The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-04-08
RAILROAD STRIKE
 GROWS, EXPECTED TO SPREAD WIDELY
(continued From Page one.)

(Cont1nued From Page One-) brotherhoods which began a week ago in Chicago, today had spread to other parts of the United States and there were indications that the series of rebellions against organization direction had not reached it's crest
 East and west bound freight move ment across the continent already re- stricted by the Chicago strikes, was | ha-mpered further by sWitdhmen striking at such strategic gateways as Buffalo and Kansas City, and at such industrial centers as Joliet and Decatur, Illinois, and Gary. Ind. Strikes were Threatened today at l Milwaukee, St. Louis and East St Louis, gateways to the northwest and the south east. Strikers predicted also that 25,000 men in northern New York would join them, cutting off freight traffic from Buffalo to New York and 1 Boston.
 1 The Yardmen's Association, insur- gent organization which called the i strikes, was forming branches in nut merous terminal cer4ters reports in dicated.
 H. E. Reading. general organizer of the yardmen's association. an nounced that the railway clerks and freight handlers brotherhood would take strike votes Saturday. At Gin cinnati 1900 freight handlers de mand an answer by Saturday mid night to their demands for an in crease in pay from 62 to 47 cents an hour.
 Railroad brotherhood officers whC came to Chicago to assist railroad managers to break the strike declar- ed reports for today would revea ] f1~0f in arIJ a he at Si
 60 per cent. normal.
 The strikers. however, claimed that by tonight no switch engine would be operating in the Chicago district Of ficers of the yardmen's association claimed approximately 7,5OO new members had been enrolled and ter new locals formed in the Chicagt
 district They held to their estimate
 of 16,500 switchmen out in the Chi
 cago district in addition to engineers f1remen and engine hostlers.
 The insurgent enginemen's associa. ton had enrolled 10, eco eDsgin eers, fire
 men and hostlers at Chicago, accord ing to its officers.
 MT. Reading, who also organized tn ! United Enginemen's Association, de
 nied, however, that enginemen wer , on strike.
 They were not working beca.us
 with the swi itchnen idle there is n work for eniginenen,'' he said. +fOu
 men refused to join the 5witchmer l We simply joined this organizatio
 because we were tired of the old on
 dominated jby it's officers The striking szwitchmen claimed tha engineers and firemen had aEbandone engines on the Chicago, Bln-Ingto
 and Quincy; Chicago, Milwaukee an
 St. Paul, the Chicago and Northwest ern, and the Atchison. Topeka an ! Santa. Fe railroads at Chicago.
 A bulletin that the strike was il legal, sent out by w. G. Lee, presider 1, l of the Brotherhood of Railway Train
 men, was on bulletin boards of tn l New York Central lines today.
 William S. Garter. head of the fire
 men, and Warren S. Stone. Gran
 Chief of the Engineers. joined Lee i
 announcing that the railroad broth
 erhood members carry out their cor tracts.
 ' Industries throughout the Chicag < ] district had begun to feel the effect
 of the strike seriously today. Packin cs louse heads said that the total nun E Der of stockyards employees idI
 would be between 60,0G0 and 65,0 ,0O
 if the strike continued until Satul 7 day. Only 80 cars of live stock weI dt received at Chicago yards yesterda,