Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1910-07-29
FREIGHT MOVING ON GRAND TRUNK
officials Regard Strike Past but Labor Leaders Profess to Be
Satisfied with StuationCa Shops ReOpened Traffic West
River Division Resumed. Quiet in BrattIebOro

station yard. The strike breaking brake
man got off and threw the switch, but |
he did not throw it over far enough and |
the engine ran through. 1t was put back |
on the rails with little difficulty
The station and freight yards have been |
decidedly quiet since Thursday evening of |
last week, when the strikers were direct |
ed to keep off the railroad property. They |
have observed the order strictly except |
as one or two of the men have found X |
necessary to go to the station. There has |
been no lettering around the station or |
yard by the strikers and the loafers
who were SO much in evidence last week |
either stopped going to the station OF
their own accord or at a suggestion from
the policeman on duty. The situation was
relieved still more by the action of Supt.
w E. Costello in sending away the de-
tectives and the guards Friday after
noon. He took this step as soon as he
was assured by Chairman E. j. Water
man of the board of baiiffs that ample
police protection would be furnished at
the station. Chief of-police Wilson and one
other policeman have been on duty at
the station every day since and there has
not been a sign of trouble. The attitude
of the strikers was in strict accordance
with the advice given them by Conductor
=. ]. O'Brien in the meeting Thursday
afternoon, reiterated Friday afternoon by
NJ. ]. Scully of Springfield, chairman of
e Maine trainmen Mr.. scully counsel
led the strikers to keep away from the
station altogether
Traffic on the West river division was
resumed Friday morning when the first
train since the strike began pulled out of
the station for South Londonderry at
| 11.40. The train was in charge of crew
of strike breakers, and the trains which
| have been run since have been manned
in a similar way. Their unfamliarity
with the sidings and the general con-
ditions on the division has resulted in
| some curious blunders, but the patrons in
the West river valley towns are willing
| to overlook some things for the sake OF
| having their mail coming regularly. 1t
| appears that the West river division Is
| looked on with some fear by old patrons.
| The traffic over 1t Is very light for this
season and many people who ordinarily
use the railroad are hiring teams to go
| to the nearer places.
Two attempts were made to wreck
| Central Vermont freight trains soon after
| freight traffic was resumed. Supt Cos
| tello was in personal charge of getting
the freight moving and he was serving
| as conductor Sunday on the first freight
| train to leave New London since the
strike began. At South Coventry, near
| Willimantic, Conn, the train ran into an
open switch and was dtched. The loco
motive, a large Grand Trunk freighter,
and three cars were half buried in
| sandbank The fireman. y. f. Schultz OF
| Brooklyn, sustained a broken hip by be-
ing caught in the wreckage. The other
train hands were badly shaken up and
bruised but they We're not seriously
injured as to prevent them from re-
Stunning work The affair is being inves-
tgated rigidly. Mr.. Costello said that
the switch was shut and locked the night
before and that 1t could not have been
opened without the use of key. The
~ hafr ~ 10
were in that locality at the time ana
they lay the whole blame for the wreck
on outsiders. An unsuccessful attempt
was made near Millers Falls the same
day switch was thrown open par
tally by driving in an iron wedge. The
freight train passed over with simply n
| big tounce, but with some engines 1t
would have left the rails The attempt
was made at a place where the entire
train would have gone into the river II
it had gone off the rails. This also was
laid to outsiders. The wires were cut
Sunday near South Vernon, and again
outsiders were blamed as there appeared
to be no strikers In that locality. the
difficulty with the wires was detected and
repaired quickly.
One severe thrashing at the hands of a
Young man in sympathy with the strike
did not deter Charles Reed. the strike
breaking brakeman who was so roughly
| handled at the station last week, from
resuming his work Saturday and coming
to Brattleboro again. When he took up
| the work after a few days in the hospltal
in New London he was not aware that a
warrant for his arrest on a charge of dis
turbing the peace was awaiting him In
Brattleboro. He was not recognized sat
% urday, but Monday morning Chief-of-Po-
! lice George Wilson placed him under ar
+ rest and took him to the municipal court
room. He came in as a brakeman on the
: train arriving in Brattleboro Mt 1C
} o'clock and was to go out again on the
. southbound train a few minutes later
Y He was obliged to wait until the O'Clock
train in the afternoon before he coulo
{ | start back for New London. His version
Y | of the affair at the station Indicated tha'
f he was not much to blame for the
trouble and the case against him was no
: pressed by Town Grand Juror Robert c
. | Bacon.
Reed said that a rock was thrown a
I him and struck him in the head. He
4 | turned quickly and put up his hands u
+ | defend himself and accidentally hit
h | Young man. The young man pitched int
5 him and others Joined in the fray an'
e | gave Reed a severe beating. He ESCAPED
: TO the New Hampshire side OF the river
. and he intended to lie in hiding until h,
, could come over and jump a train bacl
9 to New London at night. His injurie
were naming him so badly and he wa
bleeding so profusely from Internal inJu
[ res that he decided to get back TO ciNli
$ ization. He swan the Connecticut rive
= and iunped a train a little below Brattle
y boro On his arrival at New London h
> was taken to the hospital. 1t was though
at first that he had sustained tire
- broken ribs, but only one OF them ap
peared to have been fractured. Reed lef
Il the hospital without the permission q
e the attending physician and went bac
It | to work He explained to the court tina
v he did not think the strike would las
h more than a short time and that h
s wanted to make all the money he coul
h while 1t lasted. He pleaded not guilty
# the charge of breach of the peace, an
: II. F. Eddy appeared for him by arrange
v ment with the Central Vermont railroad
d Mr. Eddy recognized for him as bail an
n he was allowed to go free In the after
: noon Mr.. Bacon came into court an
J. mol pressed the case. Reed has bee
Ie coming to Brattleboro regularly since.
T. CAURCH AND FRATERNITY.