The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-01-12
GREAT STREET SPECTACLE
RIVAL RAIL LAYING ON KING
STREET.
Issues Between Tramways and Rapid
Transit Companies Reach the Physi-
cal Force Stage.

this morning discussed the subject and
issued an order to both companies to
desist from further track laying in the
disputed territory, the order to be en-
forced by the police or the National
Guard If it is disobeyed. At the same
time the Council gave notice to the
Tramways Company that If it wanted
to lay a double track it must lay one
track in the center of the street and
the other on the mauka side.
Manager Ballentyne says that in OBJ
edience to the order stopping work, he
has called off the Rapid Transit Com
pany's force of men.
-Four or five hundred people waited
two or three hours on King street be-
tween Fort and Alakea yesterday after
noon to see the denoument of the first
physical force encounter between the
Hawaiian Tramways Company and the
Honolulu Rapid Transit & Land Com
pany.
Manager Pain Of the Tramways Com
pany was the star performer in the
drama He was the one everybody was
looking at. The other dramatis per-
sonae were the Japanese and Chinese
track layers of the Tramways Company
under their foreman, and the Galician,
Portuguese and native track layers of
the Rapid Transit Company under their
foreman, generated by Manager Ballen-
tyne and Attorneys Thurston and Bal
lou.
The great outdoor spectacle of a bat
| tie for a public street began shortly
after O'Clock. The Tramways Com
pany had proceeded with It's track lay
ing in Union Square toward Fort street.
1t had reached Alakea street and in it's
advance had thrown a force of men
| across Alakea and was laying !ts track
there, rapidly approaching the section
of the Rapid Transit Company's track
| laid some months ago. Just after 3
O'Clock, Manager Ballentyne arrived at
this point with a force of laborers, cart
! loads of ties and truck loads of rails.
He took up a position along the street
and waited. Presently Attorney S. M.
Ballou came along from the Executive
building, nodded to Manager Ballen-
tyne and action began. The Rapid
Transit Companys foreman took hold
of one of the Tram Company's Japs,
pushed him off to one side of the street
and threw his pick and shovel after
| him. At this Manager Pain came up
and excitedly asked what was meant.
you'll have to go too" said Man
ager Ballentyne selling hold of Pain.
Everybody come in here he added
shouting to his men.
The lusty Galicians, Portuguese and
natives who composed his force, moved
up with alacrity as though they enjoy
ed the prospect of a scrimmage. They
mixed right in among the Japs and be-
gan work with pick and shovel right
along where the Japs were digging for
| the Tram tracks. The Japs were no
match in size for Ballentyne's men, nor
| did they apparently have the same
| stomach for fight. They were hustled
this way and that and when Ballen-
| tynes men began bringing rails and
! ties the poor Japs could find no place
either to stand or work.
Driven off at this point Pain mar
! shaled a part of his force and led them
in a forlorn hope to the other end of
the Rapid Transit Company's old sec
ton of rails, nearer Fort street and be-
gan work there. Ballentyne quickly
called up a detachment of his men and
sent them to employ the same tactics
as before at this new point of struggle.
| The tactics were as successful as be-
fore. The Japs were quickly hustled out
! of place, and were then withdrawn by
their foreman.
Pain remained to carry on the I'M
equal struggle alone. After being hus-
tied hither and thither by men carry
ing rails and ties, he finally took his
stand at a point in the line of track
laying from where it would be abso-
lutely necessary to remove him in or
der to lay one certain rail in the line.
His object was to compel the Rapid
Transit people to forcibly eject him
from the spot, a spot claimed by both
companies. He so announced his pur-
pose to Manager Ballentyne.
Whether Intentionally or not Pain
was made up for the part he was en-
acting, in a striking manner. He wore a
white duck suit and held in his hand
roll of papers that in shape and appear
ance would do very well for stage
Field MarshaPs baton.
The Rapid Transit Company's labor
ers now had the scene of action to
themselves The police kept the crowds
back to the sidewalk line on either side
so as to keep the street clear for pass
ing vehicles. The work of digging and
track laying went merrily on. The Ga
licians dug all around Pain till he was
soon standing on a little daiS of earth
not more than two feet in diameter.
The critical moment was approaching
although 1t seemed slow in coming TO
the crowds of sight seers. Finally L
could be delayed no longer. There was
rail lying right along within few
inches of Pains feet. A dozen men
TOOK mold or IL 10 DTlnB II lnto pOSltlol'
In turning it over it threatened Pains
toes. He danced a lively horn pipe to
keep his feet from under 1t and at the
same time not to give up the critical
inches upon which he was standing.
The husky track layers picked up the
rail to carry it into position. To hold
his position Pain had to struggle
against the whole weight of the rail
and the men who were carrying 1t. He
struggled CALAMITY, reckless of the dirt
that was being ground into his white
trousers. He was forced off his dais, he
regained it and was forced off again.
There was what in football parlance
would be called a "miXup," and then
the rail was in place, and Pain retired
having made it clear to some hundreds
of spectators that the Tramways Com
pany In his person had been elected
with force and arms, vi ct armis, from
the part of the street it claimed as Its
own.
The spectacle was at an end What
was done after that was plain, ordi-
nary commentator track having.