The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-04-24
WHOLE CARRYING TRADE is PAR
ALYZED BY THE LABORERS'
UNEXPECTED ACTION
CHICAGO TIE-UP IS COMPLETE
While the Trouble Continues a Prac-
ticaI Embargo VIII Prevail at
All the Leading Ports of
the Great Waterways.
sneciaI to The Globe.

CHICAGO, April 23.-Every deck hand
and fireman employed on tugs operating
the lake towing trade in the Chicago
river and harbor walked ashore at mid
night tonight, paralyzing the business and
putting owners and agents of large YES
sells under time contracts in a very seri-
Gus prediCament.
The local men have no grievance Of
their own. They have quit out of sympa-
thy with their fellow members of deck
hands, and ffremen's associations employ
ed at Duluth, who are striking for an in
crease in wages of $3.50 a month.
Simultaneous with the action of the
Chicago men, reports from Toledo, Buff
falo and Cleveland show that every fire
man and deck hand in the employ of
che Great Lakes Towing company, as the
tug trust is styled, has sided with the
Duluth organization, with the result that
except in a few ports where there are in
dependent tugs, the whole towing busi-
ness Of the great lakes is paralyzed.
Unless the opposing factions come to
terms quickly the loss to vessel interests
particularly in this city will be very
great. The men have chosen for their
strike a moment when the most wide
spread stagration will result. 1t has
been known for some time that there
was a serious clash between the officers
of the trust and tugbOat crews on the
wage question, but ii was believed that
the controversy had been amicably set
tied in all but three lake ports.
Shipping Is PaIaIyzed.
Late tonight, however, Manager James
Sinclair, the local representative of the
trust. was approached by a committee
of deck hands and firemen, and they no.
titled him that negotiations were at an
end, and that unless the Duluth demands
were met a general tie-up would result
True to their word, they abandoned their
boats few hours later.
Without services of the tugs shipping
on tie great lakes must come to a stand
still, both freight and passenger service
being impossible
With the swift current running in the
river the strike will practically amount
to an embargo on navigation at this port
as none but the smaller class of steamers
can get around without tug in the tor
tuous channel.
Whether the Tugmen's association will
join with the deck hands and firemen in
their fight is not yet known. Their de-
mands have been met by the tug trust
at every port on the lakes except CIeve-
land and Lorain.
General Strike Is Ordered.
CLEVELAND, Ohio, April 23.-Presi-
dent ValqUett, of the Firemen's and Line
noon ordered general strike of tug fire.
men at all ports on the great lakes, be-
tween Duluth and Buffalo, where the
Great Lakes Towing company operate.
The failure of the officials of the towing
company and the striking firemen at Du-
luth to arrive at settlement is believed
to be the cause for this latest action on
the part Of the Tugmen's union.
TOLEDO, Ohio, April 23-Pursuant to
orders the union tugmen on the local tug
fleet of the Great Lakes Towing comnanv
went on strike this afternoon. The men
were paid off and the tugs tied up. The
strike is sympathetic one in the inter-
ests of the striking Duluth tugmen. The
other local towing concerns are not af-
fected.
Captain John P. Nagle, manager of the
Great Lakes Towing company made ar
ranSements tonight with engineers and
captains to man his tugs and three of the
big boats are in commission. The en-
gineers will do the firing but will receive
engineers pay.
BUFFALO, N. Y, April 2S.-The fire
men employed by the Great Lakes Tow
Ing company here went out on strike to-
day in sympathy with the striking fire
men at Duluth. Fifteen boats controlled
by the company in this port and at Tona-
wanda are tied up pending a settlement
of the difficulty. The passenger boat.
City of Erie, of the Cleveland & Buffalo
line, was unable to leave on her scheduled
trip as it was impossible to get a tug to
tow her out of the harbor.
CHICAGO, April 23-Strikes bv mem
bers of the Bricklayers and Stonema-
sons unions caused suspension of build
ing operations in many portions of the
city and suburbs today. In the stock
yards the tie-up was complete, not a
trowel being in use on the buildings in
- course of construction for Nelson Morris
& Co., Swift & Co., and the huge 81, 500
600 packing house Of the G. H. Hammond
Co. Refusal of demands for Increased
wages caused the strike