The daily morning journal and courier., 1903-05-16
NEWPORT IN STATE OF RIOT
CLIMAX OF TROUBLE BETWEEN . HEADQUARTERS AND POLICE.

engagements for Calling Out the Are ttiIery and Naval Tseserves-Trouble
 tho Outcome of Dinerences Between I Two Railway Companies.
 Newport, R. l., May 15.-Mayor Boyle declared the city os Newport to be in
 state of riot at 4:SO this afternoon, as
 the climax of trouble between the police
 stationed on Broadway and a gang of
 track layers employed by the Old Col
 ony Street railway, who intended to lay
 a. switch in face of an order not to do so. ,,.
 I The riot call was sounded on the fire
 bells, the fire department was put in
 readiness to help the police, and Mayor Boyle as the commanding civil officer
 had arranged to have the Newport artil- lery and the Newport company of the lr aval reserves called. out. . l While matters looked threatening for
 a couple Of hours the danger from actual hand to hand conflict between the police and the tracklayers was not great for the reason that the fifty work men were "cared by overwhelming num- | bers, fully 5000 persons, the greater
 number being men, standing ready to
 back up Mayor Boyle and the police. ! ;rr1,+ +J,, oftxy oo,,po;I y,,nIn
 nent the mayors order issued forbidding the Old Colony Railroad company to lay the turnout.
 The Old Colony Street Railway com- pany has single track franchise to run | through Broadway. Recently the new Newport and Providence railroad was given one track franchise on the same street. The city wants the companies I to make joint use os the tracks. The companies are at loggerheads over this proposition. This week the Old Colony two and a half blocks in length. The
 mayor forbade the work, but it had pro- gressed to the point where switches l were needed to connect it with the main ! track. To-day Mayor Boyle had an of- fees stationed to stop the laying of the switch pending the council meeting. The officer was crowded by the track layers ! this afternoon and he warned the men | that they would have to lay the iron over his body, and if he were touched ar- rests would follow. When the officer found that he could not hold his posi- 1 ton he asked sor assistance and 8 squad of officers responded. Mayor Boyle and the street commissioners | were present, and when it seemed as if the track layers would be able to force the police out of the way the mayor took command and declared the city to
 be in a state Of riot. The call was sounded and all the police and reserves responded within seventeen minutes. Bremen of the fire companies respond ed to g second call, and received in structions from Chief Engineer Kerwin to have their apparatus ready for emer- gency use in event Of another call. Mayor Boyle asked Francis Burdick, the local manager of the street railway company to call off his men and obey the order forbidding the laying of the tracks. Burdick was understood to re- ply that he would not call off his men and that the switches would be laid in spite os the mayor or his order. The mayor then said that he would arrest every fireman and official and the labor CTS themselves is any further attempt was made to sorce conflict with the police. This occurred at the south end of the turnout, and the tracklayers next made an attempt to lay connection at the north end. The police again present. ed solid front. At 6:15 train of cars arrived bringing more layers and shov- ellers from Fall River. Agatn matters looked bad. but at 6:30 the workmen were called off and the night lanterns put out. indicating that for time at least the effort to lay switches had been delayed. The police are on duty on the turnout tonight.