Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-03-08
Now York street Car Strike.

New York Street Car Strike.
Az INCIDENT IN ONE DAY OF tn. STRIKE
RUNNING CAR ACROSS THE CIrT.-OB-
srRUcTIoNs AND THE WAY THEY WERE
Oy.RcOMD.
Since horse cars we're first placed in the
streets New York never saw the Wild puoilc
excitement and disturbance over them that It
did yesterday. The theatrical spectacle OF
the afternoon was Superintendent murray
and 800 policemen forcing blue car. Win
two pale and frightened men in 1t, through
. bowling mob that filled Grand-street from
river to river. Public conveyances were
overturned while passengers we're riding ID
them, trucks loaded with merchandise we're
tipped over in the roadway, shop windows
we're smashed. and the police were showered
with stones and eggs.
At1:25 the stable door was swung open
and blue car ran down Monroe-street to the
starters box. 1t was greeted with united
veil of derson that WAS heard across the
river in Brooklyn. People came across on
the ferries and swelled the multitude. To-
spector Steers stood beside John d. Brodle,
one of the cash receivers of the road, who
acted az driver Of the car. Another police
rnan remained on the rear platform with John
Angus, who, for the mere formality OF the
thing, agreed to act Is conductor; for even II
the company had been willing to take on
passenger hardly q man in the thousands
standing around would have been willing to
ride. Things had an ugly look. When the
car was at the starters box superintendent
Murray formed his guard into four double
file lines, two in front and two in the rear.
A very fine and formidable body of men
they looked, standing erect, with shoulders
back and stout clubs drawn at their sides,
ready for instant action. The Superintendent
went to the head of them and signaled to the
driver.
"Ready," he shouted to the policemen;
.torwar1 march,"
The screech of voices as Brodie loosened
the brake and the formal conductor rang the
bell, for forms sake, was fairly defeaning.
The car rolled slowly on its way unmolested
until it reached Cannon street. The tide of
human travel suddenly reversed and set with
resistless force across Grand street toward
the North river. 1t swept everything with it,
street signs, ash barrels, peddlers' stands,
women out with baby carriages, and all else
that crossed its path. The police could do
nothing but clsb it vigorously and keep. it
within the limits of the curbstone. If a man
strayed into the street he was pretty cure to
suffer for it, Close to Cannon street stone
rose from somewhere in the rushing throng
and crashed into the car window. Brodie
drew up his horses at pile of lumber artful-
" dumped across the tracks. He had not
been making any great exertiOns, but the
sweat poured from his face and his hair was
soaking wet. Curses, threats and excavations
from angry threats, were ringing in his ears.
He was frightened, but plucky and deter
mined to 60 on. The policemen went to
work at the lumber pile and soon transferred
it to the gutter.
The car rolled slowly on again with the
crowd around it growing denser and noisier
every minute The windows and roofs of the
buildings were full of people, most of them
Kissing the police or encouraging the strikers.
Small stones and other missiles slvly thrown
from the crowd in the streets, and from peo-
pie on the roofs occasionally hit policeman
or fell in q harmless shower between their
ranks. But it soon became appar-
ent that the horse car employees were making
only fraction of the disturbance. Every
body in the neighborhood, particularly the
boys and young men, seemed to harbor .
grievance against the railroad company,
against the police for helping it in its dis
tress. and against the reporters, who kept
close to the police because it was safe, and be-
cause it was the best place to get the news.
Most of the car drivers were on ahead, max
ing plans that developed themselves as the
blue car rumbled along.
To say nothing of such minor obstacles az
blocks of wood, Jumps of stone, heaps of
ashes and refuse, bales of rags, and loads Of
sand, which the police we're compelled to re-
move As they came across them, the car got
along very we'll until it reached Essex Mar
ket. A piece of ice, flying out Of the market
As swiftly as though it had been shot from .
catapult, smashed in another car window and
the formal conductor so badly that
he forgot to ring the bell when the car stopped
with audiences that nearly lurched him
into the street Somebody had rolled over q
big baggage truck squarely across the up
track, where it was lying, wheels uppermost,
like a turtle turned on its back. The crowd
closed in on the car. threw 4 stone at the per-
spring Brode, and yelled louder than ever.
Superintendent Murray gave orders to have
the blue car lifted on the other track, the Or
der was promptly obeyed, and on she went,
still surrounded by the strong escort of police,
who zealouslv fought off would-be-intruders
as though the sub-treasury, with all it's mil
lions, had been put on wheels and they had
been guarding that. When the large east
side dry goods stores were reached the shop
girls choked up the windows, Kissed the po-
lice. and clapped their hands At what they
supposed were the car drivers. About 200
girls swarming over a roof made themselves
heard above the din with sort of combna-
ton college cry:
"Oh-you-cOwards J"
II was close nv another unturnad fruck AZ
Forsyth street, that the first serious trouble
occurred. Lift off that truck, men," said
the superintendent. The words had scarcely
left his lips when brick whizzed past his
head. Somebody shouted
Charge"
In an instant 800 clubs began to rain down
on the heads of people standing around. There
was no time for discrimination The clubs
kept swinging through the air, and any one
unlucky enough to get within range be it a
man, woman or child, was hit Shrieking
people with bleeding faces and bruised limbs
rushed anywhere for shelter into the stores
and into private houses, smashing show win
dows and knocking down exterior exhibits OF
miscellaneous stock in their flight. Lots of
people were pushed down areawsys and jost
led unceremoniously into cellars. Shop.
keepers rushed out to save their goods, fairly
throwing them into the stores, but the thieves
reaped rich harvest. A squad of villainous
looking fellows massed around a jewellers
window and pretended that the cro~d was
forcing, them against the plate glass. 1,
would have been a nice haul, but big Sergt
Westervelt, with so men from Capt. Williams
precinct swung club or two and the gang
melted away like snow in an April tbaw
1t took some time to clear the crowd off the