Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1902-07-16
MILLION A DAY LOSS
What the Freight Handlers Strike
Is Costing Chicago.
TWENTY THOUSAND MEN OUT
shipping Business Pr"ctica'iy
lands Police Guard ware
house.-Much P~erishabie Fre's"'
Observation-Disclosures Serious

OI lHC tCiS"
with 10000 men idle and shipping az "
sta ndstill. At a distance from eacn
warehouse is a company or piche's
posted to keep freight from entering
or leaving the sheds. Nearer the oe-
nots are guards of police on duty 70
~nrotect the men in the warehouses anu
to quell any disturbances which mignt
arise. Gangs of %nonunion men rough
into the city to take the places OF tne
strikers lounge about the warehouses
ar in the cars with scarcely anything
to do.
President Curran Of the freight nan
dlers' union has appointed committees
10 visit the various railroads, but MS
proposition has reverted to the original
one. farther than ever from the IDEAS
of the railroad managers. The me
between the opposing parties Is PLAINLY
drawn, and no move of either sloe mas
vet been made to cross 1t.
Wholesale houses have made prac'
tically no attempt to send out freight
or to receive it. These big estaollsh
ments are all but closed down. The
strike has cost them hundreds of thou
sands of dollars already. and they
stand to lose millions should the pres
ent conditions continue. The loss IN
wages to the striking freight han
dlers and their sympathizers, the team
sters. to the railroads and other lines
of business Is roughly estimated at
considerably over 100000 a day.
The situation is admittedly very grave
Usually Animated Market Now Dead.
Commission merchants on South Wa
ter street declared that usually ami
mated market dead. In times Of COM
mercial peace this street Is one of the
most congested in the world. In front
! of many of the stores there was not a
wagon and scarcely a crate, box or
| barrel of produce. Some had a few
berries brought by boat from Michigan
and Wisconsin, but they were about
the only fresh arrivals. Thirty cars
| of highly perishable stuff were report
ed on the tracks, while many more
| cars containing commodities which will
last a few days longer lay abandoned.
A driver in a light wagon who sue
ceeded in delivering two small pack
ages to the Santa Fe had a stirring
time of it. When it became apparent
to the striking pickets that he was
bnudAN for tho U,orphOI1S fhnv m0HA
Il rush for him. A squad of policemen
came to the rescue, and the driver
reached the warehouse in safety. BET,
ter come inside, where you'll be safe"
one of the %nonunion freight handlers
advised. Several hours later the wagon
still stood empty where the driver had
left it. The latter remained in the
warehouse, while pickets guarded ev-
cry avenue of escape. So far as could
be learned, this drivers two packages
were the only ones delivered to any de-
pot.
Much fruit and vegetables have been
reshipped, although, it is said, without
adequate refrigeration. Vegetable and
fruit peddlers succeeded in getting par
tial supplies from the depots, but it
was only after much trouble with the
pickets and assistance from the police.
Tons OF half spoiled stuff were given to
poor people who waited at nearly all
the depots in crowds, each u carry.
ing a basket or bag.
President Curran of the freight han
dlers has given out a statement in
which he said:
All OF the conferences have failed.
although we sent committees Of their
WI men to the managers, as they had
requested. Hereafter the managers
VIII have to confer with officials of the
union, If they want to waste 100000
IA DAY over a question Of half a cent
increase IN wages, we will let them
try it,"
conferences Come to Naupht
The conferences between committees
or the men and the railroad manap gers
generally came to naught. Even when
President Curran told the committee.
mel to accept 17h cents, a modidca.
tloh OF his earlier instructions, no
progress was made.
"A man familiar with the employcrs'
side of the fight said: 1.-THE situation
among the railroads Is about this. Tho
western roads are swearing mad for
the most part and won't bulge n,
lhch' The eastern people generally
want 0 time to consider. I SIM.
pose this is because they have to do
considerable comforting with New
York, where most of them have their
headquarters"
Previous to meeting the committees
the railroad managers and superin.
endents held Il meeting among them.
selves. They remained of the mind
mat II cents is a proper compromise
between the 16 cents paid and the 1s
cents asked originally by the truckers
inns unanim'ty Of opinion among thr
managers is taken in explanation Of
.he nature of the conferences which
followed. OF the managers meeting
l.. a.. Delano of the Burlington said.
we discussed the situation at
length. We talked tentatively Of tho
wage problem. We consider that wa
nave performed our full duty to tho
public. Our Crpivhtho,,,a,