The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-12-18
ALMOST A RIOT.
Pitched Battle on Mont
gomery Street This Morn
ing Because Of the
Snow.
TRACTION co. VS.. sToREKEEPERs
Citizens Resent the Blockade Of
Their Stores By stalling
the Trolley Cars.
TRACTION co. VS.. sToREKEEPERs

The lower part of Montgomery street.
between Washington street and Greene
street. was the scene of an extremely
lively pitched battle between merchants
and trolley car conductors and motormen.
Blows were exchanged and there was
every prospect of a riot when the police
appeared and arrested a batch Of the
combatants.
The cause of the row was the heaps Of
snow blocking the approach to the stores
on the north side Of the street, and which
state of things the store owners said was
due to the neglect Of the Traction Com
pany in not clearing away the snow. The
company's ploughs had thrown up a ridge
OF snow many feet deep on either side OF
their tracks. Yesterday they had cleared
one side. but for some reason left the
north side Of the street with the bank OF
snow effectuaIly preventing truck from
coming near the store doors.
This was particularly annoying to
Auctioneer ". j. Montgomery, Brush C
Alberts. the furniture dealers; p. NJ. Hal
and Others having business places on that
block These. however. patiently endured
the nuisance all day yesterday. but when
this morning came and with it no relief
the storekeepers hired men to remove the
snow ridge. They were pitching the snow
on the track of the Traction Company
when car came along. When the wheels
touched the snow there was no grip and
the car stopped. Other cars behind it
were stopped and instantly half a dozen
cars were stalled. The men continued
shovelling the snow in front of the cars.
The motormen and conductors renaon-
strated, but the men. although hearing,
didn't heed and redoubled their energies.
encouraged by the cheers of the crowds
which had quickly gathered In anticipa-
ton of fun.
Shovel, ye tarriers. shovel yelled one
fat-faced. red-nosed man, and he seized a
spare shovel and went to work with the
others. One of the inspectors of the Trac-
tion Company hurried up from the ferry
with two men armed with shovels, and
they began to throw the snow from the
track onto the side of the road where the
men were working under the. direction of
Messrs. Montgomery Brush & Alberts
The tall colored janiter Of the Ingwer-
sen Building was among those shovelling
for the merchants. and as he was stoop-
ing to his task the inspector threw show
elfulI of snow on his head and then the
scrap began.
Come ahead" shouted one Of the Trac-
ton Company's men to the motorman of
the Newark car at the head of the stalled
line of cars. and the car bounded forward
towards the struggling, wrangling. push
ing, yelling, very much rnixed-up crowd.
Look OUT screamed the crowds on the
sidewalk, and everyone expected a scene
similar to that of a Juggernaut festival
The crowd surged, opened and the car
sped by followed by the others That put
an end to the fuss. but when the last car
had gene by the shovellers resumed their
work, cheered by the crowd which now
amounted to several hundreds of people.
The Traction men. reinforced by Super
intendent Fuller and more men pluckily
stuck to their task. and hurled the snow
back as fast as their opponents flung it
on the track. All this was rare fun for the
onlookers, who derisivelt cheered the rail-
road men. Matters came 10 a head when
one of the inspectors, it was alleged, hit
one Of the storekeepers men, and a gem
eral melee was Just about to begin when
Captain Cox and few policemen came
on the scene. He ordered Mr.. Montgom-
ery's man to- stop or he wonld lock him
"
.'Do 50, if you dare, = exclaimed the auc-
tioneer. whose blood was up. and be IN
Weighed against the Traction Company
for obstructing the public streets.
'.You can't obstruct general traffic by
throwing snow On the street." said the
Captain.
And L am to be prevented from get-
ting wagons to my store simply for the
convenience of the Traction Gompany2s
retorteG the auctioneer.
The Captain walked away and directed
his men to keep the crowd moving. While
this was done the men coolly resumed
their shovelling as If nothing had hap
pened and when the TracfIon Company
men started in too the trouble breke out
anew. The police rushed in between and
one of the men was marched to police
headquarters.
This was John WhaIen Of No. 81 Fourth
street. and an ernploye of the Traction
Company. He was charged with dis
orderly conduct
In the meantime the shovelling oper-
alton was resumed, but not by either the
Traction Company's men nor the store
keepers. Half a dozen carts drove up
and another set Of men quickly threw the
offending piles Of coffee brown snow into
the carts, which conveyed their load
rapidly away By one O'Clock the street
was clear, the crowds had dispersed and
the street were its usual appearance.