Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-04-09
SW|TCHMEN HAVE
BEGUN RETURN TO
WORK IN CHICAGO
Union Leaders Do Not Claim
Strike Broken-Congestion
in Yards Is Great.

By the Associated Press
| CHICAGO. April 9.-Switchmen who
/ have been on strike here for nine days
| began returning to work this morn
ing.
| Brotherhood officials. who have been
fighting the Illegal walkout OF their
men. do not claim that the strike Is
! broken, but were much encouraged by
reports from several roads that the
mon. in small groups. were reporting
for work
The Chicago Junction railway. the
belt line connecting the stock yard
| and packing plants with the trunk
! lines, was one of the first to report
\ Eleven engine crews We're at work
this morning. the report said, as com
pared with three yesterday.
Discharge Passengers In Suburbs.
| While the switching and freight
situation showed improvement the
congestion in the yards grew so grea,
that seven of the eight railroads en-
| tering the Dearborn street station are
unable to run passenger trains down
town. They are discharging pas
| sengers at suburban stations to com
plete the trip on elevated or surface
| cars.
! Only the Santa Fe was running into
the station this morning. The other
roads which normally use that depot
are the Monon, Erie. Grand Trunk
| Chicago and Eastern Illinois. Wabash
Chesapeake and Ohio and Chicago
and Western Indiana.
One Switchlaan IL Shot.
| One switchman was shot and several
| slugged at meetings Of the strikers last
night, police learned today.
John Krintz. striker. who proposed
that the men return to work. was
| shot, 1t was reported. He was spir-
| ited away in an automobile by
| friends.
Trouble broke out at two meetings
Of the newly formed Chicago yards
mems association when members sug.
gested q return to the ranks of tbs
established brotherhoods.
! dxbatsas w.as advocated by one oi
the speakers. z. c. Esty. a c. T. A
crgakiser. who participated in the
Gary steel strike and several labor
disturbasees& here here They Y. cs1l e ms ..s,,, 9
proud to be rebel. In 1919 had
apolis and st. Paul. The men all
went out and stayed out.
Got Help From I. w. W.
81 went down to the l. WI w. head
quarters and got some help. Then
one day four passenger trains were
wrecked. The next day seven freight
trains were wrecked. Then we sent
word to the railroads that il they
didn't come across we would tear
answer-we did. The roundhouse was
torn down.
"Then the railroads begged for
mercy and asked to meet us. We told
them to come to US There was a
meeting. The union drew up a con
tract and the railroad refused it. The
next day we blew up a bridge. That
! night an ice jam formed in the river
and tore down tho rest of the bridge.
SO they don't know to this day who
did the job. But we won the strike.
Il did ninety days in jail for block
ing the mails. I got OF light because
told the judge 1 didn't know the
law. But, of course. I knew 1t then
as well as I do now"
Over 70.oo0 Men Ont.
Reports from throushout the country
indicated that more than 10000 men had
joined the walkouts.
Eight thousand insurgents were out
in the Chicago district. Reports from
a score of cities from coast to coast in
which wAlkouts have occurred predicted
additions to the strikers ranks during
the day.
Railroad brotherhoods' officials. who
have denounced the new ''rump" unions
said the spread OF "strike-fever" to other
cities was only an indication the strike
was running its natural course and that
1t would end within forty-eight hours.
One thousand brotherhood men
from other cities have answered the
call for strike-breakers here. ofi-
cials said.
Between 10000 and $4,000 packing
house and stock-yard workers had
been thrown out Of employment
cattle shipments, packers announced.
Many industrial plants reported thou
sands of employees would be thrown
out of work il the freight tie-up con-
tinued another week.
Situation in Other Areas.
Nearly 1000 employees of twenty
three railroads entering Toledo. in
Guiding switchmen; enEinemsn ,s11 ,ns and
In the ST. Louis district. including
East St. Louis and Madison. H..
freight traffic was reported virtually
at a standsiin with yardmen of twen-
ty-seven roads on strike.
All railroads in Kansas City, Mo.
operating under contracts with the
Rrotherhood of Railway Trainmen
wera affected and the strike had
snraad to Kansas City. Kansas and
Rosedale. an industrial suburb.
Points throughout the southwest re-
rortad embargoes had been placed on
fra;1ht and cattle shipments to st.
Icuis Kansas City and Chicago and
freieht traffic service between Chi
cago and New Orleans on all lines
RaiI companies throughout Cali
rornia felt the trafic tie-up and east
ward along tho continental lines sew
sral lines reported strikes.
Starting at Los Angeles. where ap-
nroIimately 1,40o yardmen walked out
vesterday, the strike spread to yards
in San Francisco and Oakland and
other California cities. Company Off
Gals said 443 men were out in San
Erancisoo and Oakland and walkouts
ware reported in Roseville. Bakers
field. Motave and Cotton. The South
arm Pacific estimated that 1900 men
ware on strike on its lines in the
coast district.
Unionized railroad workers at Louis
willie. Ky. at . meeting voted almost
unanimously against striking in sym
nathy with the Chicago insurgents
brotherhood officials reported.
Attempts to form "rump' unions in
several other cities were in progress
today and votes were expected to be
taken.
Summary Of Conditions.
A summary of conditions through
follows:
out the country reported carly today
CONTINUED On Fare J. Column II