DEAR MR. HAMMERSCHMIDT: I have for acknowledgment and attention yours of August 24 in connection with our deliveries to your construction operation on the New Jersey State Highway Viaduct at Jersey City. I have on one or two occasions stopped at this point to get a view of the picketing by the strikers and have seen some actions which indicate the extent of the possibilities arising from this labor question. Immediately upon receipt of your letter yesterday I contacted with Mr. Massey at our Jersey City operation and from him received the following detail. Mr. Massey has personally been over to this operation, as well as that of Parker & Graham (which is distant perhaps a mile or so from yours) and he is of course more intimately familiar with the whole situation than I am. On one or two occasions when we made delivery and when he was present, the treatening attidude of the pickets influenced him to request police escort for subsequent dray trips, which was furnished and the immediate deliveries were accomplished with relative safety. This had only occurred, however, once or twice, when after the return of the drivers they were approached on subsequent deliveries to other parties by the pickets and threatened in no uncertain terms. The news covering these actions spread through our entire wage earning personnel in the Jersey City area, with its naturally expected result and the drivers themselves absolutely refused to make further deliveries at the Highway construction point. Mr. Massey immediately took steps to see what other arrangements could be made and ascertained that there was a temporary P. R. R. Siding at the operations of both the American Bridge Company and Parker & Graham and that the Pennsylvania would handle carload deliveries at both of these points, delivery period being practically not more than overnight and in view of the circumstances, Parker & Graham immediately accepted the alternate for dray delivery by accepting railroad transportation for their materials. Mr. McQuarry of your organization, however, has felt that he would prefer not to have rail shipments, even though the volume of goods which you are taking represent probably sixty or seventy barrels of assorted goods by the week, which would represent a carload on a weekly basis. I hope you will feel that we through Mr. Massey, have taken prompt steps to supply you with your material with reasonable safety and that you can see the point of view of our people in their stand. I sincerely hope that Mr. McQuarry and your own good self will permit our shipping these goods via P. R. R. in carloads and you may rest assured that we will do everything reasonable to furnish you with prompt and efficient deliveries via this latter method. May I have your reaction? Very truly yours, JWS: BBR (Signed) J. W. Saybolt. DEAR MR. DREW: I received your telegram this morning about the meeting of the attorneys for the three companys, which is set for 4:00 p. m. Wednesday, September 9th. I was in Newark, New Jersey this week when this meeting was arranged and told our attorney that I would be present. Yours truly, CSG:p EXHIBIT 2877 [Copy] General Manager of Erection. WESTERN UNION 1931 SEP 5 AM Received at Chamber of Commerce Bldg., Cor. 7th Ave. & Smithfield St., Pittsburgh, Pa. (In pencil: akl 9/3/31) NC70 22-SL New York NY 5 923A 1531 Frick Bldg Pittsburgh Penn Conference with Merritt Lane and attorneys arranged for Wednesday September ninth four oclock at Pitneys Office seven four four Broad Street Newark EXHIBIT 2878 [Copy] Charge to the account of NATIONAL ERECTORS' ASSOCIATION WALTER DREW. WESTERN UNION CONFIRMATION NEW YORK, September 5, 1931. C. S. GARNER, c/o American Bridge Company, 1531 Frick Bldg., Pittsburgh, Pa. CLYDE MACCORNACK, c/o Phoenix Bridge Company, Phoenixville, Pa. E. A. GIBBS, c/o McClintic-Marshall Corporation, Bethlehem, Pa. J. B. GEMBERLING, c/o American Bridge Company, Widener Bldg., Philadelphia, Pa. Conference with Merritt Lane and attorneys arranged for Wednesday, September ninth, four o'clock, at Pitney's office, seven four four Broad Street, Newark. WALTER DREW. I have shown to our Mr. Garner, General Manager of Erection, who happened to be in the office, the enclosed letter from Mr. Falks. Mr. Garner tells me that he already has knowledge of this meeting and expecta to be in attendance. No. 4931 LDF LINDABURY, Depue & Faulks, 763 Broad Street, Newark, N. J., September 2nd, 1981. KENNETH B. HALSTEAD, Esq. General Solicitor, United States Steel Corporation, 71 Broadway, New York City. DEAR MR. HALSTEAD: Mr. Ward, of the firm of Pitney, Hardin & Skinner, who represent the McClintic-Marshall Company, has written me to the effect that it is proposed to have a general conference of the parties interested in the Hudson County Bridge situation at his office at four o'clock on Wednesday, September 9th. He has asked me to attend "with such members of the organization of your client as should be present." Mr. Brady of the National Erectors Association has also telephoned me this morning with reference to such proposed conference, saying that it will be held unless I have word to the contrary not later than Tuesday. Mr. Brady, however, said nothing about my arranging to have any officials of the American Bridge Company present. I assume that he has taken this up directly with them. Unless I either have word that the conference is not to be held or have word from you that the American Bridge Company desires that I shall not attend it, I am planning to (1) be at Mr. Ward's office at the time named and (2) leave to you the making of the arrangements for the attendance of any representatives of the Bridge Company whom you think should be present. Of course, I will be very glad to have you attend, too, if you think this advisable. Yours very truly, FJF:RM. 89562-38-pt. 15-c (signed) FREDERIC J. FAULKS. DEAR SIR: After discussing local conditions in connection with our StateHighway work in Jersey City with McClintic-Marshall and the Phoenix Bridge Company over the telephone I spent Wednesday and Thursday, the 2nd and 3rd, in Jersey City with our organization and arrangements were made to reduce our force of guards to thirty in the daytime and thirty at night, which will become effective gradually within ten days. This will reduce the guard expense $600 per day. One of the things we had to watch was Labor Day demonstrations as it seemed to be the impression among Jersey City police officials that during the Labor Day period, greater attempts would be made toward intimidating Open Shop organizations. Or August 21st erection began on the first span, consisting of about 1,100 tons and this span was connected and made safe ten working days later, September 3rd, which is as good as we could expect from an organization where there are no labor troubles: The falsework under this span will be moved but immediately and in about ten days we expect to have another span completed. Our unit costs are As far as I can see, our organization is doing good work. as low as we can expect during normal times. Our Superintendent and men realize that we are doing the best that can be done for them toward protection while on the work and in transit, and appreciate the efforts of the Bridge Company. At the same time, we can see that the strain affects the Superintendent and his staff and we hope to find some way of getting rid of the crowd of pickets. We are asked to attend a meeting tomorrow in Newark, N. J., where all the attorneys of the three companies will discuss ways and means for securing an injunction, based on the evidence that has been gathered by McClintic-Marshall and the Phoenix Bridge Company. I will arrange to be there to listen in. Yours truly, CSG:W (signed) C. S. G., General Manager. EXHIBIT 2882 [Copy] SEPTEMBER 12, 1931. Subject: New Jersey State Highway-Route 25 Building. DEAR SIR: I spent Wednesday and Thursday in New Jersey in connection with erection of the New Jersey State Highway work. Part of both days, Mr. Gemberling and myself were in meetings with attorneys for the three companies who are looking into the question of securing an injunction that will enable us to break up the picket gang. Before we can join the other companies toward filing an application for injunction, the American Bridge Company must be sure that we will not cause the Jersey City authorities to withdraw police protection and steps have been taken to find out over Saturday and Sunday the attitude of the Mayor and his friends toward this movement, and we will know next Monday, the 14th, more about whether we can proceed with the application for injunction with the other companies. Arrangements have been made for Mr. Gemberling and myself to be in our attorney's office in Newark, N. J. on the morning of the 14th. The erection of our work is going along remarkably well, as Spans 2 and 3 have been erected. One end of Span 2 rests on the abutment alongside the Pennsylvania Railroad. When the trusses for Span 2 were lifted in place, crowds of pickets came down as far as our wire fence would allow and watched the operation for awhile until the police scattered them, preventing any demonstrations. During the coming week, we will begin placing falsework over the Pennsylvania Railroad for erection of Span 1 and at the same time we will transfer the falsework from under Span 3 to Span 5 and before the end of the week, we will begin setting steel on Span 5 and within ten days we will be setting steel on Span 1. Our organization at the site is somewhat restless on account of having to come in and go out each day at certain times, which does not allow any overtime work to prepare for the gang next day, but they are satisfied to be patient and let us work out our problems. My own belief is that beginning with the coming week, there will be a much better feeling, for the reason that we are getting away from the congested yard, as well as getting away from where they can see the pickets and it is our impression that the pickets are not going to get far from the sight of the police along the right of way, near where our men are working. Yours truly, CSG:W. (Signed) C. S. G., General Manager of Erection. P. S. During the past two weeks the number of guards has been reduced from 102 to 43, resulting in a saving of over $800.00 per day. During the coming week we expect to make a further saving of $75.00 per day. EXHIBIT 2883 [Copy] C. S. G. ARTHUR L. DAVIS, General Contracting Manager. AMERICAN BRIDGE COMPANY SUBSIDIARY OF U. S. STEEL CORP. 71 BROADWAY, NEW YORK, September 12, 1931. (initial "G") G-4000-7-Route 25-Section 2—, New Jersey State Highway Commission General Manager of Erection, Pittsburgh, Pa. DEAR SIR: It was not until this morning that I was able to get at President Farrell to make mention of the meeting which you held in Newark relative to the securing of an injunction. It is Mr. Farrell's notion that we should allow matters to go on as they are. He did not intimate that he had discussed this with anybody else. Yours truly, /s/ ARTHUR L. DAVIS, Vice President. EXHIBIT 2884 [Copy] OCT. 17, 1931. MEMORANDUM, G-4000-7 TRANSPORTATION OF MEN.-Federal Boat No. 5, our property, can accommodate safely about 100 men. The cost of operating this boat, that is, wages of Pilot, Deck Hand, and fuel, amounts to about $25.00 per day. The best arrangements that we could make for second boat to transport those that could not be carried on our boat, was $50.00 per day, or a total of $75.00 per day for the two boats. However, we were able to make very favorable arrangements for the leasing of a large Steam Excursion Boat, which can accommodate 250 men within a heated enclosure, for $60.00 per day, six days per week. We therefore discontinued the use of our own boat, which we will hold in case of emergency and have laid off the Pilot and Deck Hand. MENGEL DOCK.-We are paying $150.00 per month rental for use of the Mengel Dock for loading and unloading the men, until such time as will have track constructed on south side of Right of Way, down to river. However, as this track: |