The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-04-08
Affairs Among the Strikers
at the Gas Works.
THEY WILL WIN OR BURST.
The Gas Companies to Combine
Against the Strikers.
What the Officers Of the Companies say-scenes
and Incidents at the Works and About
Town-How the City Hall Clock
"Glim" Went Out

section of the city south OF Grand street to the Bat
terry last night in consequence, first OF the entire
lack OF gas during the early part OF the nights sec.
ond because from eight until eleven the supply
was extremely limited ana looked as though II
might be exhausted at any moment, and lastly,
in anticipation Of the great public incOn-
venience and danger that might follow
in the event Of complete cessation Of
the supply and the inevitable eXtinguishment Of
street lamps that would result AT seven O'Clock
the pressure Of gas at the New York Gas Com
pany's works was sadly insufficient for 1t was i'm.
possible to light mere than one lamp out OF every
ten, and at the Post once, the Aston House, the
various newspaper Offices and at SUCH places as II
was desirable and necessary to transact night
business in there was emily feeble gimmer of gas
light to he had.
During the afternoon there was no gas whatever
In the New York Company's district except in such
establishments as were supplied by the Mutual,
and the consequence was a great embarrassment
to many branches OF trade carried on In Easements
and cellars and in the interior rooms OF the large
buildings where 1t s necessary to keep gaslght at
all times
THERE WAS ALMOST ''coRNER''
in the article OF candles and tin candle sockets,
and large supply was Kept on hand and in readi.
ness for use at the Post once. 1t was rather
curious spectacle to witness the pursuit Of pleas
ure under extreme difnculty, as for example, in
the playing Of game Of billiards in basement bill
Hard room without gas. Candles were improvised
and placed in every available position, on
posts and pillars and suspended by cords. The
result was wonderful play Of bad light and very
deep shade over the surface OF the green baized
tables and there was more bad billiard playing,
sscratchesn and ms-cues attributed to "the
shadow onthe ballsn than was ever known before
in q single day.
THE PLAYERS SHOT
the ivory spheres away INTO the Stygian vacancy at
the other end OF the tables and it was only at in.
tervals of silence, when the balls were heard to
'click" in the distant gloom. or by having friend
with fog trumpet located somewhere in the
vicinity, that man could learn whether his ball
had hit anything or not. on the counters the
light was furnished by candles set in
the necks Of bottles, as improvIsed candlesticks,
and the opportunities for Rembrandt pictures
were bewildering both by the general prevalence
and the weird uncertain lights and shadows that
played upon them. To add to all this gloom there
was the fact Of rather overcast sky and a
slight tendency to fogginess In the atmos.
phere, aHd the prospects for the evening began
to look quite dismal. The streets were wet and
muddy and the sidewalks uneven and crooked, and
the only people who felt really independent on the
question were the street car conductors and the
peanut vendors. Happy m0rtalsl not to be oh.
liged to depend upon the mismanagement OF
ANY "BLoATED CoRPoRATIoNn
or the intrigues OF any striking trade organiza
tion. Like the 'lve wise virgins they kept their
little Kerosene cans well filed with the uminat.
ing mud. and snapped their fingers at the outside
world as the shadows Of night came on.
From seven O'Clock till about eight there were
not than one-half OF the lamps Lit In the whole
lower part OF the city, but orders had been trans.
mitted 10 the various precincts directing each
patrolman post to make frequent trials TO light
all lamps found not burning and to similarly essay
those that had been lit but had subsequently been
extinguished.
THE ROuGHS AND THUGS
or the metropolis lost magnificent opportunity
last night to obliterate about third OF the po
lice force by one master stroke OF diabolism.
All that was necessary to be done was
ana there would have been instant Sa supS%rous
ignition, for they each carried hall dozen boxes
OF matches. Shades of the blue-crested Luciier,
what q chance for vengeance was there But ii
was lost through the supineness and ignorance OF
"our dangerous ~ classes"
At eight O'CLOCK the lamps on both sides OF
Broadway from Grand street south TO Pearl, were
dark, as well as In the streets diverging into the
low ground eastward Of the . main p., thorough
was i vast and Impressive darkness that
must have locked ike Paradise itself
was too feeble In now 10 give more than a waving
button OF blue flame, and every few minutes even
this seemed suddenly to drop back into the pipe
and set the policemen cursing.
THE BATONED KNIGHTS,
with thick boots, and overcoats as cumbersome as
mattresses about their bodies, were poor substi-
besides the department had forgotten TO furnish
them with ladders and torches. There was no
help for II but to park their shins climbing the
matches against damp iron frames.
"Losk q here" said burly ''cop" to reporter
near Burning Slip 'I've lit that lamp lust seven
times in the last hour and I've got ali them
matches to use yet before can give up the job
Amt y sweet p; y ana or, ne loosed gloomly
ferry house, where everything was equally sombre
wherever the lamps did burn Il was with a wan
consumprive sort OF name that only made the dark
''' '' OVER THE WHOLE CENTRE
OF the district bounded BY Grand on the north
West Broaaway and New Church on the west, by
Bowling Green and Beaver streets on the south and
by Pearl and Madison streets on the east, there
was passable apology for nght rom eight 70 eleven
these lines It was next TO Impossible TO Keep tnc
gas burning. At exactly thirteen minutes 10 ten
O'Clock the lucent element that made
THE CITY HALL CLOCK FACE
radiant with intelligence seemed to drop through
the cupola as though 1t was ashamed to look upon
works was insufhcient to send the combustible
fluid into the tower and men In the
streets almost broke their necKs looking
eyes rested on the starless zenith above
them. Then the fog began TO envelope everything,
and there was glorious prospect that the little
existing light that seemed to struggle rom saloon
windows and lamps would soon be hemmed into a
radius OF six feet from its sources. And 80 the
night wore on, with some Improvement In the con-
dltion OF affairs on the night before and a
little promise for better things In the future.
THE GLOOM IN WALL STREET.
quite n feeling alarm and dtgtTuqt existed
among the banking establishments OF Wall street
and its ncighborhooa last night, who feared THAT q
general raid might be made upon their establish
ments by burglars during the night. Captain
Van Duzer, OF the New street police station, made
arrangements to patrol the ward constantly dur
ing the hours OF darkness Mr.. Thomas sampson,
the detective oil the Stock Exchange was engaged