New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-05-20
NEGROES BREAK STRIKE.
Police Prevent Riotous Italians from
Doing Much Harm.

,..-.,. constructions have brought about
,vo thousand colored laborers to TINS Guy i'0-i'
MARYLAND and Virginia, and have SET thein y
work in the place Of an equal NUMBER Vi
who went on strike on May~1- Inc hesi0e
80 snnnIoved through agencies in Baltimore
-lorfalk and Richmond Most OF them aIIiNe0
sn the city On Sunday and Monday ana Ses'ei
saw a few hundred more came Yesterday Ne
--.-.c.o-s were working with nearly fun forces
on the sections of the subway which are sun IN
ccrrp,ete. The foremen said the negroes "oi
pc well as the Italian laborers-
About four thousand Italians who hao Deen
.-nrlo,-ed in the subway went strike Nearly
20 thousand of them have returned, regardless
of .be threats of the strikers who belong 10 me
italian unions. Several hundred Irishmen nave
been employed as laborers in the subway since
the strike The employment Of two thousand
negroes has been necessary TO prevent delay ID
she conpletion of the subway excavations The
contractors were confident yesterday that they
would complete their contracts on time
The Degnon-McLean company, which has the
contracts for subway work III Elm-st. and In
Fortv-seoond-st, has employed over one thou
sand negroes to take the places Of Italians En-
:zineers Of the company said yesterday that the
work Of excavating and rock drilling in Forty
second-st would be completed within three
months. In Eln-st. the work is expected to be
cornplete in five months Work on other incom-
1,lete sections Of the subway will be completed
within four months the engineers say John
b Mcdonald the chief contractor has declared
that the rapid transit railroad viii be in opera
tion about the beginning of 1903
Several Italians were arrested yesterday by
policemen along the line of the subway for at
tempting TO provoke riots and intimidate work
men. Several Of the contractors said that the
protection afforded by the police at the subway
lad been excellent The strikers have not dared
10 oppose the police at any point, but at several
places they have thrown stones at laborers in
the subway with the evident intention Of fright
ening the men away from work Italian women,
mostly wives Of strikers. have taken a hand in
The stone throwing.
The most serious case Of the kind yesterday
was at Spring and Elm SITS, where several old
buildings close to the subway are inhabited by
italian families. Many Italians, mostly women.
leaned out OF the windows Of the houses soon
after s a. II. and threw stones down into the
subway excavation where dozen Irish laborers
were at work. Nobody hurt by the mis-
siles. Policeman Hahn ran through one of the
houses and chased into the of other police
men a tall Italian who seemed TO be the ring
leader in the stone throwing The Italian was
arrested, and card in his pocket showed that
of the italian union that started the strike He
Nas taken TO the Tombs police court, fined 50
on a charge of disorderly conduct and warned
10 keep away from the subway. The police
watched the houses near Spring-st. later TO see
that no stones were thrown from the windows
Threats Of Italian strikers frightened twenty
iaborers into stopping work in the subway near
One-hundred-a nd-fourth-st in the morning. The
iaborers were Italians. and were so much scared
by the violent talk of the strikers that they
grabbed their coats and ran out Of sight Then
the police chased the strikers away.
Patrolrnan Brosenan. Of the Morrisania sta
ton took an Italian striker TO the police court
.n the morning and accused him of trying to in
.inidafe workers in the subway. He said that
when the arrest made the Italian tried 10
stab him with a large knife which had a curved
blade. The prisoner, Antonio Marino, was held
sn $500 bail for good behavior for three months.
Two Italian strikers who attempted to per-
suade a workman in the subway at Broadway
and SiXty-sxth-st- to leave work, and then
snade threats TO kill him, were arrested ana
taken to the West Side court. There they were
held in $500 bail each for trial on a charge OF
attempted assault.
Acting apparently on information that Italian
strikers would attempt to do damage to CON-
pleted sections of the subway if they had the
opportunity, the contractors have had all the
entrances TO the subway guarded by watchmen
at night. 1t was said yesterday that the police
had orders TO patrol the subway at night with
care, and not permit any Italians TO go near the
entrances. Italian strikers are known to have
possession of dynamite.
The meeting Of the strikers in their hall at No
2,229 First-ave. yesterday was attended by a
comparatively small number of men. There was
q report that their organization was fast din1in-
fishing IN numbers. Most OF the Italians who
were al the meeting distributed themselves
later along the line of the subway 10 act as
tickets.