Evening star., 1922-08-01
TROLLEY WALK0UT
HITS CHICAGO HARD
Surface and Elevated Cars
ParaIyzed and City
Traffic Jammed.
FINISH FIGHT PREDICTED
$4,000 Strikebreakers and Jitneys
From Nearby Towns Reported
to Have Arrived.
By the Associated Press.

CHICAGO. August Twenty
thousand motormen, conductors and
guards on surface and elevated lines
went on strike at O'Clock this
morning against III per cent wage
reduction, and the greater part of
the working portion of Chicago's
nearly 100000 persons was forced
to seek improvised transportation.
AS usual, all rolling stock available,
including every variety of wheeled,
pullable, pushable or motorized
vehicle. was inadequate, and the brunt
of the traffic fell on ''shanks' mare"
Thousands started early afoot. and
we'll before dawn streets and avenues
leading to the business and manufac-
turing districts seethed with pedestri-
ans. Streets in the downtown dis
trict with the calling of the strike
automatically became one-way thor
oughfares. But even that action by
the police department was not enough
to avoid badly tangled jams of traf-
fic. once the honking. shouting horde
of motor-car drivers began poAring
their steady streams of workers into
the business center. Hundreds OF
were on the job with the break of
day. They were summoned days ago
by Charles c. Fitzmorris, chief of
police, when a strike appeared to be
inevitable.
Negotiations Prove Futile.
The walkout really began at II
o'clock last night, when the surface
carmen ending runs at that hour took
their cars to the barns. From then
on as runs were finished the motor
men and conductors left of work, and
in the early hours Of the morning the
number of cars on the streets gradu-
ally dwindled to zero.
Negotiations have been under way
between the surface line workers and
owners for several days, after post
ing of the order for wage reduc-
tion. All efforts to bring about an
agreement between the company and
the workmen were announced as fall
ures late yesterday. Last night 5000
surface carmen crowded into their
union headquarters and excitedly
shouted unanimous decision to strike,
! while 1000 others, unable to get into
the building, stood in the street and
echoed that sentiment.
The elevated employees. who had
called a meeting for tonight to dis
cuss concerted action with the sur
! face men, then held a separate meet
ing and, after members of the ex-
ecutive committee had charged they
tate action by the surface men, ~unan-
imously voted to cooperate in the
strike.
Station Entrances Closed.
, Early today carpenters went over
| the elevated lines boarding up the en-
frances to the stations. The surface
line tunnels beneath the Chicago river
! also were boarded up and guards placed.
There was no statement from COM
| pany officials as to when an effort
| to resume traffic would be made. but
! the Chicago Herald and Examiner. in
! today, said the strike meant a war to
the finish between the lines and the
] employees The newspaper said the
advance guard OF an army of $4,000
potential new employees had been In
had been perfected to break the
strike quickly. City authorities have
prepared for use at any moment Of
the entire police force OF approx
mately 5000 men, and it fs under
National Guard have been ordered to
be in readiness for duty.
! The strike comes just when Chi
ca 20 was the gathering point for un-
usual thousands Of visitors attracted
snonsored by Mayor Thompson, at
| the municipal pier.
Fifth Street Car Strike.
The street car strike is Chicago's
nth. Tho first was in 1887. the horse
car employees striking against the
Yerkes regime. In 1908. employees Of
the Chicago City Railway Company
struck ON the.South Side lines.
before daW detail Of city de-
tectives wen bout placing huge
porary one-w khoroughfares.
Busses. trt Formed from motor
| trucks by md Ins Of rough benches
| and blankets for PADS began to ply