The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-12-18
PHILADELPHIA TERR0R|ZED

PHILADELPHIA lEkkUkILtU
Wild Scenes Of Disorder Follow the
Traction Strike.
MANY CARS AXE WRECKED
The Hoodlum Element in Control Of the
ThorOughfarcs-Chcstn Street Shop
keepers Barrieade Their Stores.
Union Company's Lines Tied Up.
Philadelphia, Dec. 17.-Riot and de-
struction marked the opening day of
the great strike of the street car en-
ployes of the Union Traction company.
Aided by the mischievous, lawless ele-
ment. the strikers succeeded today in
completely tieing up the lines of the
Union Traction company. and tonight,
| with the exception of the one line not
controlled by the company involved in
the strike, not street car wheel is
turning in Philadelphia. Never in the
history of the city has there been wit
messed such widespread scenes of dis
order as were enacted today. To the
| credit of the strikers it may be said
| that the disorders We're created by too
| ardent sympathiZers and mischievous
boys, In every part of the city these
| crowds of sympathizers and boys held
| up cars and drove. the motormen and
conductors from their posts with vol
| leys of bricks and stones, and then
smashed the glass in the windows of
the cars, cut the trolley ropes. pulled
out the fuses, smashed in the cash
registers and tore off the tenders in
front of the cars. In all about 300 cars
were badly wrecked, and this afternoon
the Traction company gave up the effort
to run cars, and with the aid of the
police, withdrew their shattered and
abandoned rolling stock back into the
car sheds. This afternoon the mayor
issued proclamation calling upon all
good citizens to preserve the peace, and
asking them to refrain from gather
ing In crowds on the streets. He fur
ther added that violence and riot would
be met with force, and that the peace
or the city will be preserved at all
hazards.
While the crowds attacked the cars
the spirit of the mob seemed to be one
of malicious mischief more than the
threatening temper that marks a real
riot. The suddenness of the numerous
outbreaks to-day seemed to take the po-
lice by surprise and for time cars were
wrecked with impunity in the very heart
of the retail shopping district. Then
the reserve policemen We're maSsed at
every threatened point and tonight
every policeman in the city is on duty.
The company made no attempt to run
cars tonight but under police protec-
ton, they will start the Market street
branch Of their line tomorrow morn
ing and trouble is sure to follow, and to-
morrow may witness more serious riot
ing than took place to-day.
A Policeman Badly Injured.
Despite the stone throwing only one
person was seriously hurt. policeman,
who had his club taken away from him
by the crowd and was beaten into in
sensibility and tonight is in the hospi-
tai with concussion of the brain. The
police made about 100 arrests and all
the rioters were held in heavy bail.
The executive committee of the Anal
gamated Association of Street Railway
employees ordered the strike to go into
effect at 4 O'Clock this morning. The
railway officials We're busy all night
gathering together the men who were
loyal to the company. All the lines
started out their cars this morning.
The strikers attempted no interference
with the cars, but confined their efforts
to trying to dissuade the motormen and
conductors who We're not with them
from going out on the cars. They met
them as they went to work and talked
with them and in many cases were sue
cessful with their men. Where man
would refuse to join them he might get
cursed, but beyond this he was not
threatened
In the early morning hours the cars
ran fairly well. Later in the morning
however, the trouble began. There was
no concerted movement to attack the
cars, but strangely enough. the out
bursts occurred in dozen different
parts of the city almost at the same
moment. Up through the great manu-
featuring districts of Kensington and
through the residential section of the
northwestern part of the city. obstruc-
tions began to be placed upon the
tracks. Crowds began to gather neN
these distractions. When the car would
come to a stop before pile of cobbles
the crowd would surge around the ca,
and hoot the conductor and motorman
Then some one would throw a stone and
this would be the signal for a volley OF
bricks and sticks, and in an instant
every window in the car would be
broken, and the motorman and conduc-
tor driven from their posts by the
fusilade of missiles. In no case were
the motormen and conductors very
roughly handled by the crowds, which
seemed to be content with wrecking
the cars.
Trouble on Chestnut Street.
These scenes of violence We're not
unexpected in these districts, but the
surprising part Of the outburst took
place on Chestnut and Market streets.
These two thoroughfares are the great
retail and wholesale streets of the city.
Chestnut street, especially, is crowded
at this time with women and children
out to make their Christmas purchases.
A car going east on Market street was
blocked for moment at Sixth street.
A crowd composed mostly of errand
boys from adjacent stores gathered
around 1t and jeered at the conductor.
The latter unfortunately lost his tenn
per and kicked at some of his torment.
ors. 1t was the spark that ignited the
flame. Before the passers-by on the
street realized what had happened an
attack was made on the car. the con-
ductor was dragged from the platform
and the car was wrecked. A few mo-
ments later a similar scene occurred at
Eighth street and here not content with