Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1890-08-29
STREET CAR MEN
RUN THE ELECTRIC CARS IN THE BARN AND
GO on A STRIKE
About Sixty Men OUt-Ths Demand On the Con-
pauy-Mssting Of the &sn-What
IS SAID on All Sides.

About half-past five o'clock yesterday
afternoon a strike of the operatives Of the
electric street cars, conductors as well as
engineers. was ordered by the officers Of
Street Car Union No. 5l9l, Ameri-
can Federation of Labor and the cars were
an headed for the barns on Forty-second
street, where they were rapidly stored
away on the switches, while the men gath.
cred around in little groups and discussed
the rather 10 the general public, uneX-
Dected "tie-up'' of the line. BY few MN
ltes after six o'clock all the ears were IN
and about the barns. and people VINO were
accustomed 10 use the cars In returning
home from work, or in otherwise travelling
about the city, began 10 "hoot II up ano
down the streets, with many anxious en-
quiries as to the cause OF
the trouble. BY most people
the non-appearance of the cars was ascrioed
10 some local trouble with the lines, or a
or other disarragement of the
machinery at the power house, on Twenty
second street. and the real cause Of The
stoppage was not generally known foi
some time.
The trouble dates back some little time
and is epitOmized in the following state
ment Of grievances handed in at the ofhc'
of the Railway Company, on Tenth street
about noon yesterday
"WHEEIiNG. W. Va. August %
TO n Wheeling ant CNi-sns Rai'ray toH'
pdNiss.
I'VE. the operators and conductors OF the
Wheeling and Citizens Railway Companies
and brother members OF the American Fedora
ton OF Labor. Electric Street Car Employees
Union No. 5l9l, do hereby make these demands
well and truly cons dered and deemed just, VIZ
-l That operators and conductors report FOL
duty fifteen minutes before time, on slate fol
duty. aud when oil duty must be marked SO Oh
slate. the previous night. And that they do no
pushing. Oiling OF cleaning OF cars mt any time
That they take ear from side-track. on Forty
second street. outside OF barn, or nam track
And when days work is done they leave car on
side-track. ON Forty-second street, outside o.
barn. or main track. And that they clean ant
am mo- lamps. oil cans or sand boxes
20 That nine hours constitute one day
work. time To- count from time marked for duty
until time car Is left ON side or main track.
- That for one days work of nine hours We
receive 81 and for an time over nine hours we
receive at the rate OF . for nine hours.
e. That N any emploNe report late Tor duty
Dee bc suspended from duty for three days, "a
the expiration of which time he viii report a
usual fifteen minute, before the time marked
for duty. and take out his car.
"5aThat the men take turns about working al
day sunday, that u.s. that the men who take
car out in the morning, run that car all day
and receive two days wages.
80. That John O'Bgieu Doe rcinstated 10 hi
former position as conductor.
%. That the employees OF this Company mus
he treated with more respect auu Ike wurkmei
should be treated by Mr. John LOTUS an'
Michael Lotus. Jr.,
$. In consideration whereof the said Wheel
ine and Citizens Railway Company are giveI
until n p. m. Friday. August - 1890 To consid
er these demands, aud report answer 90 th'
street ear stable hv OF before time stated. and D
they fail 90 respond 90 our demands fayorabI
they must abide 10y the consequences.
Yours respectfully,
AMERICAN FEDERATION OF LAnoR. ELECTRIC
STREET CAR WORKERS. UNION NO. ol9l.
As soon us Mr. NJ. Lotus, the Superin
tendent of the company, received and reaC
this paper. he went down TO Forty-thirC
street and asked the men forau explanation
concerning the demand Among othel
things Mr.. Lotus asked them how long they
would stay with the company, and II they
would sign paper that they would stay
with the company until things could Dt
amicably adjusted. They said they wOulC
like 10 have little more time TO think
about il. and did not like 10 sign any
paper. MIR LOTUS told them the company
wanted little more time, too. If they
the men, couldn't give the company more
time. he could not give them any more
either. Then the men ordered the car:
into the barn, as has been stated, anC
things came 10 a stand still.
In an interview. last night, Mr.. Lotus
the Superintendent of the road, stated thai
10 was the custom all over the world fOl
street car conductors and operatives L
clean up their cars and keep them in pre-
sentable style In having the men look
after their cars. the company here only did
what il mad always done, and what was the
universal custom. Some of the men kept
their cars clean while going over the road
at odd moments, and therefore had nc
occasion to work overtime. Others did
not do so. and had 10 clean up the cars be-
fore taking them out. why said he,
''we have five men to do the work, at pres
ent. which one man did on the old horse
cars. There are two men TO each car In the
morning: two others take their places in
the afternoon. and besides, there is an ex.
ira man. Then some of our men live IN
Bridgeport. i'm North Wheeling, in East
Wheeling. and all over thecity. They make
their time commence from the moment they
leave their homes Then, on top of that,
we take them 20 and from their work on
our cars. The men gave us very short
notice. and then made IL still shorter by
striking about & o'clock this evening. As
near as I can tell, there are about siXty-fivt
men out. They are getting SlgO per day. -
Secretary Hall, of the Company, who
was seen last evening by a reporter, said
no meeting of the Board of Directors had
vet been held, and he could not predict
that one would be held to-day, as President
John NJ. Sweeney and several members OF
the Board were out OF the city.