The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1894-01-22
RIOTOUS RAILROADERS.
Street Car Strikers Of Bridgeport
Create a Lively Sunday,
POLICE OFFICERS PUT TO FLIGHT.

The strikers Barricadcd the Streets, and
But One Car Managed to Make "a Trip
During the Day-The Mayor Finally Ef-
fects a Compromise.
BRIDGEPORT, Conn, Jan 22.-Yesterday
was one of the most exciting days in the
history of Bridgeport. All day excited
crowds througed the streets, and mob law
prevailed The police were set ut defiance,
and a crowd of angry men ruled the town.
| The rioting was one of the results of the
discharge Of five employees of the Bridge
port Traction company on Saturday
morning and the strike which followed.
About 100 employees of the company stop
ped work Saturday afternoon, completely
tieing up the road. They held numerous
meetings on Saturday night, and sent a
committee to the managers of the road in
an effort to bring about settlement. In
| this they were unsuccessful.
On Saturday night fifty men came up
| from Jersey City to take the place of the
strikers, and it was announced that the
/ company intended to run It's cars. The
men then held a long consultation and
| decided that they would not allow the
! company to run its cars. They concluded,
| however, to give the company another
! chance for settlement and agreed to send
| a committee to Colonel Heft, the owner
| of the road, and to the managers. Ac-
! cordingly the representatives of the strik-
| ers sought the railroad officials yesterday
| morning, but they were denied audience,
the managers refusing to meet them as
| committee or give reasons for the dis
! charge of the men on Saturday. They
| announced that they would meet the dis
satisfied ones individually, but could not
| recognize them as an organization. The
men withdrew and the strikers held a
| brief session, at which it was decided that
they would not return to work and would
prevent the company from running cars
if possible.
Meanwhile the company was preparing
20 start service, and at 8 o'clock nine cars
were run out of the sheds They were in
charge of the men from New Jersey, the
stable hands, and about a dozen of the old
men who reported for work As soon as
all of the strikers were informed of the
refusal of the owners of the road to arbi-
trate they proceeded to block the cars 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 and
| piled on the tracks at various points
Some of the cars were moved out of the
sheds, hut were unable to proceed but a
short distance. They were surrounded by
the strikers and their friends, and the
crews were compelled to leave them in
the streets.
Police were summoned from headquar
ters and several cars were started with
three railroad employees and a guard oi
three policemen. The crowds quickly
L 4I. 81
the conductors and drivers Sticks auC
stones were thrown and the windows o
the cars broken. The crowd showed NJ
disposition to injure the men if the at
tempt to run the cars was abandoned
The demonstration by the crowd became
so threatening that all of the officers anC
specials in the city who could be sum
moned were brought in. This force wa
stationed along the tracks, at the stable
and on the cars The crowds near TIA,
stables and along the road increased il
numbers, and the presence of the polio
! did not deter the mob from piling oh
structions of all kinds on the tracks "a
| fast as they were removed. AT intervals at
tempts were made to run the cars, anC
about noon several proceeded a short dis
tance from the stable.
At 3 o'clock car in charge of five DC
, licemen and several railroad employe
. was attacked at the corner of Congress
and Main streets. They bombarded j
N with stones, breaking all of the window
and iniuring several of those in charge
J" The crowd then closed on the car, an
s. after unfastening the horses and drivin
y. the occupants out overturned it in tn
street. At Williams street, East Bridge
port. five hundred men and boys raide
the yards of Jones and Hoffman, contraC
tors, and piled lumber, trucks and othe
distinctions on the tracks. At 3 o'cloc
the company succeeded in getting one cai
strongly guarded by police, over the Ell
tire line, but this was the only one t
make the circuit during the day.
At 6 o'clock patrol wagon filled wit
policemen and three wagons with raj
road employees left the stables to brin
back the wrecked car at the corner O
Congress and Main streets. On arrivin
there they were surrounded by mob, an
d. lively row ensued, in which a hostile
employed by the company, had his nos
broken and another employe was badl
of bruised about the body. No one was 81
p riously hurt. The police and railroad me
ss retreated and abandoned the car Near
III while the mayor summoned the polio
IS. commissioners, sheriff and city officials
y and a conference lasting three hours wa
held with the owners of the road. At th
conclusion of the meeting it was al
nounced that the company had agreed t
ed re-employ the strikers with the eXceptio
us of nine men, and they would give goo
reasons for the discharge of these.
Seek Revenge with IncendiaTism.