Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1897-10-24

L
to Block the Work-The Opera
tors and Conductors Arrested
! and Taken to the City Hall.
Scenes Of Excitemen Early This
Morning.
There were series of very exciting
scenes on Market and Main streets, at
| the intersection of Twelfth, at midnight
last night and Immediately succeeding
| that hour.
| One of the results was the arrest of
six street car conductors, and six ope-
rators, by the Chief of Police, upon or
| ders Of the Mayor
The trouble grew out of the determin-
| alton of the city, as represented by the
| Board of Public Works, to lower the
grades of Market and Main streets, at
the intersection of Twelfth, according
| to the general idea which was detailed
| in the Register few days ago.
| 1t is the plan, if this lowering of
| the streets named is carried out, to
make surface drainage on Twelfth
| street, from Chapline street to the
river, and to do this the surface of
| Market street and of Main street, at
the intersection of Twelfth, must be
| cut down from six to ten inches. This,
| as will be seen at glance, involves
| the lowering of the track Of the
Wheeling Railway Company, on both
| Main and Market streets, for short
| distance north and south of Twelfth
| From what could be gathered last
| night, the Street Railway Company
| objects to this, and it gave point and
effect to its objection, last night, by
standing a half dozen cars on the
track at the points where it is to be
| lowered.
Matters came to crisis shortly after
| twelve o'clock. Friday night, and up
to about daylight yesterday morning
workingmen in the employ of the con-
tractor for the completion of the city
end of the Wheeling and Elm Grove
railway, put in crossing at Market
| and Twelfth streets, conforming to the
| old grade of the street. Last evening,
soon after dark, they commenced a
similar work at Main and Twelfth. All
| during the evening this work, which
| was commenced by saving off the
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by crowds of idlers, who had no idea
of the bad mix which was to follow
later on.
Just about midnight, when the streets
were settling down to their Sunday
morning quietness, large force of city
employees appeared at the two crossings
of Twelfth street, and with them came
members of the Board of Public Works,
the City Engineer, the Superintendent
of Streets, and sundry other city off,
Gals. The force of workmen at oIce
began to make paving bricks fly, the
idea of the city being to have the
grade all changed by daylight, at least
so far as the street railway was con-
cerned.
Almost simultaneously with the ap-
pearance of the city workmen and Of
ficials there appeared upon the scene
number of street railway officials and
men, among whom were General Man
ager Wright. They at once showed
that they objected to the action pro-
posed to be taken by the city, and as
| means of emphasizing this, six street
cars were hurriedly run up town, and
three were stopped at the intersection
of Market and Twelfth streets, while
| the other three were brought to
standstill at Main and Twelfth This
action by the street car company
brought about an enforced stoppage of
work by the city workmen, who had,
in the meantime, dug up quite lot of
paving brick, ETC., as a preliminary to
their work.
Then matters came to a crisis. The
police were sent for and Chief Bennett
responded in person, with a consider
| able detail of officers. He found the
| streets blocked with cars in the manner
described. He sized up the situation
and then telephoneds to Mayor Butts
| for instructions, stating that the streets
were blockaded. The Mayor telephon-
| ed back to clear the streets of the cars,
by arresting the conductors and oper-
ators, and if necessary, to upset the cars
| in the cutters. On this the police act
ed. They put six conductors and six
i operators under arrest, at about TWEEN
ty minutes of one, and the prisoners
were carried off to the City Hail.
When this had been done. Manager
| Wright informed the Chief, as the rep
resentative of the city, that the cars
were in his custody, and that the city
would be held responsible for damage
or loss. There were two or three pas
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