The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-07-17
STRIKE IS ON
Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company
Tied Up.
REDRESS OF GRIEVANCES
demanded by the Employes-Rossiter's
Car Stoned-He Says His Oars
Will Be Burning Full
Time Monday.


on in Brooklyn. So far it has not been
as effective as the strike of 1895, but
there lis no telling how far-reaching it
may become. For some weeks past the
employees of the several lines controlled
by the Brooklyn Rapid Transit COM
pany have been complaining that the
management did not live up to the 10
hour law The men demand revision
| of the time tables at the different barns
and also claim that they should be paid
20 cents an hour for overtime, which
is equivalent to 50 a day. the price
which they set for working day of 10
hours. Meetings have been held daily
and nightly for the last week and it was
inferred from the reports given out by
the employees and their advisers since
| Thursday last that while strike was
imminent, 1t would not occur for some
days to come. ,.a
General Master Workman Parsons
and District Master Workman Pinos
had charge of the mems affairs and a
strike was called at half-past O'Clock
this morning. At this hour most of the
| motormen and conductors of the Brook
| lyn Traction company's lines had COM
pleted their night trips and the leaders
| decided that this was the most oppor-
tune moment to begin what was ex-
! pected to be a stubborn fight with the
| traction company. A heavy rainstorm
was in progress at this time and there
was very little passenger traffic. The
Smith street, Franklin avenue and
Hamilton ferry lines, which are con-
trolled by the Coney Island Railroad
yipp inf a he
lar terms with their employees, 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-
liceman from the precincts in Manhat-
tan and the Bronx districts were con-
veyed to the different barns and many
We're placed along the several routes
comprising the territory covered by the
Brooklyn Traction company, Up to
haif-past O'Clock there were very few
cars run over those lines and those that
were sent out from the different barns
were policed by two, three and four
constables.
On the Putnam avenue line only a
few men refused to work, and it was
notable that scarcely half dozen of
the cars in this division were policed.
The Flatbush and Bergen Beach cars.
the Nostrand avenue, Gates, Ralph and
Myrtle avenue cars, as well as the
Third avenue trolley. showed a meager
service in the early hours of the day,
but traffic on the old Nassau lines
which comprise the Fifth, Seventh,
Park and Vanderbilt avenues and
Douglass and Butler street roads, was
practically at a standstill.
The men on the Nassau road were
most determined. and not one of the
motormen or conductors went to work
The cars remained idle for several
hours, burt by 10 o'clock about one-tenth
of the regular rolling stock was work.
ing. These cars were manned by in
spectors and linemen and, in fact, OIL
ers and helpers were pressed into serv-
ice so as to maintain a partial running
of the system. Many of the old con-
6uctors and motormen reported for
duty en- the Gates, Ralph, Broadway.
Myrtle avenue, Flushing and Third ave-
nue. roads. and President Rossiter said
that shortly after noon 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 in
tervals of 10 minutes, which meant
that the service was crippled about
one-third.
The heavy storm Of the early morning
was dissipated about 10 o'clock and
from that hour until we'll on in the aft
usually very heavy to Borth Beach,
Bergen Beach and to Coney Island,
filed the cars. but the dread of trouble
or disturbance kept hundreds of peo-
pie away from those seaside resorts.
Shortly before noon President Rossi-
ter's private car Ampere started from
the city hall and made round trip on
the traction lines. On board were Chief
Engineer Breckenridge, w. w. Wickes,
President Rossiter's private secretary,
and Assistant Secretary Vancott. Ac-
companying these were Headquarters
Detectives Reynolds Harrington. Gray
and Stoddard.
The Ampere. after running to the
Flushing extension, went UP Nostrand
avenue to Bergen Beach and returned
down Flatbush avenue, whence it ran
to Coney Island. Coming back from
Coney Island, the presidents car trav-
eled 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 crowd of some 500 people, many
of whom were women and children, had |
congregated and the motorman of the
Ampere. Howard Jackson, was at
tackled by several men who We're either
strikers or in sympathy with them. The
motorman received some nasty bruises
on the head and legs.
Secretary Wickes was one of the first
to run to the mans assistance and he
was finally rescued from the mob. Six
arrests were made and the track was
soon cleared
Throughout the afternoon powders
and large pieces of granite were taken
from nearby yard and placed on the
tracks in the vicinity of Greenwood |
cemetery and the cars came along at
intervals of 20 and 80 minutes The |
further progress was delayed until these |
obstructions were removed. No sooner |
did the cars pass than the powders |
were laid on the tracks again and the |
police were unable to stop the efforts |
of the obstructionists.
During the day 800 additional police |
were sent over from New York and a |
close watch was kept all along the |
Brooklyn bridge to see that no person
could interfere with the trolley wires.
The only cutting of wire reported to |
the Brooklyn police headquarters was
the partial destruction of the fead "a hla