Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-07-20

WHOLE CITY POLICE FORCE ON
DUTY.
NEW YORK, July 19.-Without au-
thority from the labor organization of
which they are a part, motormen on the
surface electric lines of the Metropol-
itan Street Railway Company have pre-
cipitated strike in Manhattan. The
cruits and the lines of the company
have been considerably embarrassed.
No attempt has been made to tie up
the Broadway cable line and its various
branches. The Second avenue line is
affected most by the movement of the
men. The Sixth avenue line has been
working vigorously to tie up the Mad
ison, Eighth, Lenox and Amsterdam
avenues, and the Twenty-third, Fifty
ninth and One Hundred and Sixteenth
lines.
President Vreeland, of the Metropoli-
tan Street Railway Company, declares
there is no strike and defies anybody
to tie up the company's lines.
Practically all of the police in Man
haitian borough are now on duty in
connection with the strike. The night
shifts were held when they returned
from their posts this morning, and most
were kept in the stations as reserves.
Large details of blue coats were sent to
the car barns and scattered along the
streets likely to be the scene of disorder
in connection with the tie-up.
The strike was not authorized by the
labor leaders. Some of the more en-
thusiastic men who attended the Coop
er Union meeting last night got to-
gether and decided that the only thing
to do was to strike. They formed
themselves into a committee and went
to the Second avenue car 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 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
them to quit work.
A meeting was held in General Mas
ter Workman Parsons office this morn
ing, which lasted for three hours. Par
sons pleaded with the men not to strike,
but they wanted to go out. He said
it would be of no use at such a time,
but he could not restrain the men and
he is said to have used strong language,
telling them that he would have moth
ing to do with them.
AT 6 o'clock this morning three pick
cts boarded an Eighth avenue trolley
car at Forty fourth street and tried to
pull the motorman off. A policeman
chased the men away. Four motormen
of the Madison underground electric
line tried to get into the company
barns at Eighty eighth street early this
morning for the purpose of influencing
other men to strike. They were ar
rested
The strike on the Eighth avenue line
commenced early. By 8 o'clock the
strikers claimed they had 80 men out
and that others were continually join
ing them. This statement was denied
by Supt. Settle, who said that only two
men were absent, one of whom had re-
ported sick
Four hundred policemen were scat
tered about the immediate vicinity of
the stable. They prevented any man
not at work from being near the sta
ble
The strike spread to the Sixth av-
enue line of the Metropolitan Com
pany, where a number OF motormen
quit work. The conductors refused
to strike.
An attempt was made to get the
men on the Madison avenue line TO
strike but most of these men were re-
luctant to quit their cars unless the
strike was to spread to the other
lines.
On the Second avenue line only ten
cars were made on the night schedule.
This is less than one-third of the US
ual number. This road employees SOC
men and during the busiest hours OF
the day runs from $50 to 200 cars.
A motorman of the Second avenue
line was taking a car through One
Hundred and Second street about
o'clock when he was set upon by
number of strikers. He was saved
from serious injury by the arrival OF
the police.
Along Second avenue truckmen
showed their sympathy with the strik-
ers by deliberately keeping their
trucks in front of cars so that the
motormen could not run as fast as
they wanted to. The truckmen delay
ed the cars as much as possible until