The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1919-09-22
PttSbu1;g District
Operators Stronghold

~ OII OSHSSIOISN
pany. a local subsidiary OF the United
States Steel corporation, issued a
| statement that all Of the 5000 men
| on the day shift had returned to
| work. Cromwell Steel company off,
| cials said their 400 men did not strike.
/ Gone for a Long Time.
Cleveland, o., union leaders claimed
that at least $4,000 steel workers are
on strike this morning and that plants
| of some of the Independent mills were
closed. Company officials would
make no statement.
The sixteen mills of the American
Steel and Wire company, a steel cor
poration subsidiary employing 5000
men, were completely closed down.
The Mckinney Steel company, larg-
est independent plant was also shut
down. The Bourne Fuller Company
plant, another Independent. employ
ing $500 men, was reported idle.
Workmen leaving one of the Amer
lean Steel and Wire mills wrote in
chalk at several places:
"We may be gone for long, long
time"
Pieketing Orderly.
Pickets were on duty at every
steel plant in the Youngstown, O.,
area this morning as the nationwide
steel strike went into effect. The
picketing at each Youngstown plant
was orderly and as the men went to
work their names were taken by the
union pickets.
Less men went to work at the
plants of the Republic Iron and Steel
company than at any of the others, |
early reports said, this being the best
organized of the nonunion plants of
the Mahoning and Shenango district. |
Police were on duty at each of the |
entrances to the steel plants and 200
soldiers who served in the world war
and who are members of the Ameri- |
can Legion were sworn in by Police |
Chief Watkins to aid the police in
maintaining order. None of the SOL ,
dier police was needed when the
plants opened.
100000 in Chicago Area.
The strike of the steel workers in
the Chicago district, in which more |
than 1905 900 men are involved, started |
quietly at midnight.
While officials of the steel mills
and union leaders admit the full ex
tent of the walkout will not be ap- |
parent until Tuesday, the strikers saw |
in the early reports of the number of |
men who left their work at midnight |
and when the day shift went on duty |
this morning, verifcation of their |
claims that most of the plants in the |
Chicago district would be completely |
tied up by the strike.
At midnight a majority of the |
workers on the night shifts at plants |
in South Chicago, Joliet and Indiana |
Harbor walked out At Gary, the mid |
night shift went to work as usual, |
without disorder, but announced they |
would join the strike when they COM |
pleted their turn today.
Only $50 of the 1,500 men employed |
on the night shift at the plant in In |
diana Harbor left their work.
Early reports from South Chicago,
said the Illinois steel company was |
hard hit, that seven of its ten plants !
were closed.
The men still on duty at this plant !
are reported to have notified union |
as soon as they finished their shift.
Looks Like 95 Per Cent.
After going over reports from the |
various plants in the Chicago dis
trict, John Howard, secretary of the |
Steel Workers, said
1--WE were confident Of an IS per cent. |
effective strike, but this looks more |
like 95 per cent. strike" |
Coincident with the early walkout, |
it was reported that engineers in Gary |
and South Chicago had voted a sec |
ond time to go out on a sympathetic |
strike. The first time the engineers !
unions they received orders from |
their international officers to "fill |
their contracts" On the second bal !
lot the orders Of the international Of |
ficers were over-ridden. A walkout |
of the engineers would mean the |
closing of twelve blast furnaces in
Gary, twelve in South Chicago, four |
in East Chicago, five in Indiana Har- |
Dor, four in Joliet and two in Mil
waukee. Frank O'Brien, president of |
the engineers local. early today said !
he saw no chance to avert the SYM
pathetic strike of his men who occupy |
strategetic positions in the plants, |
their suspension automatically shut
ting down the rolling mills and other
departments.
Birmingham Unaffected.
Birmingham Ala, Sept. 22.-Littie
effect of the nationwide strike of steel
workers was noted in the Birmingham
district when the day shifts reported
for work this morning
Every plant in the district was run
ming at full blast and at plants of the
Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad
company in Ensley more men reported
for work than were needed to fill
shifts, it was stated.
Comparatively few men walked out
under the strike order, the number be-
ing far under the estimate of union
leaders. Labor organizations attributed
the small response to the fact that
tomorrow is pay day at two large
plants in the Ensley district and that
two others pay Thursday.
THE strike is fulfilling fill eNpecta-
tions," said f. S. Ingram, secretary
of the strike committee. I'VE expect
more men to come out during the day.
Meetings will be held throughout the
district during the day to induce the
men to quit work"
Officials of corporations in the dis
trict expressed themselves as satisfied
with the present outlook with 10 hitch
in oper ltions reported from any plant.
Bessemer Plants Operating.
At Bessemer every plant was re-
ported running without handicap and
observers there stated that the strike
would not hinder operations. Special
details of police were stationed in
the steel districts early this morning.
Police Commissioner Taylor having
sworn in large force of deputies Sat
urday to aid in coping with the situa-
tion expected this morning.
No disorder was reported from any