Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-01-14
Employees on the Brooklyn Trolley
Lines Quit.
THEY WANT 4 TEN-HOUR DAY
Cars Run Faster Than the Law
Allows.
CAUSE OF MANY DEATH S

BROOKLYN, N. Y, January 14.-At .
o'clock this morning all the trolley lines in
Brooklyn were tied up. the employees re-
fising to take out the cars. Over 5000
men quit work This includes motormen,
conductors, electricians, switchmen and
others employed at the various power
houses All but one Of the surface roads
are affected.
The Mems Demands.
The mems grievances and demands are
thus stated: The state law provides that
a days work for employees of street rail-
way companies shall consist of ten hours.
within twelve consecutive hours. 1t Is al
legged that this law has been disregarded
by the corporations. which have required
the men to work eleven hours, ana even,
lately. twelve hours. with no mteIVai
longer than ten minutes for lunch, ana
also depriving them of that brief time III
most Instances. The wage rate agreed
upon a year ago was s. for the statutory
days work. The companies, 1t Is alleged,
have made no allowance for overtime.
The men demand adherence to the law
regarding hours in days work or 80
for a day of twelve hours
An address issued by the executive COM
the trouble was precipitated by the
Brooklyn Heights Company in excluding
electric workers from work.
The statement goes on to say that the
creased since the introduction of the cleo
trical system, and that the fragrant viola
ton OF the ten-hour law has mentally and
physically incapacitated the saen for their
work All the companies run their trip
pcrs so that the men can make only from
~ to ~ cents a day. While the corpora
lions are not allowed, by law to run at a
rate of speed of more than ten miles an
hour. their schedules are so arranged that
the cars have 10 be run at a rate of speed
of from fifteen to twenty miles an hour.
Why Deaths Have Been Caused.
In consequence. nearly one hundred fatal
accidents have occurred since the trolley
was introduced and countless injuries TO
passengers, all caused by the greed Of the
corporations The men desire to have the
schedule so arranged that the cars can be
run safely.
The address closes by asking the people
to free themselves from the condition or
affairs. 1t Is signed by Master Workman
Connolly and the other members.
An official of one of the lines said: THE
companies cannot afford to increase the
expenses 81. and If the demands of the
men were complied with there is not one
of them which would not be driven into
bankruptcy. Immense sums of money have
Eeen borrowed to equip the roads with the
electrical systems. and thfs money has got
to be paid sooner or later. The strike will
be even mere serious than under the old
horse-car system. The employees in the
Labor just the same as the mOtormen and
conductors. and when the signal is given
to stop work they will fall into line, and
not a car can be moved"
History of the Strike.
District Assembly -. Knights of Labor,
which has control of all the trolley line
employees IN Brooklyn. has held various
meetings during the past few weeks. and
after the meeting on Saturday the execu-
Two foo ta6
Lewis OF the Brooklyn Heights road and
again asked that he grant their demands.
They discussed the question for three and
a half hours in President Lewis office, and
finally Mr.. Lewis refused to grant their
demands. The outcome of this was that
the committee held another meeting, and
adjourned until last night At last nights
meeting. which ended at 1 o'clock this
morning it was decided to tie up all the
roads in the city of Brooklyn, with the
exception of the Smith and Jay street line.
This was done this morning, and not
car outside OF the Smith and Jay street line
was running.
The companies expected that the men
would go out this morning, and determined
to anticipate them. They asked the cleo
tricians, about 1000 in number, if they
would take out the cars this morning.
Every one of them refused to do so. They
were then told that there was no work for
them. One foreman was asked if he was
willing to take out car. He refused to do
it.
This morning the people had to use the
elevated roads. The trains were made up
with extra cars to accommodate the rush
The public was greatly inconvenienced.
The Court street line of the Brooklyn
City Company ran out seven cars, begin
ming at o'clock. The cars were manned,
frcnt and rear, by two policemen. There
was no trobue. There was one car run
ming on the 18th street branch.
The entire police force consisting of 100
men, was in readiness in case there should
he tr0nh1a tod
Affecting the Mail Service.
The tie-up is materially affecting the
United States mail service None of the
trolley lines delivered the mail this morn
ing. Postmaster Sullivan said he would
have to go back to the old system of col
lecting the mail by aid of wagons. He had
called upon every substitute and LAY off,
connected with the office to do duty At
IL O'Clock United States mail car No 1912
of the Flatbush avenue lire. with four blue
flags, came down Fulton street. letter
carrier was in front and the passen gers
were on the inside. 1t contained the Flat
bush mail. Extra detachments Of police
were detailed to patrol the thoroughfares
on which the various railrc ad lines run
All the old stages that could be resur-
rected in the city were pressed into service
and a line of transportation was estab-
lished between Flatland through Flatbush
avenue to the city hall, u cents being
charged for the trip. 1t was rumored that
5000 men had been engaged in Chicago,
Newark, Paterson and other cities and
were on their way to Brooklyn to take the
places of the strikers.
John Russell was caught placing an ash
barrel the Court street line and was
taken to the Hamilton avenue police sta
ton
The strikers caused some trouble in the
twenty-ninth ward by placing timber and
stones on the tracks near the Flatbush de-
pot. The policemen who guarded the mail
car removed the obstruction. The strikers
did not interfere with the officers aside
from jeering and hooting at them. One of