Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1912-04-22
GREAT STRIKE
IS IMMINENT 7
Fifty Thousand Locomotive Engineers $
Expect Orders to Quit
Work.
SECRET CONFERENCE TODAY
.Armistice Between Road Officials and
Men Expires This Afternoon
Chief Stone Says: 1T Looks Bad"

New York, April 22.-The eastern
portion of the United States was fac
ing today the most paralyzing strike
in its history. More than $4,000 loco
motive engineers, the men who handle
the throttles on all the railroads
north of the Ohio river and east of
Chicago were expecting orders to quit.
Up at the Broadway Central Hotel,
score of gray-haIred bronzed men
were in secret conference today. They
were the great chiefs of the brother
hood of locomotive engineers. If the
strike comes and they admitted they
feared it was inevitable, they will
manage it AID they showed by their
attitude that they realize the responsi
bility for the brotherhood seldom
strikes. Over in the Hudson terminal
building was another group. Its
members were fully as earnest as the
engineers. This was the committee
of General Managers of the railroads
and they were getting ready for any
thing that might come.
The armStce between the roads
and the men was due to expire at 3.3O
this afternoon. Unless the roads rep
resentatives offer material concess-
ions before that hour o. appealed to
the government, for arbitration un-
der the Froman act, the engineers
said nepoation would be broken off.
Then the division chiefs of the broth
erhood will rush to their stations and,
within thr9e hours after they get
there, which will probably be between
twenty-four and thirty-siN hours, the
strike order will be issued.
1T looks bad" was all that Grand
Chief Stone, who will be in charge,
would say today.
Other engineers said they did not
see how strike could be averted un-
less. the companies recede from their
present position. The strike, if it
comes will mean practically starva-
ton to the cities, rs with traffic para
lived foodstuffs, especially milk ana
dairy products cannot be moved. The
result must be an inevitable infant
mortality that will shock the nation.
The managers went into session
shortly before 10 O'Clock and 1t was
announced that Il statement would be
mu.le later. At that hour the engin-
GERS were in session and said that 1T
WAS the company's next move. Com
missioner of labor Charles =. Neill
WIS in touch with both meetings. The
engineers hatly declared they had
nothing to arbitratc and if Ncill was
ii be asked to mediate it was up to
the roads.
Buffalo. N. Y, April pa strike
Of locomotive engineers may alter
1893 engineers on the Buffalo diVlS-
;n,s of the Ii railroads entering this
citv. it would tie up 14l passenger
trains and approximately 300 freight
trains that daily enter or leave tins
icty.
Practically no preparations nave
h..r mads for Il ctrikc by the rail
roads. -,
New York, April 22.-The presi-
dents of the railroads east OF Chi
caeo and north of the Ohio river met
IN the Office of President Brown, OF
the New York Central this afternoon
and Immediately took over from the
General Managers association 1urth-
g., consideration of the grievances Oh
the engineers.
Commissioner of labor Neill and >.
c. Knapp, of the Commerce Court
have been trying to bring about ar
bi,ration. attended the meeting. Both
said that the out look was very grave
although they had not abandoned nope
Previously they conferred with
Grand Chief Stone, of the engineers,
who simply told them: "TEis Is
serious matter. My men mean busi-
ness. Unless the railroads make a
concrete offer that will serve as a
basis for negotiations, there will be a
strike.