The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-07-17
Conductors and MOtOrmen Re.
fuse to Work
Without Revision Of TimetabI,
and More Pay.
RIOTING HAS BEGUN.
10tOrman Stoned and Obstruc-
tiOns Put on Track.
As Usual There Is "Nothing to
Arbitrate.


strike is on in Brooklyn. So far it has
not been as effective as the strike of
1895 but there is no telling how long or
how far-reaching it may become. For
some weeks past the employees Of Uhe
several lines controlled by the Brooklyn
Rapid Transit company have been
complaining that the management S1id
not live up to the ten-hour law. The
! men demand a revision of the time
tables at different barns, and also claim
that they should be paid 20 cents an
hour for overtime, which is equivalent
to 81 a day; the price which they set Nbr
working a day of ten hours. Meetings
have been held daily and niglsIy for
the last week and it was inferred from
the reports given out by the employees
and their advisers since Thursday last
that while a strike was imminent. 1t
would not occur for some days to come.
Grand Master Workman Parsons and
District Master Workman Pines had
charge of the mems affairs and a strike
was called at 4:30 Sunday morning. At
that hour most of the mOtOrmen and
conductors on the Brooklyn Traction
cOmpany's lines had completed their
night trips and the leaders decided that
this was the most oppOrtune moment
to begin what was expected to be a
stubborn fight with the traction COM
pany.
A heavy rain storm was in progress
passenger traffic. The Smith street.
Franklin avenue and Hamilton ferry
lines which are controlled by the Coney
Island Railroad company having main
tanned the regular terms with their en-
ployes, were not impeded in the least,
but on all other roads transportation
was stopped for awhile, and a good deal
Of congestion occurred in consequence
Shortly after midnight about 1000 po-
Hcemen from the precincts in Manhat-
tan and the Bronx districts were con-
veyed to the different barns, and many
were placed along the several routes
comprising the territory covered by the
Brooklyn Traction company. Up to half
past o'clock there were very few cars
run over these lines. and those that
were sent out from the different barns
were pOliced by two, three and four con-
stables.
On the Putnam avenue line only a few
men refused to work and it was notable
that scarcely half a dozen OF the cars
on this division We're pOliced. The Flat
bush and Bergen Beach cars, the Nos
trand avenue, Gates, Ralph and Myrtle
avenue cars, as well the Third ave
nue. trolley, showed a meager service
in the early hours of the day, but traf-
fc on the old Nassau lines, which COM
prise the Fifth, Seventh, Park and Van
derbilt avenues, and Douglass and But
Ter streets roads, was practically at a
standstill.
The men on the Nassau road were
most determined. and not one of the
The cars remained idle for several
hours, but by 10 o'clock about One-tenth
of the regular rolling stock was works
ing. These cars were manned by in
spectOrs and linemen, and, in fact, oilers
and helpers were pressed into service
so as to maintain partial running of
the system Many of the old cOnduc-
tors and mOtermen reported for duty on
the Gates Ralph, Broadway, Myrtle
avenue, Flushing and Third avenue
roads, and President Rossiter said
shortly afternoon over so per cent of the
old hands were at work on these lines
Later in the afternoon the cars on the
latter roads were running at intervals
Of ten minutes, which meant that the
service was crippled about One-third.
The heavy storm of the early morn
ing was dissipaed about 10 o'clock and
from that hour until well on in the af-
ternoon the Sunday traffic, which is
usually very heavy to North Beach.
Bergen Beach and COney Island, filed
the cars, but the dread of trouble or dis
turbance kept hundreds of people away
from those seaside resorts. Shortly be-
fore noon President ROssiter's private
car Ampere started from the city hall
and made a round trip.
On board were Chief Engineer Breck-
inridge w w. WickeS President ROs-
siter's private secretary and Assistant
Secretary Vancott. Accompanying
these were headquarters Detectives
Reynolds, Harrington, Gray and Stod-
dard. The Ampere, after running to
the Flushing extension, went up Nos
trand avenue to Bergen Beach and re-
turned down Flatbush avenue, whence
it ran to COney Island. Coming back
from Coney Island the presidents car
Travelled over the Fifth avenue route,
and as it neared Twenty-third street
and Fifth avenue, those on board found
their further progress impeded by a.
stalled car near the Fifth avenue barn.
Here a crowd of some 500 people, many
of whom were women and children, had
cOngregated, and the mOtorman of the
A Howard
ed by several men who were strikers or
in sympathy with them.
The mOtOrman received some nasty
bruises on the head. Secretary Wicks
was one of the first to run to the mans
assistance, and he was finally rescued
from the mob. Six arrests were made,
Throughout the afternoon bOulders and
large pieces of granite were taken from
a nearby yard and placed on the tracks
in the vicinity of Greenwood cemetery,
and the cars came along at intervals
of twenty and thirty minutes. Their
further progress was considerably de-
layed until these instructions were re-
moved No sooner did the cars pass
than the bOulders were laid on the
tracks again, and the police were I'M
able to stop the efforts of the obstruc-
tionists. During the day 300 additional
police were sent over from New York,
and a close watch was kept all along
Brooklyn bridge to see that no person
could interfere with the trolley wires
the Brooklyn police headquarters was
the partial destruction of the feed cable
on Flatbush avenue. but a score of
linemen soon repaired this in a tenn
pOrary manner, which sufficed to re-
open the line Late IN the afternoon
a conference was held at police head
quarters Among those present were
Police Commissioners York Hess and
Sexton; Chief Of Police Devery, Deputy
Chiefs Mclaughlin of Manhattan and
Mcclellan, of Brooklyn, and President