The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-10-10
Employees Of the West-Side Street-Car
Lines Join Their NOrth-Side Brethren.
Nearly Half Million of People Are Deprived
of Their Customary Facilities in Reach
ing the Business Section of the City.
The Crowds and the Police Come To-
gether Several Times During the Day,
And 1t Is Probable that an Attemptto Operate
Cars This Morning Will Result in Trouble
of the Most Serious Character.
THE STREET CAR STRIKE
Collisions Between ths Crowds and the Police
Develop Very Bad Temper.

AhG
Collisions Between ths Crowds and the Police
Develop Very Bad Temper.
CHICAGO, Oct 9-The spectacle witnessed in
this city to-day was that of half million of
people reduced to the necessity of walking to
whatever point they might desire to reach. This
uncomfortable and unprecedented state Of affairs
the result of the strike of the strestcar con-
ductors aud drivers on all the lines In the North
and West divisions These lines are all con-
troled by q syndicate Of Philadelphia capital
lists. and the president of the company is Charles
T. Yerkes, late of Philadelphia The North.
division strike was inaugurated for an advance
in wages and a rearrangement Of hours, and the
West-division strike was begun this morning
out of fear that President Yerkes would ulti-
matsly reduce wagea Five hundred men are
engaged in the former and /. 200 in the latter.
In both divisions, when the strike began, 1t was
stated on behalf Of the strikers that no violence
would be perrntted and that no obstruction 9TH
erthan that Of moral suason upon those who
should take the strikers places would be used to
prevent the company from running cars. So
far as the strikers themselves are concerned.
this promise seems to have bean carried
out. but tho bitterness Of feeling toward the
management of the lines appears to increase as
time passes, and the contagon gives evidence of
spreading TO outside elements in the population
which are not under the strikers control. 1t is
from this element especially that the police look
for trouble. YAtsrday the crowd. which gath
cred along the lines where were being run
on the North Side contented themselves with
hootipg and finging opprobrious epithets et the
new men, II was renewed with increased vio-
lence this morning. and this afternoon il devel-
oped into the placing Of distinctions on the
tracks, and collisions with the police. At Gar
field avenue ana Lsrabee street the first OBJ
struction was placed by . number Of boys. A
large plank was laid across tho car track,
and fastened securely By iron spikes.
The strikers themselves took part in the
work. but did not Interfere with the lads.
When six Garfield-avenu cars came from down
town they were stopped by the obstacle. The
police got out patrol wagon, but did not offer
to remove the obstruction. The strikers i'm
mediaiely surrounded the vehicles and COM
.menced their appeals. Under these influences
three Of the drivers left the cars and went over
to the strikers. The secedsrs were borne on the
shoulders of the crowd to a saloon, where their
pockets were filed with cigars The success OF
this action led others to follow the boys OK
ample, and riot resulted at the corner of Gar
field avenue and Orchard street The streets
were jammed with . bowling mob. and the
tracks were covered with obstructions. Some
employees of the road and the officers removed
the debris, but as fast as it Was taken away it
was replaced. The mob became 80 great that
the sergeant in command Of the men ordered
charge. The officers. aggravated somewhat, re-
sponded with will. They made Q rush and
used their clubs freely. Men and boys were hit.
and hit hard. too. and the women were not
spared. woman named Wide. who was par
ticularly dsmonstrative against the new men,
was badly wounded by severe blow.
Three men were caught spiking the rails at
Halstsd street. and were locked up. Altogether,
about fifteen cars were run at irregular inter-
walls On the North Side during the day. Every
where the nsw drivers and conductors were
greeted with bisses and epithets from the
crowds which filled the streets, particularly at
the termini. Women and children In the out
lying districts were particularly free in the use
of a voluminous vocabulary Of epithets. The
strikers also continually appealed to their
cessors' sense Of the brotherhood Of men and to
their love of money by offering them bonuses
and return tickets homo if they would quit
work. In several instances they were success
full Very few people rode on the cars which
were run.
Alderman Reich, Of the Twenty-third ward.
avenue and Burling street At this corner a
water-pipe WAS being placed under the track
and the horses had TO be unhitched and taken to
the other side of the excavation. The blue
coats showed the first car over and the policemen
on the second car were about to Go the same
when Reich stepped forward.
'By -, don't touch those cars" yelled the
Alderman. "Lot every officer keep his hands
from them. and let the scabs do it. Its IA
dirty shame to have those scabs run the cars.
Stay right on the cars, officers. and don't make a
move to help them. If Mr.. Yerkes intends to
run this road he has got to get up early Ia the
morningn
The strike in the West Division was without
special incident during the day. As soon as the
men had run their cars into the barns at the end
OF their last trips. most of them went home
During the forenoon Manager Parsons Issued a
card to the public. saying that the strike was
without just cause, as the men in his division
were paid better wages than were paid any 1here
else in the country, and placing the blame for
public Inconvenience on them. subsequently,
he stated that effort would be made to run
cars till Thursday. but be changed his mind,
and late this afternoon a few cars were sent
over the principal lines under police guard.
Both in the North and West divisions, at the re-
quest Of Mayor Roche, all special policemen
have been withdrawn, and the property of the
| companies is guarded by city policemen. A
large number of extra men have been sworn in
and put on patrol duty, while the regular force
| is held in reserve for emergency.
ODo OF tne cars on tne Nortn SlC0 came near
going into the river to-day, with its load of pas
| sengers, most of whom were women. There is
steep down grade leading to State-strees
bridge. just a. the started down this in
cline the bridge began to turn to let a vessel
| through. The driver became panic stricken,
| forgot to use his brake and the car moved with
| accelerating speed toward the open draw. The
| women screamed and tainted, and some of them
| fell off the The bridge tender, at the risk
of having the structure run into by the ap-
| preaching vessel, closed the draw as quickly as
possible, but only in time to catch the descend
| ing car, which was on the brink.
matter OF peculiar interest is the character
| of the localities through which a number of the
| Yerkes car lines run. Not few of the neigh
| borhoods trAversed havs become noted
| throughout the country as the strongholds of
| Socialists and Anarchists The exact spot where
| the Haymarkst bomb fell is scarcely ten yards
| from Mr.. Yerkess tracks on Randolph street.
| Anarchist Parsonss doorway opens directly out
| on Milwaukee avenue. one of the chief Of the
| syndicate's thorouebfares. Threequarters of
! milo distant this same street Anarchist
| George Engel could easily have peered through
his dingy store windows, and, if alive to-day,
| hurled bomb down on passing street car
loaded with police. On the Lake line are
| halls scattered along, less than block apart.
where the Lehr and Weir Verein
| held their secret drills with rifle and
| dynamite Halsted street and Blue
Island avenue, both streets of the
| Yerkss system, are lined for miles with almost
nnbroksn rows of saloons Clybourn avenue is
| famous in the history of the Anarchist trial as
4 h. nfr al -. aA.l