St. Paul daily globe., 1893-10-28
THE EARLIER REPORTS.

The Twin City Rapid. Transit COM
pany operates over dozen lines of cars
in st. Paul, as follows: Interurban,
Selby avenue cable. Seventh street,
Maria avenue. Grand avenue (two di-
visions), Hamline, Rice and Concord,
Rice and State. Mississippi and West
st. Paul, Lafayette and Rondo, Como
avenue. Jackson street, Randolph street,
Fort Smelling.
Yesterday morning only two of these
lines were in operation, the interurban
and the cable. Beginning about 1:30 p.
IN. cars were sent out from the barns of
the Lafayette and Rondo and the Rice
street lines. Throughout the afternoon
these five lines were operated pretty
close to schedule time.
The operatives on the interurban
we're all regular employees of the COM
pany, but OH several of the cars were
students" Cable trains were also
manned by experts in many cases. On
the other three lines the motor men and
conductors did not even have badges.
They looked green" and big major
ity of them were distinctly nervous;
but. all things considered, they did
fairly we'll. In plain clothes and a new
situation. Their proficiency is easily
accounted for. This time the street
railway company has departed from
the old style of handling difficulties of
the kind now confronting it. Instead
of waiting for the dissatisfied men to
strike, it locked them out and per-
emptorily discharged the most active
members of the union. Instead
of at once pressing into service
bosses and Office help and at
tempting fo run cars on every line, "to
save the franchise" the officers of the
company just put in practice William
K. Vanderbilt's doctrine and let the
public get along as best it could While
the pedestrians fumed and swore,
grinned and suffered-and walked home
available experts were distributed to
the various barns. Then green hands
were domiciled with the experts and
put through course of training. In
the car sheds and outside seekers for
positions as motormen were instructed
in the use Of the electric lever and
brake handle all day Thursday, far into
the night and yesterday morning. When
sufficient men were broken in the full
number of cars was placed in service
on the two Rice street lines and the
Lafayette and Rondo.
Yesterday and last night the training
crews were kept busy at the barns
breaking IN new men, who will be put
on cars OF other idle lines some time to-
day. One OF two at a time the lines
will be started until all shall be in
operation, as the company hopes. The
plan appears feasible and was evidently
well matured. Apparently the locked
out employees have made no attempt to
ascertain the extent of this training
work, nor have they made any effort to
interfere with it.
After 6 o'clock the lnterurban and
the Selby avenue cable cars ran regu-
gave up for the day, and the cars were
run into the barns. During the late
afternoon couple of cars were run
over part of the Seventh street line, but
the effort to put the line i'll operation
failed, and was entirely. abandoned at
6 O'Clock.
General Manager Held was IN st.
Paul yesterday, and announced to in
quirers that five-siXths of the idle men
are eligible to employment if they re-
turn at once. There seems no DISPOSE
ton among the men TO return to work
on the company's terms, however. and
so Mr.. Hield's statement must stand for
what it is worth. lie stated fultler