that wheel
was liable 10 jump a frog anywhere and
wrecks-which had been few and far be
tween-became the commonest occurrence.
"Old Harnden had but one remedy for
| all these ills-discharge. He discharged
| all concerned
we began to think something ought
10 be done. He had kept this kind of thing
| going for three years. and it was getting
| unbearabe. I went down to the round
| house and found fifteen or twenty men
| talking about Jacks discharge They
were very bitter. Even if he paid US
| said one, but here we are two months
| and a half behind; and hear that Earl.
who was discharged to-day will have to
wait for the pay car-maybe three months
before he gets his pay. "
" See here, boys said l. talk is no
Il
| got 10 make a move. Now l proposed
that we who are mere appoint a commit
tee al once to cali a meeting and discuss
this matter, and I'm willing to be one of
| that committee
well. in about half an hour a commit
| tee of five went into the foreman's office
and drew up a notice for a meeting We
marched out in body and tackled it On the
| bulletin board. just as the master me
chanic was going through the roundhouse
on his way to dinner. He looked al It,
| looked at US. and we glsred back at him,
But he passed on without word.
| Next day the news that a meeting had
been called for Saturday evening at 8
o'clock, for all employees TO discuss their
| grievances was all over the road
by $50 on Saturday evening there were
| twenty-five or thirty men in the hall,
from the various departments They were
| talking over their troubles In a half-scared
way. l and my fellow-committeemen cir
| culated among them and cheered them as
well az we could. A conductor asked me
what time the meeting would begin. l re-
| piled as soon as we could find a chairman
| to call US to order
That's So" said he. Here comes
Jim Bailey. Jim. call us to order VIII
YEP
| No. | won't; call yerself to order
| "'Why. what We scared of?
~ amt scared o. nothin'; but faint
my meetin'. What l got to do with calm
| it to order?'
Seeing the necessity of some one max
ing a move before they got tired and stroll
ed off again. / stepped to the table, rape
| with my knuckles and told them to be
seated and remove their hats When the
shutting of feet stopped, l made them a
Ettle speech. l told them the purpose of
| the meeting was to enable us to d scuss
our grievances and take steps to have
them redressed. You all know said l.
| that before Mr.. Harnden succeeded Mr..
Saunders as general manager the w. and
r. was as good road 10 work on as there
was in the country. 1t did a good bust
ness-it couldn't help it,. 1t taps the
richest section of country in four sta ties
and is the shortest route to tldewater by
twenty-five miles. But as soon as he took
hold he commenced system of pennywlse
pound foolish economies that have ruined it.
" He gave us fuel that was % per cent
slate and the remainder dirt. The oil
we get is about as fit for lubricatlne
purposes as so much tar When We