Free trader-journal and Ottawa fair dealer. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1920-1927, 1922-08-01

0 clock this morning and
the greater part OF the
working portion of Chi
casos nearly 100000 persons was
forced. to seek. improvised. trans
portation AS usual all rolling stock
available, including every variety of
wheeled, pullable. pushable or motor
lied vehicle, was Inadequate and the
brunt of the traffic fell on "shanks
atoot and from well before dawn
street and avenues leading to the
business and manufacturing dis.
tricts seethed with pedestrians.
Streets in the downtown district with
the calling of the strike automatic
alV became one way thorouShfaras.
But even that action by the police de-
pGrttnert was not enough 20 avoid
badly tangled.
Police Have Traffic Problem.
Police department was not enough
to avoid badly tangled jams of traffic
once the honking, shouting horde of
motor car drivers began pouring
their steady streams of workers into
the business center.
Hundreds of jitney busses from sur
rounding towns were on the job with
the break of day. They were sum
moned days ago, by Charles G. Fitz1
morris, chief of police when a strike
appeared to be inevitable.
The walkout really began at II p.
m. last night when the surface car
men ending runs at that hour took
tbair In thp harms From than
on as runs were finished the motor
men and conductors left off work and
in the early hours of the morning the
number Of cars on the streets gradu-
ally dwindled to zero.
Cry For Strike.
Negotiations have been under way
between the surface line workers and
the surface line owners for several
days after posting of an order for a
wage reduction Of approximately
seventeen per cent. All efforts to
bring about an agreement between
the company and the wOrkmen were
announced as failures late yesterday.
Last night six thousand surface car
men crowded into their union head
quarters and eXctedly shouted unan-
imous decision to strike, while two
thusand 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 execu-
tive committee had charged they had
been double crossed" by precipitate
action by the surface men unanimous
ly voted to cooperate in the strike.
Block 81" Entrances
Earl today carpenters went over
the elevated lines boarding up the
entrances to the stations. The sur
face lines tunnels beneath the Chi
cago 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
a copyrighted news story published
today, said the strike meant a war to
the finish between the lines and the
employees The newspaper said
an advance guard of an army of fifty
thousand potential new employees had
been perfected for an attempt to
quickly restore traffic.
Prepare For Trouble.
City authorities have prepared for
use at any moment the entire police
force of approximately 5000 men.
and it is understood certain units of
the Illinois national guard have been
ordered to be in readiness for duty.
The strike comes Just when Chica-
90 was the gathering point for unus-
ual thousands of visitors attracted by
the second pageant of progress
sponsored by Mayor Thompson at the
pier.
One Dead
At noon the strike has resulted in
one death and numerous injuries as
result of congested traffic. The pOpu-
lace resOrtcd to every form of locomo-
tion from roller skates to airplanes
Fares on trucks and automobiles
ranged from - cents to rs cents.
c. o. & p. Withdras Tickets
The Chicago street car strike, which