, 1874-05-31
GOTHAM.
The Strike OF the Stage-Driv-
er5,


Soecjcl Correspondence Of The Chicago Tribune.
NEW YORK, May o7, 1874.
This week Monday proved memorable day
In Gotham. and ushe-ed in q eight rarely If eyei
before Witnessed here. in the total absence OF
m: stages on any Of the many s.aSa-routes
tra7ersiDs our city Tia drivers OF the different
Etase-comparies are
ON 4 STRIKE
for s3 day, and have been 40 since early Moo-
day aad no one no. an eyewitness CAN imagine
tLe deserted look Of our principal thoroughfares.
ncr the great Inconvenience attached to the sud.
5ca stoppase OF all omuibu.-lines. 1Ionday
morning came in cold and wintry, with driz-
cling rain that penetrated to the very bones, and
cod wind: gusty aad uncomfortable. 1t was
more like i fell day than the balmy spring
.i1ne Te have aB yet only dreamed about,
and not in any shape realized Among tho usual
aoises ct street.-The enc suddenly and unac-
>ountab!y missed the low rumble Of the heavy
Stages over ths pavaments, and great vera
the wonder1oen. and discomfort thercat. Ladies
rho wero obliged to bs out in the storm, stood
ut the corners Of the streets. and bcolded and
Hcttcd and waited IN vain for tie arrival Of the
expected stage. Plethoric old gentlemen, and
dainty slender clerks, who arc not 60 democratic
Is to patronize the cheaper street-cars, stood
around, the rain dripping from their umbrellas
down their light spring oyercoats,-and in no
geut!e tones cursed the wealthy p7opsietors of
tho stagc-ltnes, and were forced at last. in no
luiable mood, to accept standing place on q
ca:-p!atforn- Tho street-cars were more
than uncomfortably packed. Hsck-driYers
reaped m abundant harvest for once at
least. and charged exorbit2nt prices, which, as
1E,o do +raft ar fu1t HaT
obliged to pay or walk home.
TEE sTAoE-DE1vERs
laye been paid @2.50 day; and they claim
tr.t having TO pay for two meals r day, IS they
are obliged to do, and having to work seventeen
hours day, and also to pay for Eli b1ealaSe or
damage to their onnlbuses they cannot live
cnd support their families on that amount.
they eny that the different s:age-proprietoCs are
FL worth their millions, while sone OF them, who
i:.ye driven for ten, fifteen, and twenty years,
p-e oven poorer than they bere when they began
,;or's- Before the boxes were put up in tho
r as:e. whereby every one pays his or her own
-s.c. they confess that they appropriated mon
c.s. p1cIase they Wero obliged to do 20 in
ri.i2c 10 EUrpor: tnelr famillcs. Now,
:.:l; t.:, they canuot live without fair
E :,:.ga(snt fer thess steaings IN ell increased
:a,aG:. Every day these strikers have meet
ing. and every morning present themselves at
i1.ir respective stables, promising to work for
to 50 Gay. And thus the days 60 on. and no
stages arc run, .od Gotha1nites scold, and fume,
SUD curse, and swear, aud plod along as best
tic dl1-e1s. All the newspapers advocate Civ
ing them the claimed IS i. e just payment for
seventeen hourt' hard l-bor.
THE MANAGERS
of the different stago-lnes. however are as de-
termined as the drivers. They have already nd
,crtised for other At 81. 50 per day, and say
That they will have no trouble whatever in get
Ling men at that price. They claim that the
drivers at $3.50 day received Is per cent Of the
profits accruiag from the buslnoss, while the
II per cent. And the managers say
they can keep tho stages in the stables for
tH months. If necessary, and are IerT arbitrary
1ud determined to maintain their posi-
ton, declaring they arc IN the right, and
tnat the strike was gotten up by a few dissatis-
fed drivers who had been discharged from the
They also have had meetings, at
tic Fifth Avenue Hotel, and gay that many Of
Lcstr old drivers would gladly so to work at the
cid rates, $3.50 per day. but for fear OF violence
from the other drivers.
QUEER INCIDENT
occurred on the Fourteenth street liae OF stages
IN Monday morning. The managers OF that t
iEe had no trouble in engaging set Of ne1
mcn to drive their stages, to whom they gave
$50 each to make change. The drivers took |
he money offered for fares by persons riding |
downtown, and aid not give any change in re- !
:111n, telling them that there Has q strike, and, I
n consequence, they had no money given them I
% make change. And when thess sharp drivers
cached the ferry-houses down. town, they aban-
ioned the stages and horses to their fate, and
themselves disappeared. with not only the $3.50 |
riyeu each Of them by the COMPANY but also
IL tho uone4 they had collected from pas-
eaeers.
Il is now the third dav of the strike. aud there
,as as vet been no compromise. and no ueayy
umboriuc ktase-wheel. are heard on our streets.
nd tia ereat Inconvenience to the travelling
,us;ners communitT cannot be described. Loud
hrcnts ,re mnde tiat the manacets shall he
onnn1.e1 to mt thcf- atagea On the routes
ra:n ss Tho oreat nnh1ic nays for the stape md
vii not ani,1re ]6nrcr to ba inconyenienced
s,,+ tie ouost;on connee IN here Who vii ha1i
na crt ~ ~ IN other 1ords comnel tl'e.a nil
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~. a. ,r. - ~ seen sna nn1v ' hscls conne.
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