Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1888-10-13


against President Yerkes' cable road, grow
ing out of the poor service rendered by them
to their patrons, has been brought to focus
by the strike this morning. Public COM
ment regarding it is not favorable to the
company The Daily News this morning
Yerkee, in which, replying to the query, us
there any danger of striker" he said: mo;
not the slightest. The men have not
enough ambition to strike. That's between
you and me. Their spirit is broken. Did
you ever notice one of our conductors or
gripmen?"
Last night when down town the streets
were soaking and slippery from the cold,
drilling rain, which had been falling for
more than twelve hours, the shouts of the
newsboys announcing that the strike of the
North side car men had begun, carried con-
sternation to thousands of wet, shivering
shop girls, clerks, merchants, factory en-
ployes and business men who were hurry
ing to the corners to board the cars for
home, For half an hour or more no cable
car appeared in sight. The report seemed
to be well founded. Horse cars continued
to run at intervals, however. The rush to
these was 80 great that not one-fourth of
the people could be accommodated.
Those who could afford the luxury
engaged hanson cabs and other We
hicles to draw them home. The poor shop
girls were the greatest sufferers. Many
colds will doubtless result from their long
exposure in the rain, hundreds of them be-
ing insufficient clad without any protection
from the stormy weather.
But the alarm was false one. The strike
had not been inaugurated. The delay and
stoppage of the cable cars for half en- hour
was due to one of the accidents for which
the line has been cursed almost daily, some
times hourly, since it was constructed. In
this connection it may be stated that suspi-
cion exists that the strike is regarded as a
boom by President Yerkes, as atfording an
opportunity to alter the mechanism of the
whole system. For this purpose stoppage
of some weeks is necessary, and could now
be had without odium, which such a con-
fession OF failure would otherwise wake.
Last night President Yerkes announced that
while an effort would be made to run the
street cars on all lines, the cable would, as
he put it, be abandoned altogether for the
present. Early this morning relays of Pin
kerton men were being sent over the North
Side, and put on duty about the car barns
and at the cable headquarters. 1t was ap-
parent Mr.. Yerkes had determined to guard
against any and all contingencies.
THE STRIKE ISACGCRATED.
CHICAGO, October 6.-The strike OF the
street car conductors, drivers, cable and
grip men on the North side was inaugu-
rated according to programme at 6 O'Clock
this morning. Not car is running into
the entire north division. The sidewalks
have been filled with pedestrians headed for
the business portion of the city since an
early hour. Express wagons and rattle
traps of all descriptions, on which temper
airy seats have been fixed, are being run BY
the strikers and others. and are patronized
to their fullest capacity. Thus far no v1o-
lence on the part of the strikers has been re-
ported and none is expected.
GENERAL TIE UP EMINENT.
No change in the situation has taken place
since this morning. Not single car wheel
has turned on the entire north division
since o'clock this morning, and Superin-
tendent Threedy has announced that no at
tempt will be made to resume operations
until Monday next: He says he has already
engaged $50 experienced men to take the
strikers places, and he has been kept busy
throughout the day examining applicants
for places. A large proportion of them were
inexperienced men.
Superintendent Doyle, of the west division
lines, called on Manager Yerkes this after
noon and Informed him that he had received
notice from the men in his division that un-
less some action looking to the settlement
on the north division is taken before that
hour, they will strike at midnight. There
seems to be no doubt that this will be done.
The result will be that transportation facili-
ties for three-fourths of the people OF the
city will be cut off tomorrow. Considerable
sympathy for the strikers has been manifest
ed in business circles and several subscrip-
ton lists in their behalf have been started.