Evening journal., 1894-01-22
MOB BRULESBRIDGEPORT
Police Defed by Striking Street
Car Employees.
MILITIA MAY Be ORDERED OUT.
Rioters Block the Tracks, mob workineH
Brossbt Fronl other citiss aud Wreck a
Car which the Company Tried TO Kun.
Stolen Dynamite Feared.

Bridgeport has just passed. Not since 1881,
when marching volunteers on their way to
the front filled the streets, have the resi-
dents been SO aroused All day. excited
crowds thronged the streets, and mob law
has prevailed The police have been set at
defiance, and crowd Of angry men have
ruled the town
The rioting was one Of the results OF the
discharge Of FIVE employee OF the Bridge
port Traction company ami the strike
which followed. About 100 employees Of
the company stopped work saturday after
noon, completely tying up the road They
held numerous meetings and sent a com
Rittee to the managers OF the road in an
effort TO bring about settlement. In this
| they were unsuccessful.
Fifty men came up from Jersey City to
take the places of the strikers, and il was
announced that the company intended to
run its cars The men then held a long
consultation and decided that they would
| not allow the company to run the cars
They concluded, however, to give the com
/ pany another chance for settlement and
/ agreed 20 send a COMMITTEES 10 Colonel
| left, the owner Of the road, and TO the
managers.
Refused TO Treat with the Committee.
Accordingly the representatives Of the
strikers sought the railroad officials, but
they were denied an audience, the mana
gers refusing 20 meet them as a commigtee
or to give reasons for the discharge of the
men. They announced that they would
meet the dissatisfied ones individually, but
would not recognize them as an organiza-
ton.
The men withdrew, and the strikers held
a brlei session at which II was decided that
they would not return to work and would
prevent the company from running cars II
Possible. Meanwhile the company was
preparing to start the service, and at
o'clock Sunday morning nine cars were
run out Of the sheds. They were ia charge
of the new men from New Jersey, the sta
he hands and about dozen OF the old men
who reported for work. The report that
the company was to start cars and that the
strikers would try to prevent it spread rap
idly through the city, and in short time
all Of the strikers and hundreds OF sympa-
thizers gathered at the main stable on
Main street anc along the streets through
which the road runs.
As soon as all OF the strikers were in.
formed OF the refusal of the owners of the
road TO arbitrate they proceeded to block
the tracks on every street. The yards OF
the New York, New Haven and Hartford
railroad were raided, and railroad iron
ties, coupling pins. boxes and barrels were
taken aud piled ON the tracks at various
points Some Of the cars were moved out
OF The sheds, but were able 10 proceed but
q short distance. They were surrounded
by tlls strikers and their friends and the
crsws were com pclied to leave them in thg
streets. Police were summoned from
headquarters, and several cars were started
with three railroad employees and guard
II 6fkhree policemen.
D. he. srowds quickly drove the policemen
Il Pie cars, together with the conductor
= ana drivers. Sticks and stones were throw
, and the windows OF the cars broken. Tn
. policemen and railroad employees wer
slightly injured, but the crowd showed M
deposition to injure them II the attemp
to run the car was abandoned.
Entire Police Force Out.
; Main street in the vicinity of the stable
. was the center Of the trouble Here
: crowd of nearly 5000 gathered and encour
aged the strikers. The men themselves di,
| not'take such an active part in the riotinl
as the young roughs in the crowd.
. The demonstration of the crowd becam
. 20 threatening that an alarm was sent on
: from police headquarters, and all Of TIA
q officers and specials who could be sum
moned We're brought in. This force wa
= stationed along the tracks, at the stable
and on the cars. The crowds near the stable
- and along the road increased in number
until nearly 10000 people were in the street
l. The presence of the police did not, how
ever, deter the mob. and distinctions Of al
" kinds were piled on the tracks as rapid,
d as they were removed.
n At intervals attempts were made To NOV
/. the cars, and about noon several proceeds
# a short distance from the stable At
v o'clock a car in charge Of five policeme
Il and several railroad employees was al
u tackled at the corner of Congress and Mai
h streets. Here a mob Of about 1900 me
. and boys was gathered.
d Set a Car on Fire.
g They bombarded the cars with stone.
s breaking all Of the windows and iniurin
several of those in charge. The crowd the
% swooped down on the car, and after Hnfal
,s tening the horses and driving their occr
IS pants out they overturned it in the street
D. Some OF the more excited cried, "Set It o
g freW and in few minutes straw, boxe
D and shavings were ignited inside A
l. alarm was sent TO the police station in Eas
ID Bridgeport, aud large squad of officer
0. arrived ia time TO eXtinguish the flame
I'd and save the car.
ie AT William street, in East bridgeport
le 800 men and boys raided the yard Of ,Jont
sr & Hoffman, contractors, aud piled lumber
~ trucks aud other Instructions on th
Re tracks. Al O'Clock the company succeed
ns ed in getting one car, strongly guarded
h police, over the entire line, but this wa
ID the only one to make the circuit during th
q day.
At.6 o'clock patrol wagon 6lled wit
policemen and three wagons with railroa
'e' employees left the stables to bring bac
the wrecked car at the corner of Congres
and Main streets. On arriving there the
were surrounded by mob, aud a liyel
Dc row ensued, in which a hostler employe
"A by the company had his nose broken, an
IN another employee was badly bruised abor
"a the body. No one was seriously hurt. III
AZ police and railroad men retreated an
IT. abandoned the car.
Meanwhile the mayor summoned u
police commissioners, sheriff and city oh
Gals, and a conference lasting three hou
as WIS held with tine owners OF the road. a