Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-12-25
Boston Street Car War Has
But a Short Life.
Affair Was Badly Managed and Men
Give In, This Morning.
But Tor "a Hours All Of Boston's People Had
10 Walk.
Boston, Dec. 25-1.45 A. Mile
strike has been declared off by the su.
preme couucil Of the Conductors and
MOtOrmen's Union and the men will re-.
turn to work, this morning.

|
Boston, Mass, Dec. 24.-Notwith-
standing the agreement reached. last
night, between President Little of the
West End Street Railway COMPANY
and a committee representing the en-
ployes. that the threatened strike Of
motormen and conductors he deferred
for one week in order to allow for a
possible settlement of the trouble some
of the men refused to he guided by the
action of the committee and have quit
work
AT the employees headquarters, last
night, there were several stormy meet
ingS. Varying action was taken and
| the situation is much confused NJ. l..
Young. president of the Street Rail
way Mems Union said this morning TO
Il reporter.
We could not control The men. Some
Of them have gone out. We must act
| in a a united manner and the only
thing that can be done is for All 10 stop
work together Hy noon today. every
ear ON the system will he stopped
The men on the Cambridge, Brighton
and Charlestown divisions positively re-
fused 10 work unless the president Of
the company signed the agreement that
the employees have been urging. and
these men refused, this morning,to take
out their ears.
The Roxbury division men We're will
ing to wait until noon and the other
divisions as a rule We're willing to await
today's developments at least. The
leaders urged the Cambridge and
Charlestown men to wait but it was i'm
possible to change their determination.
President Young of The Union, at 5. 45
O'Clock this morning. notified all the di-
visions of the action of the men who
struck and the strike officially began
at that hour.
Some of the employees declare that the
committee had no authority to agree
to a postponement of the tie-up and
their action was very vigorously de-
nounced at the employees headquarters
Charges of fraud and underhand
dealing We're made against the COM
mittee and there was great excitement
in the hall. Several of the men declared
that a strike should be ordered at once
They said they dared not go back TO
their constituents with the order TO re-
main a; work. 1t was declared by many
that the company only desired delay in
order to bring men from Maine New
Hampshire and Vermont to replace the
strikers.
The strike caused no end of inconven-
fence to people living in the outlying dis
trictS of Brookline. and many business
man as we'll as IA small army of shoppers,
had to take the steam trains.
The Boston 4 Albany reaped a harvest
as all the West End patrons tiocked to
the railroad station, and every train
coming into Boston from Brookine car
ried Il big load of passengers.
They filled the aisles and platforms of
the cars and even the steps OF the
coaches We're crowded with people who
We're glad to get to Boston in any way.
The conductors on the trains could not
collect halt the fares and the brakemen
We're called upon to do conductors duty
as far as collecting the tickets was con-
cerned. Up to noon the power on the
trolley wires of the Brookline lines was
still on, but no cars We're running.
At the big carhouse in Medford. where
all the ears are sent through Maiden
and Medford for Boston. the tie-up has
been complete. A scene of the utmost
quietness prevails around the entire huge
structure throughout the day.
The strike order came when ii was
least expected: and the men, as a rule. |
were not wholly prepared for it, Since 4
O'Clock this morning. not wheel of any
regular ear has turned in the building
The men are confident that they will
win. Everything is quiet in Maiden. as'l
far as the West End tie-up is concerned |
SuDt. ITtt1l Oh tHc w est Emu /
states that the men simply did not go to |
work. this morning. and that was all |
there was to it, AS to the inconvenience |
to the general public. it has amounted to |
considerable.
The West End Street Railway adver-
tised, this afternoon. for non-union men.
The West End Road embraces nine divi-
Sions. According to the last annual re-
port. issued Sept. 80. the total number
of ears owned by the company was 24a,5.
Eleven mail ears were in use. Although
only one line of cars is operated by
horses the Back Bay, the company
owned 5iS horses.
Up to 1.30, the motormen and conduc-
tors of the baldwin Street Line in Cam
bridge had received no orders to strike.
through some inadvertencc. and We're at
that hour taking the cars out
The mistake was soon rectitie'l. how
ever and before 30 the last car had left.
The few remaining still in the employ of
the company made a spasmodic attempt |
to get cars ;i.3out the circuits.
AT O'Clock this afternoon. the West |
End Street Railway had practically
ceased its business Of furnishing transit
facilities for the public of Boston and
towns and cities.
As a result of the strike. the stock of
the West End Street Railway Co.. today,
dropped two points to e..
The conference of the railroad en- |
ployes' representative and President Lit
tie of the West End system. which was
opened ut 10.15 this morning, in the pres
dents offiee, Ian. came to TEMPORARY end
presidents private secretary was called
into the room and took from dictation
statement which was put into type
writing subsequently. and taken away
by the strikers representatives at noon.
to he submitted to the strikers at the
Eliot street headquarters
With the exception of the cars of the
Lynn & Boston. Railway, which use the
power and tracks of the West End Co
from Chelsea. through Charlestown to
Scolay square and the cars of the $
init ad StntaS MINI ha |
practically been complete tieup in the
street car service in this city. during the
afternoon and evening.
All the thoroughfares have been
.rowded with pedestrians. despite the Bit
ng wind that prevailed. The passenger
barge lines were started under the man
igement of the strikers to accommodate
he people living in the districts where no
,ars are running. The cars on the steam
have been SO overcrowded that
ravel thereby was decidedly unpleasant
md in many cases absolutely dangerous.
During the late afternoon and early
l