The San Francisco call., 1899-07-17


there is no telling how far
reaching it may become. For some
weeks past the employees of the several
lines controlled by the Brooklyn Rapid
Transit Company have been complain
ing that the management did not llVe
nm IN the ten-hour law The men de-
mand a revision of the time taoles at
the different barns and also claim that
they should be paid twenty cents an
hour for overtime, which is equivalent
10 50 a day. the price which they set
for a working day of ten hours. Meet
ings have been held daily and nightly
for the last week and it was inferred
from the reports given out by the en-
pIoyes and their advisers since Thurs
dav last that while strike was immi-
r7en+ if would not occur for some days
to come.
General Master Workman Parsons
and District Master Workman Pines
had charge of the mems affairs and a
strike was called at half-past 4 this
morning. At this hour most of the
nnotormen and conductors of the Brook
1vn 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-
r,ected TO be a stubborn fight with the
traction company. a heavy rain storm
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
Company, having maintained the regu-
lar terms with their employees, were not
inoDeded in the least, but on all other
roads transportation was stopped for
a. while and a good deal Of congestion
occurred in consequence.
shortly after midnight about 10000
r,olicemen from the precincts in Man
haitian and the Bronx districts were
conveyed to the different barns and
MANY were placed along the several
routes comprising the territory covered
by the Brooklyn Transit Company. Up
10 haIf-past 7 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.
few men refused to work, and il was
noticeable that scarcely halt-dozen
of the cars in this division were pohced.
The FIatbush and Bergen Beach cars,
the Nostrand avenue, Gates, HaIph ana
NTvrtle-avenue cars, as well as the
service in the early hours OF the day,
bIIt traffic on the old Nassau lines.
which comprise the E11tn, SeNenlll,
Park and Vanderbilt avenues ana
Douglass and Butler street Iodds' was
practically at a standstill. The men on
The Nassau road were most determined.
and not one of the motormen or con-
ductors went TO work. The cars re-
1uained idle for several hours, but by III
O'Clock one-tenth of the regular rolllng
stock was working. These cars were
manned by inspectors and linemen ana
in fact oilers and helpers were pressed
into service so as TO maintain a parliai
runnino of the system. Many OF the
old conductors and motOrmen reported
for duty on the Gates, Ralph, Broad
way, Myrtle avenue, Flushing ana
Third avenue roads, and President
Rossiter said that shortly after noon
over fifty 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 MIN
utes, which meant that the service was
cripped about One-Uhird. The heaVy
storm of the early morning was dissi-
pated about 10 o'clock and from that
hour until well on In the afternoon the
Sunday traffic, which is usually very
heavy to North Beach, Bergen Beach
and to Coney Island. filed the cars,
but the dread Of trouble or disturbance
kept hundreds Of people away from
those seaside resortsV
Shortly before noon President Rossi-
ter's private car Amperc started from
the City Hall and made a round trip
on the Traction lines. On board were
Chief Engineer Brockinridge, w. w.
Wickes, President Rossiter's private
secretary and Assistant Secretary
Van Cott. Accompanying 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