Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1899-05-10
STREET CAR STRIKE.
Very funny Experiences of the
City of Wheeling


she First one to Ride There for More
Than MOnth--AlI Businens is Para
iyzed-Strike May be Settled To-day.
There is every prospect that the
street car strike in Wheeling, which
has tied up travel and business in
that city for longer than a month,
will be settled to-day by arbitration
The Chamber of Commerce and rep
resentatiyes of the labor unions have
been at work for several days trying
to adjust the differences between the
company and employees and will
make their report this evening and
there is little doubt of it's acceptance
by the strikers.
There are only eighty men en-
ployed by the street car company,
but they have succeeded in com
pletely tying up travel. The union
labor organizations at the outset
went to their assistance and by
Threatening to boycott the business
and professional men of the city
have made the whole population
afraid to get on the cars.
The New DOMINION reporter called
this morning on attorney Edgar
Stewart, who had just returned from
Wheeling where he went on business
connected with the suit against tue
Battelle Oil Company, and asked
him about the strike.
1T is very amusing to the visitor,
but is becoming great nuisance to
the citizens, said Mr.. Stewart.
They think that way about it too
Every business or professional man
with any business or practice is
afraid to get on the cars and when
they leave home in the morning give
instructions to their wives to keep
off. As consequence the better
halves are put to great inconven-
fence. | saw scores OF them at mar
ket carrying heavy baskets and wear
ing expressions which BODIED no good
to the strikers"
But is there no way to get about
she town? asked the reporter.
ooh, yes. The greatest lot of old
.arks and shays you ever saw are
running on the streets. The union"
men have gathered in old nags that
were turned out to die twenty years
ago and hitched them to these turn
outs and they stand at every corner
importuning you to ride. If you
have any sympathy for the strikers
before you lose it all, after ride in
one of these. They make about two
miles an hour Most of them have
no springs and the passenger feels
as if he had chronic rheumatism
when he gets out. Still, they do
big business. The men have the
sympathy of the people and they are
helped along in every possible way.
Does everybody stay off the cars?
Eyes. 1t would be business sui
eide to ride. Besides, most people
have respect for their anatomies and
these would be subjected to rude
treatment if they were seen out in the
given 9 ducking in the Ohio one night
last week. He tried to get on at
Martins Ferry but was yanked off. |
took chance on Saturday and the
conductor told me | was the first
passenger the company had hauled
for month. 1t was after the ball
game on the Island. Now the ball
grounds are twenty minutes walk
from the hotel part Of the city and |
had walked over with a friend, who
had told me it was only short dis
lance. After the game [ decided to
take chance rather than take anoth-
er twenty minute walk, so / got on.
There was big crowd standing
around the car and Immediately there
was buzz of comment. The con-
ductor told me to keep my nerve, so /
braced up and read score card, while
they poked jibes aud jeers at me. |
saw one fellew with kodak taking a
shot at me. One striker said they
would never do any more business in
Wheeling. | told him | never want
ed to do business in a town that car
ried its citizens around in such arks
as they had. The car was long
time in starting-so it seemed to me.
/ read the score card over six times
in order to appear at ease. Finally
we started back to Wheeling. All
along the route | could see little
groups of people nudging one another
to call attention to man riding in a
street car. | got out of Wheeling on