New-York tribune., 1899-07-25
MESSENGER BOYS STRIKE.
FoRrY-FIvE QUIT AT THE POSTAL TELE-
GRAPH OFFICE IN BRoAD-sT'
SOME ARRESTS FOR INTERFERING WITH THOSE
WHO woRK-A MASS MEETING TO BE HELD


WHO woRK-A MASS MEETING TO BE HELD
IN WASHINGTON HALL
rho s,r,ka OF the Postal Telegraph messengers
which has been brewing for several days "e' ~
onoct Yesterday morning. when ABOUT ioi.'
hovs employed at the office. NO ~ bro"u. -,
fused 70 work The boys demanded payment a. ,''0
ro.o ~ two and a half cents for each message ue-
,,,.orod and want the same pay for returned MES
Cages They insist that they ought not 10 oai'
messages free because the persons 10 who'i ''',
are addressed cannot be found Another a"eeou
cause for grievance is the fact that 'he con'pa"s
Ievies a sum OF 80 cents week on each poy 10,
h,s su,t of clothes and 10 cents for the cehuloiu
collar which adds nattiness TO the UNIFORM Inc
strike had not attained large proportions "p ~
late hour yesterday afternoon
In tho early morning hours a number OF the boys
gathered In Wall, Broad and New sts'' anu n'''ue
occasional rushes whenever they saw messenger
,I 90 tho comnanv A crowd of the strikers
marched TO the Schermerhorn Building, AT NO.
wall-st and a committee Of three was appointed
% drog forth several "scabs" The latter were IN
trenched however. behind portly tanitor' VINO
scattered tho attacking party In short orde''
g f Ostrum manager of the downtown once,
saJd Yesterday that no definite complaints had
reached him. and there was nothing to aroi'rate
Late in the afternoon It was said AT the manager
ONCE in the Postal Telegraph Building that the
strike was over and that new boys had been EN-
ployed 10 take the place OF the strikeiS'
DISTRICT TELEGRAPH BOYS GO SLOW.
Mona Of the BOYS at the office OF the American
District Telegraph Office went out yesterday morn
ing In the afternoon half n dozen boys iaiieo 10
appear. and their places were filed by boys trans
ferred from other districts. Several OF the laus
who were seen said that there would De more
general strike this morning.
Superintendent Michael Rayner or the American
District Telegraph Company. who is In charge OF
the messenger service. said that the ooys In 'he
service of the company are too sensible 10 go on
strike and that they have no grievance. All put
six of the youths answered the rolcali ana the io
sentees are only a small part OF the force at the
office No Exchange Place. Last MONDAY morn
ing seven boys employed at the same place iaieu
10 put in an appearance, so that the average Oh
the bovs missing yesterday was one less thah IL was
last week
"a shortage Of six boys. when you have hun
dreds on the extra list, really dihou"ts W "0'e'
added the superintendent.
Peter Guise. a newsboy on strike mace MS way
into a crowd Of striking messenger boys VINO s'oou
IN front of the clothing store OF Jacob Bacher at
No 20 south-st. He was accused OF steaing
25cent cap. and Policeman Jones arrested him.
Three policemen who are part OF the reserve
SQUAD stationed at Police Headquarters since the
railway strike began were duty at the main
office Of the Postal Telegraph Company. at NO Zo5
Broadway. Two three times large numbers OF
the strikers have called at this office ana attempt
ed first to coax and then to coerce some Of the
working messenger boys to leave. AS a result OF
this. Detective Beasley, of the Church-st. station
arrested two striking Postal messengers on a
charge of interfering with the working messengers.
The boys are Jacob Reich, sixteen years old or NO.
100 Columbia-st and Samuel Gold sixteen years
old Of No 17S Ludlow-st The boys were arrested
Nathan Egelman,. Of No. IS Market-st. was IN
uniform in City Hall Park stopping boys with with
tick
plates from their caps He also asked business men
coming from the Bridge not TO 90 any business ssS
with the Postal company He was arrested and
fined s. in court
WESTERN UNION BOYS VICTORY.
Although there has been less strike talk
among the boys connected with the Western Union
Offices nothing definite had been DONE and the
company did not take the matter seriously The
| bows were retcent upon the subject especially
! when any Of the officers were about.
A little after o'clock yesterday the boys wele
| paid off for their weeks work. AS soon as each
! messenger received his envelope he quietly walked
! out of the building Within few minutes there
were eighty boys on the Dey-st. side. or this num-
Der fifty were Western Union boys, and the remain
| der were American District Telegraph boys
The first intimation OF a strike came when sew
eral OF the messengers walked up TO Rosengarten'
the wardrobe man, and demanded their street
clothes at the same time delivering UP their caps
| and number plates.
Were goin' on strike" declared Harry Barko-
witz who acted as spokesman for the strikers.
| At that moment Superintendent Shelton OF the
American District Telegraph Company and Mana
ger Wilson Of the Western Union messenger de-
partment came into the boys room
Both were soon informed that the entire force OF
boys had gone on strike. thus Gripping the SER
vice for tho night at least.
Mr. Shelton asked the boys what they were
striking for I'VE wants to work regular hours
| and we quits If we can't" spoke up Barkowltz
Under the old schedule a boy would work from
| q. M until D. IN. for two days on the succeed
| ing two days he would work from a. m. until
| D M and on the next two his hours OF work wer
| from II a. IN. until p. m. on every third Sunda!
each boy worked from a. m until p. m. Th
BOYS told Mr. Skslton that they wanted the hour
SPLIT into weekly instead Of two day shirts. and de
manded that the number Of work hours on Sundays
| be split in half
If that's all you want" said Mr.. Shelton, ''yo'
can put on your clothes and 90 to work again."
In the excitement OF their victory the boys forgo
all about their other grievances for the time bein
| and hurried back to work.
S SSs re S1 to bay S ad oe any Usef eT
ances that they could come to him this mornin
% The ne boys Very uban over their
terview with Mr. skelton to-day.
STRIKERS MAKE A DEMONSTRATION
At the main Office OF the Postal Company. No. 25
broadway, the deHNery clerk sald late last Hgh
that there no trouble at that office and tha
no reports OF any had come In from other office
during tho night. The downtown Offices OF the Pos
tai Telegraph Company, which were the scene o
most of the trouble yesterday. closed usual las
night at o'clock
At No 1863 Third-ave there is an American Dis
trct office that employs twelve boys. After re
ceiving their pay early in the evening all but on
struck. Later in the evening. with their number
augmented by Postal Telegraph strikers and Others
they returned to the Third-ave office for the pur
pose of making demonstration They succeede
well that the night manager had to close tn
door and telephone for couple of policemen. TIL
boys threw rubbish into the Office and prevented
messenger from another office from entering, bu
dispersed quickly when the policemen from tn
East Sixty-hrst-st. station arrived
The messengers employed at the main bankln
NJ ne American District Telpgra nj