New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-03-11
F|REMEN OPEN CASE
BEFORE ARBITRATOR
Work Harder, Hours Longer
on Eastern Roads, Two
Witnesses Declare.
HEARINGS IN WALDORF
High Officials of Railroads
Watch Proceedings at First
Session of the Erd-
man Board.


board, selected under the Erdman act to
settle the controversy between the 5000
fremen on the ffty-four Eastern rail-
roads and the railroad managers over
wages and working conditions. began
yesterday i'm the grand ballroom of the
Waldorf Many prominent railroad men
and about thirty representatives of the
brotherhood Of Locomotive Firemcn and
Enginemen attended the opening session.
The neutral member and chairman of
the arbitration board is William l.. Cham
hers. Of Washington. His associates are
W. W. .Aucrbury. Vice-preSidcnt Of the
PENNSYLVANIA Railroad. representing the
railroad managers. and Albert Phillips.
third vice president Of the brotherhood.
representing the employees. w. :. Carter.
president of the brotherhood. is conduct
ing the examination of witnesses. and
Elisha Lee. chairman of the conference
committee of managers. is handling the
case for The railroads.
The nremen have their innings first. and
Mr.. Garter began Yesterday to present
their side Of the controversy through wit
nesses. He said he expected to occupy
about week Chairman Chambers an
be public until the board went into eX-
ecutive session to consider its final de
cision. The board will make its head
quarters i'm Room No. 22S at the Waldorf,
and viii hold sessions from $50 to 1880
and from > TO p IN. each day, he said.
Firemen Show Figures.
Samuel Z. Steinberger. chief clerk in
the general offices Of the brotherhood,
az Peoria. H.. was the first witness. He
had prepared exhaustive tables from all
the railroad information available OF the
rates OF wages and working conditions
OF the firemen on the Eastern roads and
also on the Western roads as a matter Of
comparison. which were read into the
record
The data supplied by Steinbereer
showed that on all classes Of locomotives.
both in passenger and freight service the
firemen were paid considerably higher
wages on the Western roads than the
Eastern iiremen requested. While II
would amount TO a considerable increase
in wages if the board granted the de-
Inands. 1t would not he as much as the
fremen are paid in the West. the witness
said.
Mr.. Lee objected to the figures in the
tables prepared 10y the witness as IN
accurate. and declared it was not fair 10
draw comparisons of wages between the
Eastern and Western roads. as the condi-
lions surrounding wage schedules in the
West We're different from those on the
Eastern roads
In answer 10 questions By Mr.. Carter,
Steinberger said practically all the
quests made by the fremen were in force
on the Western roads. or the Eastern
roads. or both. Briefly stated. the de-
mands of the flremen are for ten hour
day 100 miles run to constitute a days
work, rate OF wages based on the weight
Of locomotives. running from s. So FOR an
engine weighing less than $1,000 pounds. to
81 a day for an engine weighing 10000
pounds or more in the passenger service,
and 81 50 TO s. % day on through freight
service
Special clauses i'm the demands take care
of fremen on switching engines. electric
locomotives and doing other than ordi-
nary work. Overtime is asked to be paid
pro rata I'm all classes Of service on a
basis Of one mile for each six minutes.
The flremen ask compensation for delays
at terminals They want coal passers or
another fireman on through freight SER
vice. and demand they be relieved from
cleaning their engines al terminals They
also want pay when held up between
terminals.
James W. Lott. an engineer on the Lake
Shore d Michigan Southern Railroad.
formerly a fireman on the twentieth
Century Limited" OF the New York Cen
tral, testified that when Il fireman he had
the run from Elkhart TO Chicago known
az the western section Of the Twentieth
Century Limited's" run. The run of
ninety-five miles was made In little less
than two hours. but the requirement
that firemen report two hours before their
trains start and another hours work al
the terminal i'm shunting the train back
10 the yards made the "Trip occupy about
five hours A freight run over the same
section took from twelve To sixteen hours.
ne said So-called fast freehts' were
such IN name only. he said
A fireman was largely responsible for
the safety OF the train. with the engineer,
he said The fireman besides his duty OF
firing had TO pump water and WAS held re-
spOusible of signals. He also had 10 carry
a high grade watch, and share response
bilty as far as time was concerned The
Eastern fireman had 10 clean his engine
and attend 10 its supply Of tools. lanterns.
etc, which was not required Of iiremeu
on the Western roads. lie received no
extra pay for this work. In the freight
service a fireman on ninety-fve- mile
round trip averaged about ten hours out
Of thirty-three for rest at home. the Wit
ness asserted, and made about s. ~ for
the trip.
Among the railroad men present at yes
terdays hearing We're: J. G. Walber.
third e-president OF the Baltimore *
Ohio: G. J. Peck vice president of the
Southern section of the Pennsylvania
lines; \. J. Stone. general manager OF the
Erie: + l.. Bardo. general manager OF
the New Haven. T.. f.. Crowley, general
manager New York Central; James \.
McCrea. general manager Long Island
railroad: :. c. Long, general manager
PENNSYLVANIA Railroad. and A T. Dice,
Nice-president OF the Reading.