The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-09-07

nerve and endurance-tO put IL bluntly,
a question of flesh and blood.
You don't think much of this strike,
do you. Mr.. Reed?" said Andy to me
one day.
Don't think there is going to be any.
Andy"
He laughed knowingly.
what actual grievance have the
boys - l asked.
THE troubles on the east end" he
replied. evasively.
rs that any reason for calling 1000
men out on this endY'
IF one goes out, they all CO.
Would you go out?"
Would :? You beti"
"a man with a home and wife and
a baby boy like yours ought TO have
more sense"
Getting up to leave. he laughed again
confidently. That's ali right. Wen
bring you fellows 10 terms"
Maybe" l retorted. as he closed the
door. But / hadn't the slightest idea
they would begin the attempt that
night. / was at home and sound asleep
when the caller tapped on my window.
/ threw up the sash; il was pouring
rain and dark as a pocket.
What Is II. Barney2 A wreck"
exclaimed.
Worse than that Everything's tied
up"
What do you mean?"
The engineers have struck"
struck? What time Is it?"
%Haif-past s. They went out at
o'clock" Throwing on my clothes,
doundered behind Barney's lantern TO
the depot. The superintendent was al
ready in his office, talking 20 the mas
ter mechanic.
Bulletins came in every few minutes
from various points announcing trains
| tied up. Before long We began 10 hear
from the east end Chicago reported
an engineers out; Omaha wired, no
trains moving. When the sun rose that
morning our entire system, extending
| through seven states and territories.
was absolutely paralyzed.
Il was an astounding situation, but
one that must be met. II meant either
an ignominious surrender to the en-
1 gineers or a fight to the death For
our part, We had only 10 wait for or
ders. II was just o'clock when the
chief train dispatcher, who was tap
ping at a key said:
Here's something from headQuar-
ters."
We crowded close around him. His
pen new dAltsH AAAG NiARf NtAN AA+'-Nt-ceN
was addressed 10 all division superin-
tendents. IL was short; but at the
end Of it he wrote a name we rarely
saw IN our Office. 1t was that of the
railroad magnate we knew as the old
man." the president of the system, and
his words were few:
Move the trains"
Move the trains!" repeated the SUI
perintendent. Yes; but trains can't be
moved by pinch-ba nor by main
force"
We spent the day arguing with the
strikers They We're friendly, but firm.
Persuasion, entreaties, threats, we ex-
hausted. and ended just where
We began. except that We had
lost our tempers. The sun set with
OF the first day was certainly with the
strikers.
Next day il looked pretty blue around
the depot Not a car was moved: the
| engineers and fremen were a unit. But
the wires sung hard all that day and
all that night. Just before midnight
Chicago wired that No. l--our big pas
senger train, the Denver fiyer-had
started out on time. with the superin-
tendent OF motive power as engineer
and a wiper for fireman. The message
came from the second vice president.
He promised 10 deliver the train 10 our
division on time the next evening, and
he asked. "Can You get il through 10
Denver"
We looked at each other. AT last all
eyes gravitated towards Neighbor. our
master mechanic.
The train dispatcher was waiting.
what shall say?' he asked.
l chief Of the motive
power was a tremendously big Irish
man. with voice like fOghorn- With
out an instant's hesitation the answer
came clear:
say yes"
Every one OF us started. II was
throwing the gage of battle. Our word
I had gone out: the division was pledged
the hght was on.
Next evening the strikers. through
some mysterious channel got word
that the flyer was expected. About
O'Clock a crowd OF them began Il
gather round the depot
II was after ! o'clock when No.
! pulled in and the foreman Of the Oma-
Ia round house swung down from the
locomotive cab. The strikers clustered
J around the engine like a swarm of an
( grv bees: but that night. though there
D was plenty of ieering. there was No
p actual violence. When they saw Neigh
T. Dor climb into the cab 10 take the run
west, there was a sullen silence.
Next day a committee of strikers
4 with Andy Cameron. very cavalier, a
: their head. called on me.
, Mr.. Reed" said he. officiously
we've come TO notify you not TO rur
p, any more trains through here till this
Z strikes settled The boys won't stanS
In. that's all" With that be turned OF
; his heel 10 leave with his following.
o Hold on. Cameron" l replied. rails
70 Ing my hand as : spoke; that's no
quite all. I suppose you men represen
your grievance committee
Yes sir"
/, Il happen 10 represent, in the super
: intendent's absence. the management
of this road. ! simply want 10 say &
, YOU. and 10 your committee. that l TAX
= | nv orders from the president and gen
= | eral manager-nOt from you nor any
u body YOU represent That's all"
! Every hour the bitterness Increased
e We got a few trains through. but W
j.. were terribly crippled. As for freight
we made no pretense of moving II
Trainloads OF fruit and meat rotted Il
the yards. The strikers grew NOR