The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-07-23

ering.
The crew OF strikebreakers dis
played their nervousness every time
we neared a station. The conductor
would take the band on his cap before
going onto q station platform. The
porter, In his nervousness. would dis
play willingness TO talk to some
body.
I'VE usually has three sleepahs on
this train" he said TO me. Tonight
all we got is you folks In this cab"
"And you wouldn't have had me II l
hadn't foolishly bought return
ticket" said a travelling man.
Passing between cars noticed that
there were two or three guards on
every platform; / suppose they were
all carrying revolvers, In preparation
for a pitched battle. They all looked
as II their middle names were Fight"
So did the conductor. He was Zero
cious looking individual,
"show Us To EN-.
II was very thoughtful OF him, how.
ever. to remove his cap band, for at
every station there was a crowd OF
from 80 to 100 persons who demanded:
SHOW us the conductor and brake
men. We want to get their numbers"
He wasn't used To Pullmans, this
conductor. | could see that In the
wash room. He wiped his face on a
towel from the dirty towel rack and
seemed to like It; no one corrected
him. He didn't worry a lot about
fares; much of his time was spent on
the platforms with the guards"
We passengers concluded that the
guards" were, in reality. strikebreak-
ers who were being imported into Can
ada. The guards" however, disap-
peared at Sarnia. Maybe they were
going into Canada on their own hook
importing themselves, as Il were, in
stead OF being imported by the COM
pany which is against Canada law.
Just before bedtime the porter told
me that We didn't have any brake
man on the train,
'Ah don't lax that. eithah," he ad-
ded Neither did We. Suppose the
train were to stop, who would run
out behind IL to flag trains in the
rear? II wasn't pleasant thought.
But the porter did drop a word OF
comfort. He told us that the men who
were on the engine were union men;
the engine crews have another month
remaining before they can join a sym
pathetic strike with the trainmen.
Prepares For Trouble.
The tightness across the chest dis
appeared when we learned that, and
knew that the eagle eye in front was
not going 1t blind.
The fear of a wreck, too, disap-
peared.
Gu Iya uapt to baJ didn't s1aan
though; | don't believe anybody else
did heard coughing and the sound
of restless turning all night.
Daybreak showed us how the COM
pany was preparing for trouble. Huge
wrecking cars, with arms that could
toss a Pullman 10 feet, stood on side
tracks, in touch with the main line.
There were idle but steaming engines
In the yards, ready, presumably, for
emergencies. Idle workmen stood
about; whether they We're strikers, or
strike-breakers, ready for emergencies
we could not tell.
Everywhere were indications of
tremendous extra expense to which
the company is put, Section crews.
with handcars and tools, looked up at
our train at short intervals, as We
HhSHeu ny.
One quiet man on the train, who
might have been railroad official,
told ME some interesting things,
though he did not explain. as had the
other passengers, why he had to take
the Grand Trunk train.
Blockades Are Costly.
IT'S important to get every single
train through on time" he said, mo
matter what It costs. One train gone
wrong may mean a blockade. The
New York Central once figured out
that a blockade on it's line meant an
expense of $3.50 minute, during the
first hour; three times that In the
second hour and $1,000 minute dur
ing the third hour. So any one Of
these trains. il II is stalled. may
cause tremendous loss to the COM
pany"
The passenger trains" he said,
ARE safe now because the telegraph
ers and enginemen are union men
and are not striking.
The trouble may come when the
freight begins to move.
Food and fuel must be brought
into all these towns along the Grand
Trunk route to prevent actual suffer