The sun., 1898-11-20
Conductors and Motormen Of
Wilmington City Railway Co.
Lead Weary Lives.
WORK THIRTEEN HOURS A DAY
Sunday They Labor Eighteen and
Half Hours, With Twenty
Minutes for Meals..-Strain
ON Nervous System
is Racking.

The days OF actual slavery are thing
of the past. Men are no longer sold at
the block 10 the highest bidder, but
there exists to-day ne u form Of slavery.
Modern corporations and trusts are able
to give few points to the old slave
owner, who was compelled 70 feed and
clothe his iaborers and had also to be 90
licitous OF their physical welfare. Then,
too, be had TO purchase them in tie first
place. To-day the corporations need not
buy their workmen, but own them just
the same. They need not be solicitous
of their health, as there are often hum
dreds to take the place OF one workman
who may become incapacitated for work.
The wages paid are often little more than
what the workmen could be boarded for,
and the men frequently work longer
hours than the old slaves could be in
duced to.
This new form of bondage is known as
white slavery. White slaves can be
found in all large cities, and there are
men even in Wilmington, who might
be c'assed by some people under this
head.
There is one class Of employees here
who seem to be more oppressed than any
other. They do not wear dirty clothes
and handle picks and shovels or work
about hot furnaces. Ii they did work Of
this character, they would likely be fit
subjects for q hospital ere this or be en-
tirely untitled for future work Of any
kind. lE
They instead are clothed in uniforms
of blue, and in fact are the men who are
employed by the Wilmington City Pas
senger Railway to operate the cars on
their various lines. While in other cities
workmen are organized and forcing
their employees to give them an eight
hour day, in this city the conductors
and motormen are compelled to work
thirteen hours every day.
Instead of being given rest on Sun
day, the company seems to go on the
principle that one cannot get too much
Of q good thing and lets them work
eighteen and half hours on that day.
It is of course impossible for men
under such conditions to maintain their
health and physical collapse is bound
to come in time. This is what the
physicians say and so must be so. The
men bear tired weary look as night
comes on and when their long days
work is done and they reach their homes
they sink down in the nearest chair, al
most overcome.
The men say that while matters were
bad enough under the old company.
things are worse now. They are allowed
but twenty minutes in which to eat
4 their dinner and the came small allow.
ance OF time for their supper. In fac.
tories and shops, men are never allowed
less than half an hour for eating but the
railway company thinks its men can
eat enough in twenty minutes. The
men have their dinner kettles or lunch
baskets or boxes, or in whatever shape
their meals NAV be cotton up, delivered
to them on their cars during their trips
and so their meals are nearly always
cold till they reach the car houses OIL
barns at the end of their respective lines
where they are compelled to spend theil
lunch time.
Twenty minutes is a very short time
in which to eat a hearty dinner. At some
OF the car houses there are no places fol
the men to sit down and eat except on
the ground. When the days began tc
get shorter they found themselves in the
dark at some places when they prepared
to eat their supper At one place the men
got possession of an office, which they
have fitted up at their own expense. Here
the men make use of the toiet-room OF
nearby hotel.
On Sundays and holidays when the
hotel is closed they are compelled to get
along as best they can.
The men often appear active and
healthy during cold weather, but they
move around actively then to kccr
warm.
The trolley cars have jerking action
and the front and rear ends have an up.
ward and downward motion, which be.
comes very trying on the nervous sys'
TENS of the men who are compelled tc
stand on the front or rear of the cars
for thirteen consecutive hours. One con.
ductor said to Sun representative that
he ought to have rubber heels on his
shoes, and the Sun man heartily agreed
with him. The motormen and conduc.
tors of this city are probably worked
harder than those of any other city
Their condition is worse even than that
of the motormen and conductors of the
Union Traction Company of Philadelphia
is now or was before their big strike. .
The local company, especially while
charging five.cent fare instead OF 9
three-cent one, could certainly afford to
hire few extra men and relieve its
overworked employees.