The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-04-14
FREIGHT TRAINS BLOCKED
The Railroads Side of it Stated by
Mr.. Miller.
A FEW UNIMpORTANT OFFICES CLOSED
The Selma Office Was Opened by Trainmaster
Williams Late Yesterday Afternoon.
Wires Cut and Hauled Away
on Thursday Night
on Thursday Night.


Southern Railway showed no material
change in situation yesterday.
On the one hand the Southern's
freight trains are badly balled up and
its passenger trains running on de-
layed schedules.
On the other hand the strikers find
their places taken by new men almost
as quickly as they become vacant.
The telegraphers say that the strike
is progressing satisfactorily; that the
delay of the passenger trains and the
tying up Of the freight trains is cost
ing the roads a vast amount of money.
The railroads reply that their trains
are running regularly, with few de
lays, that but few offices are closed
and that they have more men waiting
to take jobs as operators than there
are strikers on the system.
In the absence of First ice tcsi
dent A. b. Andrews bis chief clerk,
Mr.. Henry w. Miller. is managing the
strike for the railroad. He said last
night:
Trains are moving regularly II the
main line, and in this territory nearly
all the offices are open. Those closed
are unimpartant stations. The office
at Selma was opened late this after
noon. 1t is one of the most important
Offices on the whole line. being the
point at which the Southern's through
trains turn off on the Atlantic Coast
Line for Norfolk. This office is now
in charge of Train Master II. A. Will
liams, from Greensboro. Since his
arrival there at o'clock all hostile
demonstrations by strike sympathiz-
ers have ceased At two or three
other points the strikers have refused
to surrender the office, and at some Of
them parts of the instruments have
been taken off to break the wires
This was done at Wilson's Mills and
the office there is still closed A West.
ern Union lineman brings informa-
ton that the operators at Auburn and
Garner stations. between here and
Selma. also joined the strikers this
afternoon and closed their Offices. but
as vet we have received no official in
formation of the fact. Last night
near Selma some one cut out several
spans of the two railroad wires and
five of the Western Unions CONNER
cial wires and threw the wire into
river nearby.
But these tactics cannot succeed.
we have the situation well in hand
and we have more operators waiting
for jobs than there are strikers on
the whole system.
THE trains are moving on the main
line on schedule time. This morning
the vestibule went into Atlanta on
time, and the Florida special was only
twenty minutes late"
Train Master III. a. Williams, who
was in the city yesterday on his way
to Selma. said:
THE strike is practically over We
can get all the operators we want
The office at University Station was
opened this morning. The operator
there has been refusing to surrender
the office. The office at Gibsonvihe
has also been opened. AT Cary only
the night operator struck. This causes
no serious Inconvenience; trains run
right on through as they did some
months ago before a night operator
was put on there. At Wilson'S Mills
the operator has closed his office and
it is still closed Before doing so.
however, he took off and threw away
parts of his instrument so as to break
the wire.
AT Selma the trouble is caused. moi
by the operator, but by the agent and
his cashier. The operator has moi
struck and would work if only the
agent would allow him to do so. But
the agent, w. III. Pritchard, has cut
the wire, nailed up the office and he
and his cashier. w. Fl. Call, will allow
no one 10 go in. The people there
seem to be in sympathy with these
men and they have threatened to kill
any man who tries to take charge OF
the wire there.
That was last night. Today we do
not anticipate any trouble and | shall
go down on the afternoon train with
an auditor to check Pritchard and
Call out of office"
Mr.. Williams did go down, and at
o'clock opened up the wire and be-
gan sending out the freight trains
there balled up.
Sometime during Thursday night |
near Neuse river, several miles It's
side of Selma, the two railroad wires
and five of the regular Western Union
wires were cut, and three or four
spans of them carried away. 1t is be-
lieved that the wire was thrown into
the river. A lineman was sent out
from here to repair the damage. which
he did by taking ten spans of wire
No. 5.
1t is believed by the railroad author
tiles that -4e wire-cutting was done
by a party of men that left Selma
Thursday evening on a hand-car com
ing this way.
The operator at Selma is new man
named Gaulding. sent there only last
. Tuesday from Durham. The Selma
man wac sent RI Dl1rbaop 4 Sc olo;,,,
ed by the strikers that this was done
because the road was expecting a
strike and the officials thought they
could trust Gaulding to keep this i'm
portant office open.
The following list of offices and the
number of men that have gone out on