New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-12-18
THE MOB WON THE FIGH1.
STRIKERS TIE UP THE sTREET-CAR LINES
IN PHILADELPHIA.

WRECKED THE UNION TRACTION COMPANY
GAVE UP THE sTRUGGLE-LACK OF Po-
LICE PROTECTION CHARGED A
PROCLAMATION BY THE MAYOR
ONE POLICEMAN MAY
DIE OF HIS INJURIES.
PHILADELPHIA. Dec 17.-Riot and destruction
marked the opening day of the great strike OF
the employees of the Union Traction Company.
Aided by the mschievous, lawless element. the
strikers succeeded to-day In completely tying
up the lines of the company. and tonight WIN
the exception of the one line not controlled oy
the company involved in the strike. not d
streetcar wheel IS turning in Philadeipnia'
Never in the history of the city have there
been witnessed such widespread scenes Of dis
order as were enacted to-day. Motormen and
conductors were driven from their posts with
volleys Of bricks and stones. and about three
hundred cars were badly wrecked The com
pany this afternoon gave up the effort to run
cars. AMI, with the aid of the police. withdrew
their shattered and abandoned rolling stock
into the carsheds.
The Mayor this afternoon issued proclama-
ton. calling upon all good citizens to preserve
the peace and asking them to refrain from
gathering in crowds in the streets He added
and that the peace of the city would be pre-
served at all hazards.
The suddenness Of the numerous outbreaks to-
day seemed to take the police by surprise. and
for time cars were wrecked with impunlty in
the very heart of the retail shopping district.
Thea the reserve patrolmen were massed at
every threatened point and tonight every po-
lcemar in the city is on duty. Under police pro-
ba ST RI he et-St
branch Of their line tomorrow morning. Trouble
is almost sure to follow.
Despite the stone-throwing to-day, only one
person was seriously hurt. A policeman, whose
club was taken away from him by the crowd,
was beaten into insensbty, and he Is in the
hospital suffering from cOncussion Of the brain.
The police made about a hundred arrests. and all
the rioters We're held in heavy bail. The princi-
pal streets are thronged with people to night
BEGINNING OF THE STRIKE.
The Executive Committee Of the Amagamated
Association of Street Railway Employees ordered
the strike to 90 into effect at o'clock this morn
ing. All the lines started out their this morn
ing. The strikers attempted no interference with
the cars. but confined their efforts to trying to
dlssuade the motormen and conductors who were
not with them, from going out on the cars In
many cases they were successful. In the early
the morning. however. the trouble began. There
was no concerted movement to attack the cars,
but the outbursts occurred in dozen different
parts Of the city about the same moment Up
through the manufacturing district OF Kens!ngton
and through the residence section Of the north
western part Of the city distractions began to
be placed upon the tracks and crowds began to
gather. When a car would come to stop be-
fore pile OF cObbles. the crowd would surge
around the and hoot at the conductor and
motorman. Then some one would throw a stone.
fu sfarff1 Aa for lay nd I'm a N
instant every window in the car would be broken
and the motorman and conductor driven from
their posts.
more surprising part of the outburst took
place on Chestnut and Market-sts., the great
retail and wholesale thoroughfares Of the city.
A car going east on Market-st. was blocked for
a moment at SiXth-st. crowd. composed main
" Of errand boys. gathered around IT and
teered at tho conductor The latter lost his
temper and kicked at some OF his tormentors.
Before the passers-by realized what had hap
pened an attack was made the car. the
conductor was dragged from the platform, and
the was wrecked. few minutes later a
not content with wreckng the car. the crowd
succeeded In lifting ii from the track and throw
ing it across the tracks blocking that road.
IN THE THICK OF THE FRAY
Some of the worst destruction occurred on
Chestnut-st About 1890 o'clock a car was
blocked just below Eighth-st.. and the usual
crowd of boys collected around II. little
bootblack swung his box and dashed 1t through
one of the windows. Every boy in the crowd
Immediately proceeded to take a hand in the
destruction, and soon every glass In the car
broken. The stalng Of this car banked
up thirteen other cars behind 1t 5 far Thir-
teenth-st. The mob swept up the streets and.
with bricks, stones and clubs attacked these
cars drove their conductors and motormen
from the platforms and wrecked the
At Twefth-st, Officer Joseph Hippler at
tempted to stem the crowd. and he may pay
doing The
and, wrenchng his club from mis- hand, beat
him to the pavement and passed on, leaving
him unconscious on the sidewalk The police
picked up and taken to a hospital,
and tonight it is feared he is dying from con-
Cussion of the brain.
As the hooting, bowling crowd rushed up the
street and the crash Of the breaking glass
plainly heard above the shouts. hundreds of ter
rfed women sought refuge in stores. Shop
keepers hastily put up their shutters. After
wreckng every one of the cars. the crowd dis
pcrsed Itself among the On-lookers on the pave
ments. Word of the work Of the mob had been
sent 10 Police Headquarters, and soon patrol
wagons brought big squads of policemen from
other sections Of the city. The bluecoats soon
restored order
Some boys this afternoon made attack on
United States mall car at Chestnut and Broad
SITS. The police got Cne half grown boy. who was
held in bail TO answer before the United States
Commissioner
THE COMPANY's COMPLAINTS.
John Lowber Welsh, president OF the Union
Traction Company in consultation with
Mayor Warwick all day. and the Mayor has
promised him ample protection from the police
to operate the tomorrow. Mr. Welsh this
evening sent a letter tc Mayor Warwick inform
ing him that the city Of Philadelphia would be
held responsible for all damage done. General
Manager Beetem declares that. II he had had po-
lice protection, threequarters of the employees or
the company would have continued al work
The company will come to no compromise with
the strikers.
Numerous meetings Of the strikers are being
held Tonight. and they assert that by to-mOr-
row all the mOtormen and conductors who still
remained in will 60 out. II s rumored tonight
that the electricians and power-house men Of
the company will strike tomorrow.
Mayor Warwick tonight requested all the
saloons in the city to close rhe majority Of
them compiled with his request
The tie-up Of every railway In the city COM
PEELED thousands OF people to walk long dis