The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-07-19
new YORK STRIKE
Men on Second Avenue Line
Stop Work as Result
Of Mass Meeting.
MOBS HELP STRIKERS
Obstruct the Tracks and
Stone the Police.

NEW YORK, July 49, 1S99.-A strike be-
gan this morning ON the Second avenue
line of the Metropolitan Street Railway
co. Up to eight o'clock A. NJ about half
the men on this line were out.
The strike on the Second avenue line
is not an authorized one Some Of the
more enthusiastic men who attended the
Cooper Union meeting last night got to-
gether and decided that the only thing
to do was to strike They formed them
selves into a committee and went to the
Second avenue stables early this morning
and asked the men to come out. Every
car was stopped as it reached the stables
and each man on the car was asked to
strike.
About half the men responded to the call
and pickets were then detailed to go to
the men of the other branches of the
company's lines and try to get the men
deal of success.
General Master Workman John M.
Parsons of the Knights of Labor who
presided at last nights meeting in Cooper
Union. did not want the men to strike.
He is said to have told them he would
have nothing to do with them if they
struck
Pickets in little while after the strike
on the Second avenue line, were at the
Sixth, Eighth avenue lines. and the 23d
street 2sth street and "a tn street sta
bies to try to get the men out. There
were disturbances at several places and
four men were arrested 1t was said that
those who were trying to get the men
out were discharged employees who were
actuated by feeling of revenge.
AT five o'clock a gang of nine pickets
gathered at the car stables of the Eighth
avenue line and tried to get the men
there to strike Word was sent to the
police and Captain Thomas, with twenty
five men, proceeded to the stable and
scattered the pickets. Later another
squad of piekets and strikers gathered
there and thirty more men had to be
sent over to dispense the crowd.
Chief Deyery, at one O'Clock, sent out
the following order from Headquarters
Turn out the alarm day. section at
$50 this morning and start at o'clock
and hold the incoming sections on re-
serve. Do not excuse a man for break
fast or anything else until further or
dersv
the Chief had had three hours con-
ference with Inspector Brooks before is
suing that order.
The pickets claimed to have got men
out on the Eighth avenue, Columbus ave-
nue., Broadway and Seventh avenue lines.
Cars were running regularly on these
lines, however. The officials of the diff
ferent. lines claimed that there was not
the slightest trouble on any line except
the Second avenue line. and they said
the trouble there would be adjusted in
a little time.
A gang Of strikers gathered at the sta-
bles at Sixth avenue and Fiftieth street
and tried to get the men there out, board
ing cars as they arrived and asking the
motormen and conductors to strike Af-
ter a time squad of police arrived and
drove the strikers away. Nobody was
hurt.
A meeting was held in General Master
workman Parsons office this morning.
which lasted for three hours Parsons
pleaded with the men not to strike, but
they wanted to go out. He said it would
be of no use at such time but he could
not restrain the men. He is said to have
used strong language, telling them that
he would have nothing to do with them,
as they walked out of his Office with
the evident determination to do what they
could to tie up New York surface lines
today.
At 6 O'Clock this morning three pickets
boarded an Eighth avenue trolley car at
Forty-fourth street and tried to pull the
rnotorman off A policeman chased the
men away and the motorman took the car
on without further molestation.
There was trouble reported from the
crossing at Thirty-fourth street and
Sixth avenue and Broadway, and Captain
Titus was detailed to the square with
100 men. On arriving there he found no
trouble, but the point was SO important
that he remained awaiting further or
ders.
-Four motormen of the Madison avenue
and underground electric line tried to get
into the company's barns at Eighty
eighth street early this morning for the
purpose of influencing other men to
strike. They were arrested.
Tho strike commenced on the Eighth
avenue line early BY nine o'clock the
strikers claimed that they had ninety
men out and that others were continually
Joining them. This statement was denied
bv Superintendent Settle, who said that
only two men were absent, one of whom
had reported sick. Nevertheless there
were thirty or forty men lounging around
a block or two from the stables. These
men were in uniform and said they We're
on strike They were very orderly They
kept away from the police and when
car would go by they would call out to
the motorman and conductor In a voice
;,,sst lind nrn1Igh for the men to hear