The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1888-10-13
CHICAGO STREET CAR RUMPUS
Everybody Walking and LOO Men En-
gagged in the Strike.

gagged in the Strike.
CHICAGO, H., Oct. 9.--The spectacle
witnessed in this city to-day was that Of
half million people reduced
10 the necessity Of walking to
whatever point they might desire
to reach. This uncomfortable and
unprecedented state of affairs was the
result of the strike of the street-car con-
ductors and drivers on all the lines in
the north and west divisions These
lines are all controlled by a syndicate
of Ph ladelphia capitalists, and the Pres
ident of the company is Charles T.
Yerkes, late OF Philadelphia. The
south division strike was inaugurated
for an advance in wages and
a Encouragement of hours of la
Dor, and the west division strike
was begun this morning out of
fear that President Ierkes would ulti-
mately reduce their wages. Five hun
dred men are engaged IN the former,
and 100 in the latter. In both divis-
ions, when the strike began, it W s
stated on behalf of the strikers that no
violence would be permitted. and that
no obstruction other than that of moral
suaslon upon those who should take the
strikers places, would be used to pre-
vent the companies from running their
cars. So far as the strikers themselves
are concerned this promise seems to have
been carried out, but the bitterness of
feeling toward the management of the
lines appears to increase as time pas es,
and the con aglon gives evidence of
spreading to outside elements in the
population, which are not under the
strikers control. 1t is from this ele-
ment especially that the police look for
trouble. Yesterday the crowds which
congregated along the lines where cars
were being run on the North Side, con-
tented themselves with hooting and
fiinging opprobious epithets at the new
men.
1t was renewed with increased vio-
lence this morning. and this afternoon
it developed into the placing of obstruc-
tions on the tracks and collisions with
the police. At Garfield Avenue and
Larrabee Street, the first obstruction
was placed by number of boys. A
large plank was laid across the car
tracks and fastened securely by iron
spikes. The strikers themselves took
no part IN the work, but did not inter
fere with the lads. When six Garfield
Avenue cars came from their downtown
trip they were stopped by the OBJ
stacle. The police got out of the patrol
wagon, but did not offer to remove the
obstruction. The strikers immediately
surrounded the vehicles and began their
appeals. Under these influences three
of the drivers lett the cars and went
over to the strikers. The seceders 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 example, and a riot
resulted at the corner of Garfield Ave-
nue. and Orchard Street. The streets
were jammed with a bowling mob. and
the tracks were covered with obstruc-
tions. Some employees of the road and
the officers removed the debris, but as
fast as it was taken away it was re-
placed. The mob became SO great that
the sergeant in command of the men
ordered charge. The officers, aggra-
waited somewhat, responded with a will.
They made a rush, and used their clubs
freely. Men and boys were hit, and hit
hard, too, and the women were not
spared. A woman named Wide, who
was particularly demonstrative against
the new men, was badly wounded by
severe blow. Three men were caught
spiking the rails on Halsted Street and
were locked up.