The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1916-08-31
RAIL STRIKE
WOULD CLAMP
Lid ON CAPE
Would be no Water, Gas or
Lights in Three Weeks
Time.
COAL FAMINE is CITY'S
SOLAR PLEXUS BLOW
Factories Would Have to Close
But We Could Still Get
Plenty to Eat.

The impending railroad strike
should it become reality, would liter
ally clamp the did" on everything in
the Cape. Three weeks would see viz
tually every man who now works for a
salary, with the exception of those en-
gagged in handling food in any way,
idle and spending his savings for eat
ables whose prices would probably be
soaring.
A preventive fight against disease
would be the most important factor
! that the city would have to combat.
The city would have to go back to
the days of 40 OF so years ago. There
would be no lights, no gas, no water,
no fuel, no newspapers ard no work.
The horse would come into his own
once more. Automobiles would run
out of gasoline and there would be no
way of replenishing the stocks. Fac
tories would exhaust their supplies of
raw materials and they would be I'M
able to reach markets for the finished
products. Most of them would be I'M
able to operate by reason of the fact
that they could get no motive power,
either electricity, or by gasoline or
coal-driven engines.
To begin with, it is estimated that
approximately 200 railroad men, work
ing as trainmen, shop men, track men
and IN all branches of the service, re-
side in the Cape. These would, of
course, be the first to feel the effects
of the strike. The trainmen would
quit, and because there would be moth
ing 70 do, the rest soon would follow.
Sawmills dependent on railroads for
their raw materials and delivery of
their lumber would stop, and the brick
yards probably would follow in quick
succession.
The cement plant south OF the city
depends for its operation upon liber-
al supply of coal. Coal is used in
finely powdered form in the cement
making processes and the consumption
at that plant is one of the heaviest in
the Cape. The plant probably would
have to close down in the event of P
tie-up.
This shutdown would come in the
face of orders for cement that are pill
ing N faster than the product can be
manufactured and also a probable con-
tract for $4,000 bags of cement to be
delivered to the Government at Mem
phis.
The shoe factory ships its supplies
of raw leather into the Cape from ST.
Louis The doors there would be clos
ed probably although great efforts
would be made to keep them open in,
the manufacture of Government army
shoes.
1t is through the utilities company
that the strike would hit the average
man and his family a solar plexus
blow.
The utilities company depends on
coal shipments in turning out its sup
ply of electric light and power as we'll
as gas and in pumping water. When
the water refused to come out of the
faucets the people of the Cape would
be up against it. When there was no
gas, the campfire would come into
vogue and when electricity failed, first
the cOal-oil lamp would come out of
the garrets and Easements till the sup
ply of oil quit, then candles would be
used, then pine knot torches. Eventual |
ly, if the strike lasted long enough and
tie-up was complete, people might get
around to going to bed with the chick
ems.
The Cape would have one great adj
vantage, however, in that it would |
prove itself an empire city. The food
supply would be able to meet the stu
alton. But food would be used in
rather elementary forms on account of
lack of power.