The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-01-15
THE CURRENT DISCONNECTED.
Complete Tie-up of Brooklyn
Trolley Cars.
over Five Thousand Men Quit
Work.
The Ancient Stage Coached Pressed
Into Service to Garry Passengers
and Mailns

70 take OUT bHo CARS. ONoi oVoV iAon
quit work. This includes motormen,
conductors, electricians, switchmen and
others employed at the verious power
houses. All but one OF the surface
roads, and that comparatively minor
concern, are affected. 1t ia claimed
that the strike will extend to the linso
Of the Brooklyn Elevated Railway COM
pany. The contract between the Kings
County Elevated Railway company and
its employees is such that it is believed
there can be no strike on that line.
District Assembly rs, Knights Of
Labor, which has control of all the troll.
ley line employees in Brooklyn. has held
various meetings during the past few
weeks. and after the meeting on Satur-
day their executive committee waited
on President Lewis OF the Brooklyn
Heights road and again asked that he
grant their demands. They discussed
the question for three and half hours
in President Lewis Office, and finally
Mr.. Lswia refused to grant their de-
mands.
ELECTRICIANS REFUSE TO HANDLE CARS.
The outcome Of this was. the com nit
tee held q meeting which ended at 5
o'clock this morning. at which it was
decided to tie up all the roads in the
city Of Brooklyn with the exception of
the Smith and Jay street lines.
This was done this morning and not a
car outside the Smith and Jay street
lines is running.
The company expected the men
would go out this morning and deter.
mined to anticipate them. They asked
the electricians, about 1000 in number,
if they would take out the cars this
morning. Every one of them refused
to do 30. They were then told that
there was no work for them. One fore-
man was asked If he was willing to take
out car. He refused to do go. He was
the only foreman asked to go out. This
elevated roads. The trains were made
up of extra cars to accommodate the
rush and the public were greatly moons
venienced.
The Court street line of the Brooklyn
City company ran out seven cars Begin
ming at o'clock. The cars were manned
front and rear by two policemen. There
WAS no trouble. There was one car
running on the Fifteenth street branch.
The entire police force OF 100 men is
in readiness in case there be any
trouble. The mems grievances and de-
mands are thus stated: The state law
provides that the days work of street
railway employees shall be 10 hours
within IL consecutive hours.
1t ia alleged the corporations required
the men to work II hours, and even IL
hours. with no interval longer than 10
minutes Tor lunch, and even depriving
them of that brief time in most in
stanceu. The wage rate agreed upon a
year ago was So for statutory day
work. The companiee. it is alleged,
have made no allowance fer overtime.
The men demand an adherence to the
law, or So 25 for day OF IL hours.
The address issued by the executive
com mittee OF District Assembly rs al.
leges that the trouble was precipitated
by the Brooklyn Heights company in
excluding electric workers from work.
The statement says the fragrant vio-
lation OF the 10-hour law has
mentally aud physically incapaci-
tated the men for their work. All
the companies run trippers SO the
men can make only from 40 to SO cents
day. While the corporations are not
allowed by law to run at rate OF speed
over 10 miles an hour, through schedules
are arranged to run at speed OF 10 to
20 miles an hour. In consequences,
nearly 100 fatal accidents have occurred
since the trolley WAS introduced and
countless injuries to passengers.
All this was caused by the greed o.
the corporations. The employees in the
power house are organized "a Knights O
Labor, the same ss motormeD and con-
ductors, and when the signal is given t
stop work, they will fall into line and
not car can be moved.
A COMPLETE DISCRETION.
At midnight the executive board de-
cided upon action, and an hour later
all the master workmen, 70 in all. left
the hall with instructions to notify the
motormen and conductors to tie up.
The master workmen visited each car
house, and as the cars came in the men
were told that tie-up had been Or
dered. The men left their cars ani
walked out without O word to the fore'
man or superintendent. It was COM
plete desertion of the cars on the part o
the men, and the companies were lef
without men to handle s. single car OF
put one in condition to be taken out. l
is the work of the electricians e.
put the cars in order, Oonnec
the trolley wirea, fix the motor
and see that everything on the car i
in good running order. Every car wa
left in the condition 1t came in. ant
not one was fixed" up. There are, 81
, told, IS lines of care aud AZ men, ex
! elusive of about 1000 electricians. en-
! ployed in the city. II ia estimated tina
the Brooklyn City Inns employs 800
nen, the Atlantic Avenue 500 men, tn
Brooklyn City and Newton 450, tn
Queens County and Suburban 3l5. max
ing a total OF 1900 men. The only car
;. that went out this morning were sevel
cars on the Court Street line, which
part of the Brooklyn City ryatem.
POLICEMEN ON GUARD.
A large crowd of men stood fey
. blocks from the stables and as the carl
3 came along they threw several barrels Q
t ashes in front Of them. The motorme
3 got off the cars and amid the shouts {
! "scabs" removed the ashes from til
track. On each car we're four police
men. two in front and two in the rea
with drawn clubs. Superintendent
t Cameron of the Brooklyn Heights raj
o way told Superintendent Morrison {
" the same road that committee OF zoe
n loval employees had told him they wei
= willing to 20 to work If they were pre-