The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-12-25
BOsTON's BIG STRIKE BEGINS.
STREET Oar TRAFFIC VIRTUALLY
AT A sTANDsTILL.

Afoot-The Men Refuse to Abide
by the Agreement OF Their Com
mittee To Postpone the Strike For
way officials Time TO Consider
Their DeDlands-rhe strike De-
cIared on at Night.
Boston. Mass, Dec. 24.-The strike of the
employees of the West End Street Railway
Company was inaugurated at 5:45 o'clock
this morning. All the drivers, motormen
and conductors, to the number of $500
men, are affected. The other employees of
the company are in full sympathy with
the strikers, and may quit work at any
time that occasion demands it.
The strike was accomplished only
through the men revolving against their
leaders. The latter last night declared
in favor of granting the company one week
in which to hold a directors meeting to
consider the demands of the men. At
labor headquarters. when this decision
was announced, there was a succession of
stormy meetings. Varying action was
taken, and the situation for a time was
very much confused. After the conference
committee had reported and the decision
naa oeen reached to give the company
weeks grace, the men gathered at head
quarters and there was heated criticism
OF the committee. Delegates from the va
rlouS divisions declared that they dared
not go back to their constituents with an
order TO remain at work. 1t was declared
5y many that the company only desired
0slay IN order to bring men from Maine,
New Hampshire and Vermont to replace
the strikers.
In the meanwhile, at the division head
quarters, excited meetings were being held
me Lenox street division declared it
would strike by itself ii no other division
S Monla Join It; Reports came also that
had 1oka .f....lI -4..f1.--
me supreme council finally decided to take
acuoh. some of the more conservative
were opposed TO reversal of the decision
70 wait week, but a large majority fa-
Vored complying with what was believed
20 ne the wish of the men, and it was de-
sermined to notify President Little by mes
Not since the strike of the West End
ttalIwdy employees in February, 1887 has
me general public so fully realized it's de-
pendence upon the street railway lines as
to-day With the exception of the cars
OF the Lynn and Boston railway, which
use the power and tracks of the West End
CotnpdIiy from chelsea, through Charles
toWn TO Scollay square, and the care of
the United States mail service, which have
pesn running as usual, there has practi-
caily been a complete tie-up of surface
cars during the afternoon and evening
Comlng Just at Christmas, the strike mas
gIeatiy Inconvenience thousands who
Wlshed TO visit the city stores to purchase
thelr gifts, and all thoroughfares have
been crowded with pedest rians, despite the
Dlung wind that has prevailed. Early this
morning an enterprising teamster put on
a line of passenger barges between
Chariestown and Scollay square and he
reaped harvest. Later lines were start
s9 under the management of the strikers.
Ihe steam railroads have been dangerous
~ oVefcrowded on account of the sudden
demands made upon them.
During the late afternoon and early
evening the suburban traffic over the BoS-
ton and Albany road was immense. The
station was packed with a dense mass of
md oil
every ten or fifteen minutes, the cars were
| filled like SO many sardine boxes. the
CROWDS pushing, tanning and trampling
upon one another for standing room
Men shouted and women nearly tainted
IN the excitement, and innumerable bum
dies and boxes containing presents and
recognition by the crowd. which resem-
| bled pack of frenzied animals more than
a collection of rational human beings.
| There We're somewhat similar scenes en-
| acted at the other railway stations, al
though less demonstratiVe.
| This afternoon the committee of the con-
| ductors' and motormen'S union that held
| the conference with the West End direc-
| tors last night and agreed to a week s
| postponement of the strike, called upon
| President Little in order to place them
selves right in the eyes of the West End
| officials. They explained the apparent VIC
| lation of the agreement entered into last
| night by saying that the men took matters
| Ia their own hands, and the strike was
| fact even before the supreme council was
aware of it. All this and more was sub
| mitted to President Little, and it was again
| intimated that nothing would avail until
| the agreement was signed. The president
| reiterated his statement of yesterday, that
| he was poWerleSs to sign the agreement
and that, even if he did So it would be
worthless without first being accepted by
| the executive committee of the company
The West End Street Railway Company
tonight issued a notice to its employees
in which it states that all employees who
continue in the service of the company
will be protected, but that all who voIun-
tarily absented themselves from service
will be considered as having withdrawn
from the employ of the company.
The company advertised for motormen
and conductors to-day, and it was said to-
night that in response a large number of
men had been Eecured.
At 8 o'clock tonight came the first signs
of weakening on the part of the strikers
when it was reported that 100 men of di-
vision No. 7, which includes Cambridge
Arlington, Newton and West SomerVille
had gone back to work and as a result a
few cars are running tonight between
Boston and Harvard Square, Cambridge
Some fifty or sixty men also returned on
division No. 5, South Boston.
Over on the CharieStoWn division the
strikers declare that if men are brought
from other cities to take their places
there will be trouble.
Boston, Mass, Dec. rs. a. m.-The
strike has been declared off by the supreme