Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1920-04-12
Call for Volunteers

Call for Volunteers -.
New York. April 11.-Passenger service
on railroads affected by the unauthor-
lied strike of yardmen and switchmen
which began three days ago still was
demoralized here tonight. Freight serv.
ice was practically at a standstill ex-
cept for an irregular movement of per.
ishable commodities.
A call went out from railroad Offices
here tonight for volunteers to man
freight trains carrying foodstutfs to the
city. 1t was the opinion in railroad
sion of the lines not hampered by the
strike, and with pensioners, clerks and
other terminal employees pressed. into
service for the emergency, food trains
could be kept moving in sufficient vol
ume to forestall a food famine here.t
Strikers tonight apparently were hold
ing their ground in and around. New
York, while railroad officials were pre-
pairing for what they believed would
be the crisis tomorrow
Arthur f. Rice, commissioner Of the
retail merchants of New York, tonight
cautioned railroads to use great care
in the distribution of whatever small
supplies could be brought here.
DR.. Royal S. Copeland. city health
commissioner. conferred today with Ole
Salthe, director of food and drugs for
10 af
ed that complete survey of storage
houses had disclosed there was Today
supply of meat, butter and eggs in the
city.
Twenty engineers employed en- passen.
ger" trains running from the Mott Haven
yards of the New York Central to the
Grand Central terminal walked out to.
night. Railroad officials made an effort
to negotiate with the strikers and call
was sent out asking former employees
and pensioners to volunteer to relieve
the emergency.
New York, April 11-With the su-
preme test in the strike. of railroad
Switchmen yard workers and gremen
scheduled here for tomorrow morn
ing, the operators and strikers today
marshalled their forces for battle.
Sunday. with it's quiet brought OPP
portunity to both managers and
strikers to draft plans for the strug-
gle into which Greater New York
now has been plunged for three days.
In Jersey City. seeding Brother
hood of Railroad Trainmen assem-
blcd in all day and night mass meet
ing from which the press was barred
except for a brief interval in which
Mayor Hague of Jersey City ad-
dressed them.
In Jamaica employees of the Long
Island Railroad as yet little affected,
by the strike, met in an all-day SEES
sion to vote on whether to quit in
sympathy with the unauthorized
walkou of switchmen on other roads.
Railroad managers modified their
armies in every part of the city, re-
arranging working shifts and calling
into yard and train service many su-
perintendents and white collar
men" from clerical positions. Train
crews also were brought here from
areas as yet unaffected by the
strike.
Thes mail service into and out of
New York was not badly disreputed.
Milk trains will be brought in to-
night and early tomorrow at all
costs, railroad managers declared
today. Whatever food stuffs can be
moved here will be cared for, al
though all systems, except the New
York Central and qthe New York,
New Haven and Hartford announced
that scores Of food trains were
stalled along their routes. The New
York Central announced that war
specials" of solid food trains were
on their way from New York to
Chicago.
Passengers service was generally
operated below SO per cent Of normal
today. The New York Central and
the New Haven managed to operate
virtually at normal. Local service
on the Erie and Lackawanna Rail-
roads was shut down completely it
was announced, although through
trains were operated On the Penn
sylvania, Southern and Western
trains were reporting to be running
about SO per cent of normal
The Erie and the Lackawanna of1icials
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