New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-09-30
Thousands of COmmu-
ters Held Up When
120 Quit Posts.
ROAD PROMISES
SERVICE TO-DAY
Union Heads and Line OFF,
cials Disagree on Cause
of WalkOut.

Thousands Of commuters who reach
their homes in New Jersey and the
lower New York counties by the West
Shcre found themselves completely
blocked ut dinner hour last night by
q strike which tied up every one oil
the railroads eight ferry boats. From
5 o'clock until 1880 last night not a
forryboat moved from tAe Weehawken
station.
Fror the moment service was sus-
pended until nearly $3.50 the restless,
constantly growing throngs Of pas
sengers that stood in the drenching
rain outside the Cortlsndt and West
Forty-.ccond Street ferry houses on
Manhattan were kept in ignorance oil
what haG occurred.
There were scenes Of widest con-
fusion waen at each station a SUD
official OF the railroad finally emerged
TO announce to the rain-soaked men
and women that a strike had tied up
the boats and that they could reach
Wcehawktn only by trolley from Ho-
boken or Fort Lee. Then there was
a mad rueh for the Hudson tubes and
for the Erie. Pennsylvania and Della
ware. Lnckawanna 4 Western ferries.
I26 Men Expected Raise.
The strike itself was among the l2O
deck hands, fremen, oilers, wheelsmen
and bridgemen, who man the ferryboats
Of the West Shore. At noon yesterday
they were confidently expecting to re-
ceive a slight increase in wages on DC
tober /. They were dsillusioned by ".
p. Pollack, marine manager for the
railroad, shortly before l o'clock, and
BY 4 they had voted strike that called
every member of the Hsrbor Boatmen's
Union in the employ Of the West Shore
from his work.
The pilots and engineers of the boats
are not affected. According to leaders
of the strikers, 600 other union men
employed on the West Shore and New
York Central's tugs have declared a
sympathetic strike and will not return
20 their posts this morning.
Efforts to extend the strike to the
Harbor Boatmen members on the other
Hudson River ferries were unsuccessful
last night, but they will be renewed
with vigor this morning. II the plans OF
the union men materialize every ferry
boat crossing from Manhattan TO Jersey
will be tied Up by sundown tonight.
Gall Strike Local Issue.
officials both of the West Shore and
of the boatmen's union unite in declar-
ing that the strike is local issue and
not an expression Of sympathy for the
New York traction men.
The statements of Mr.. Pollack and OF
union leaders differ as to what precipi-
tated the tie-up. Both agree. however.
that il was a question OF wages.
According TO Mr.. Pollack, a commit
tee of boatmen called upon him yester-
dav noon in his office, at 8 Beaver
Street, and without previous warning
made a summary demand for % per
cent increase in wages. The prevail
ing scale is s79 a month for firemen,
s67 for wheelsmen, and s62 for both
bridgemen and deckhsnds. Mr.. Pol
lack saws he was compelled 10 refuse
the demands. He adds that he pleaded
with them not to inconvenience thou
sands Of commuters by an immediate
strike.
Officials Of the Harbor Boatmen's
Union, of which William +. Kirk is the
head, state the mems case differently.
Wanted IS Raise for All.
zone month ago we sent a committee
TO Mr.. Pollack to ask for slight in
crease in wages" one Of the union Off
cials said last night. 1--WE wanted a
Continued on page 4. column