Daily Kennebec journal., 1894-01-31
FUN AT AUBURN.
Fight Between Horse Railroad
Company and Citizens.
Latter Fill Up Tracks, Stop PIows
and Cars and Arrest Drivers.


AUBURN, Jan. 3O.-(Specil. When
the city awoke this stormy morning the
feeling against the Lewiston 6 Auburn
Street Railwhy Company was intensified by
the condition of the streets, the plows Of
the company having been over baine 10
the early morning leaving gresk ridges Of
snow in front of houses and stores. The
storm was increasing in force every minute
and all could see that if the company was
permitted to keep the line open the s.reeti
would be impassaOle to teams.
The &pger of the merchants rose rapidly
The city has at the present time three suits
for damages brought by people who have
been injured by defects in the streets,
caused by the street railroad, to fight. Sc
at 7.3O A. M, when q man wal
spilled out of his team at the junction
of Court and Turner streets, by driving
over the heap of snow left by the plows,
business men allowed their sngert0 rise to
the highest notch.
A venerable physician of the city came
out of his Office at 8 o'clock and said to q
crowd of business men collected about the
post Office:
"Boys, let's I'LL up those tracks"
In moment every hardware store waa
raided, snow shovels were brought out, q
horse and scraper set to work and the level
ing process began.
Doctors, lawyers, merchants and every
body went at the snowbanks ands~fnfa little
while portion Of Court street vas level.
Down Court street hill at 80 came horse
car, the four horses completely tagged from
pulling the car through the snow. The
whip was applied and the poor beasts strug-
gled through the snow that lay deep upon
the rails. Then the anger of the crowd,
xhich is estimated to have numbered 800,
knew no bounds. ~
Agent Hayes of the society with the long
name has, it is said, several times this win
ter notified the company to be- more hu-
name with its horses. Agent Hayes wae
sent for and he arrived on the scene in q
few moments. Soon the large plow of the
company came over the bridge from Lewis
ton. Mr.. Hayes stepped out into the street
and motioned the driver to stop. The lat
ter piled the lash to bis six horse hitch and
plunged into the drift.
Mr.. Hayes, who is man 60 years of age,
stood his ground and seized the bride Of
,ne of the leaders. He was thrown down
and dragged some distance, when the crowd
went to his assistance. The team was
stopped. The city marshal mounted the
plow, arrested the driver, and ordered Con-
stable Rollins to lock him up. The rest of
the crew on the plow ran for Lewiston.
The crowd unhitched the horses and stabbed
hem.
A little later President Dana of the rail-
He said he had asked Governor Cleaves for
troops to protect his property in this city.
This made tie crowd, which by this time
had grown very large, wild, and it ex-
pressed itself in vigorous hoots and hisses.
In the meantime reports came in of teams
being overturned in different parts of the
city, and at one time, while Mayor Bolster
was addressing the excited crowd from the
steps of his banking establishment, team
was upset on Main street in full sight of the
crowd.
Mr.. Dana was accompanied to Auburn
by Capt. Moriarty of the Dana Battery.
The crowd hooted and laughed at the sug-
Nestion of calling out the militia. Mayor
Bolster asked the crowd to adjourn to Au-
burn hall, which was done.
At the hall the mayor addressed the crowd.
He counselled calmness and suggested ap-
plying to the courts for settlement of the
difficulty, but voices in the crowd called
loudly. saying it would take too long, the
danger was now, it would be better to fill
up the streets and fight the Railroad Com
pany with one suit at law, rather than have
dozen brought for damages.
Street Commissioner Field was present
and be was asked by W. A. Robinson why
he had not attended to his duty as the law
requires and placed the streets of the city
in q safe condition. Mr.. Field replied that
he had been ordered by the mayor not to
pillow in the streets.
to fill in the streets until the injunction case
against Lewiston was settled. He would
not now interfere with Mr.. Field.
Mr.. Robinson-"That is not what we
want. You have ordered the street COM
missioner not to pillow in the streets, now
we demand that you reverse that order, and
we pledge the city and street commissioner
our every support. Mr.. Field. how soon
can you get your road machines at work!
Mr.. Field-t'In 20 minutes"
Mr.. Robinson-''All right; bring them
out with plenty Of shovels and we will man
them" Tremendous cheering.
At lI.3O President Dana, in charge of q
crowd with the ''Storm King" pulled by
eight horses, was seen coming over the
bridge. City Marshal Larrabee rushed in
that direction with large crowd Of men
and boys at his heels. The pillow was
stopped, hot words passed between the
crowd and President Dana. but finally the
pillow was turned about and went back into
Lewiston.
At this point Chief Engineer Haskell
came down Court street with hose team.
The hose was coupled onto . hydrant in
front Of Elm block and the water turned
onto the two feet Of snow which the crowd
had shovelled onto the tracks on Main and
Court streets.