New-York tribune., 1919-07-19
Staten Island
Cut Off 6H0urs
yFerry Strike
Men Quit Boats at 4 p. NJ.
and at 10 Commissioner
Delaney Announces That
a Settlement Is Reached

Firemen, oilers and water tenders on
the Municipal ferryboats to Staten
Island bided their time yesterday until
dwellers in Richmond who work in
Manhattan were preparing to go home.
Then they struck for more pay They
continued the strike until 10 last night,
when Public Service Commissioner
John J. Delaney said it was settled
and the men would return to work
A feeble service was carried on be-
tween Richmond and Manhattan by
the ferryboat Queens manned by twen-
ty policemen of Harbor A. Some few
marooned Staten Islanders reached
home that way. Most of them were
forced to go by way of the Bay Ridge
<or Bayonne ferries.
The public and the Public Service
Commission got their first word of
the strike when the Richmond entered
her slip at the Battery at q p. m, and
her engine room force followed the pas
sengers off the boat. A few minutes
later the Queens docked, and most of
her crew followed suit. Meanwhile at
st. George the other two boats of the
line were tied up in like manner.
Caught Out in Rain
From then until 6 p. m. thousands of
Staten Islanders stood in the rain out
side the slips, looking longingly at the
far-away bulk of their homeland and
wondering more and more audibly how
they were ever going to get to it. The
crowd increased so rapidly in size and
evaporation that reserves from the
First Precinct were called to handle it.
These held the crowd back and kept
shouting advice to the would-be pas
sengers, urging them to go to Staten
Island by way of Brooklyn or New
of them remained.
Grover Whalen, Commissioner of
Plant and Structures, is taking his
vacation in Europe, and in his place
Public Service Commissioner Delaney,
former commissioner, undertook to
argue with the strikers. 1t did no
good. They were determined not to
return until they had received assur-
ance that their pay would be raised
from S115 and $l20 month to $3.50
and $135.
Thomas Delahunty and William
Maher, of the marine engineers and
pilots unions, after disclaiminp anv
responsibility for the strike, said union
men would man the boats as soon as
they could be summoned
Special Boat to Rescue
In the mean time the crowd was
getting larger and wetter and more de-
spairing. To some harbor business
man they furnished a brilliant idea. At
6:1O the steamer Carmana, used to
transport workers to the shipyards on
Shooters Island, put in at the Battery
Along her fanks was a hastily impro-
vised sign reading: South Beach
Adults, 25 cents; children, 15"
There was a mad stampede for the
craft, only partly checked by the DO
lice, and after more than 1000 persons
had jammed their way on board. the
boat backed away.
7 At the Queens, her engines manned
by policemen, made her first trip, with
another 1000 rescued. At she made
another, but the crowd in front of the
fcrryhousc did not seem to have
dwindled appreciaby.
On the first trip she carried Com
missioner Delaney across to st. George.
There he met the leaders of the
strike, and at once plunged into de-
bate with them which lasted nearly
two hours At it's conclusion he gave
out the following statement, refusing
any further details Of the settlement: :
"The strike is Off and the men have
gone back to work"
Go Back Temporarily
From other sources it was learned
that Matthew Cahill, Democratic lead
cr Of Richmond, had aided Mr.. Delaney
in pcrsuading the men to return to
work, which the strikers had agreed
10 do. temporarily.
On Monday, it was said. they and a
committee Of Richmond citizens will
10 TO City Hall and present their griev-
anccs TO Mayor Hylan. II relief is not
obtained, the strikers say, they will
10 out again. In the mean time, they
will run the boats on schedule.
Engine room forces returned to tho
craft Immediately after tho confer
encc, and started building up fires. By
midnight service was practically nor