Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1896-05-07

Milwaukee, May 5.-The street rail-
way strike assumed more serious as
pect last night. Every car barn in the
city was surrounded by large crowds
which stoned the buildings and in some
instances drove off the police who had
been detailed TO guard the barns. The
mobs were made up of sympathizers Of
the strikers. At all barn mobs num-
bering from 5000 to 5000 gathered
At each of them there was more or less
disturbance and a number OF non
union men were assaulted. Two car
inspectors were rescued by the police
from large mob. The out
look for today is made much
more serious by the announcements, at
meeting of the strikers and -epre-
sentatives of the electrical workers of
the city, held late last night, that the
electricians in the power house would
walk out tomorrow. All electricians
in the city are to be included, about
800 in number. Shortly after it be-
came known that the electricians
would take this action, it was an
nounced by the union men that all men
employed in the repair shops of the
street railway would also quit work
and join the conductors and motormen.
Inquiry among repairmen indicated
the announcement to be correct. These
additions will swell the ranks of the
strikers to about thirteen hundred.
The street car service, though
not paralyzed, crippled more
than it has ever been before. The
mems decision to strike was reached
Sunday night after the company had
refused to increase the wages of the
motOrmen and conductors from 10
cents to 20 cents an hour, had refused
the proposition to arbitrate all differ
ences that might arise in the future,
had failed to pay any attention to the
demand OF the men for the recognition
of their union, and had refused to hold
any further conference with the
unions representatives.
The men showed greater strength
than had been expected, for Monday
morning, when the time came to begin
running cars, hardly any OF the regu-
lar crews reported Tor duty. The men
were Oh hand, however, and gathered
about the barns to learn what the com
pany would do. The strikers were
very orderly, keeping among them
selves and offering no violence wat
ever. They were much pleased over
the Virtual tie-up of almost every line
in the city. The Wauwatosa electric
line is tied up, but not the Whitetish
Bay dummy llre).
At II o'clock Monday morning Gen
eral Manager Wyman reported twenty
cars were running At noon the COM
pany posted the following notice in al
stations:
Twelve o'clock, noon. All motor
men and conductors who do not report
tor duty within twenty-tour hours
from this time are hereby discharged
from the company's service"
The Farwell avenue station has been
looked upon as the hotbed oil the
strike and it was expected that there
would be warm work in that location.
The street railway company, prepar-
ing for a long and stormy siege, had
brought eight cooks on from Chicago
and housed them in the barn. A Wag-
on load of cots were taken in and
placed in the upper story. 1t is evil
dent from this that the company is
preparing to put on new men and to
keep them in hand until the trouble
is over. A very large crowd Of people
witnessed these preparations.
Three stalwart policemen made a
demonstration by drawing their clubs
and ordering the crowd to fall back,
which they did without hesitation. The
only incident out of the common run
occurred when one of the three cars
running, passed the barn. This was
the signal for a crowd of women and
children to run into the street shout
ing "Scab! Scabr' The strikers in
dulged in a good-natured laugh over
the incident, in which the policemen
joined.
Nine men at the River street power
house failed to report Monday morning
and a general walk-out of the
electricians is ordered The in
candescent lighting system Of the
city will be affected as we'll as the
street car lines. The strike is also in
terfering very materially with the
mails. Carriers in the outlaying dis
tricts were very late and arrangements
are being made to curtail the work Of
collecting the mails.
No additional police or deputy sher-
ifs have yet been sworn in but Chief
Jansen and Sheriff Stanley say they
have made ample provision to protect
the peace and property of the railroad
company.