Waterbury Democrat., 1903-02-23
THE LIGHTS REFUSED TO BURN.
Strike of mmers Left the City in Darkness Last Night and Early
This Morning-Car Crew Roughly Handled in Watervlle-
Strikers Issue Daily Statement on This, the Forty
Fourth Day of the Strike.

w
lights will be out tonight. The trim
mers had a conference with superln-
tenderlt Meth and Manager Sewell Sat
urday night, but nothing came of 1t.
Mr. Meth was willing to make some
concessions, but these We're long
way from what the men wanted and
failing to come to an understanding
they decided to go out and between
fifty and seventy-five of the arc lights
In different parts OF the city followed
suit last night. Foreman Smith, with
one. "groundhog," this being the name
applied to the men who operated on
the earth, worked like beavers oil day
yesterday and trimmed as many of the
lights as they could reach, but OF
course they were not able to put the
whole of them In working order. Some
Of the lights went out early in the
evening and more burned until about
/ o'clock in the morning. The police
reported about fifty or sixty not burn
Ing, but it is not at all likely that the
officers saw all the dark spots. The
contract provides that each light shall
burn from dusk until dawn, so that 1t
is safe to state that the company will
have to do better than that If 1t de-
sires to keep faith with The city. The
company gets 500 for each light. The
present contract expires on March l
of the present year.
Things were quiet over, Saturday
night and Sunday, but this was not the
fault of the strike breakers, many of
and approximations to get into trouble.
Saturday night one of them insulted
crowd of girls at the corner Of East
Main street and Exchange place and
when told to mind his own business
by bystander he got off his car and
walked over to the crowd, cursing and
swearing at everybody, and inquiring
If there was anybody there who had
sssand" enough to give him a .go."
One Of the bus men, gave him a John
L. Sullivan punch in the jaw and laid
him out Others We're ready to finish
the Job and would have attended to
1t in double quick time had it not been
for the presence of an officer. 1t
seems to be generally believed that a
strike breaker who leaves his car and
goes onto the sidewalk to look for
fight Is fooling with fire. 1t was re-
ported that another Farleyite engaged
in slugging match with two young
Eters In front of the City hail build
ing about midnight and gave good
account Of himself, but people who
were In that neighborhood at that time
say they saw nothing OF 1t.
Last evening a few lights Of glass
We're smashed in a south bound car
near Smith & Grlggs' shop and the mo-
torman Is said to have been knocked
out by a crack of a stone.
The buses did a land Office business
all day yesterday and to-day they are
having all they can swing into. The
strikers held their regular meeting
yesterday and received their wages.
The session was very harmonious and
the announcement was made that not
withstanding that the strike was on
over nearly six weeks. the funds are
on the increase so that there Is no dan.
ger of collapse on either side for
want OF the sinews or war The meet.
Ing this forenoon was attended by the
trimmers and llnernen, thus strength
ening the ranks of the trolleymen by
about twenty recruits. The trimmers
and linemen, like the motormen and
conductors, are all bright, active fel
lows, and the company will lool
around long time before 1t secures
help to fill their places. 1t Is very
difficult to secure good linemen ant
trimmers and 1t is said that Water.
bury had about the best the market af
fords. The only trouble about tht
trimmers was that they were over
worked. They had to trim sixty o.
seventy lamps day, and those wht
understand the business claim that this
Is more than man can attend to ant
give satisfactory results.
f. ID. Graves, the manufacturer o.
Judges Cave cigars, says the stor!
that he rode on the trolley cars in thii
city is base falsehood. He sent al
OF his customers in this city, Nauga
tuck and Union City a notice Saturda!
offering 500 to the strikers IL the maj
who claims he saw him on the car
will come forward and prove his state
ment.
seThis is the forty-fourth day of tn
strlke,'' said man to a reporter thi
morning, 'sand yet the cars have no
gone any farther than Wolcott stree
on the East Main street line. II the
are obliged to run on all the other line
why not on that? / don't know hoy
many want it, but 1t looks rathe
cheeky to take Scent fare from
passenger and drop him off when yo
get him about half the distance th
company agrees to carry him."
A woman living on the Watertow
goad the other evening saw the GREY
in charge OF a car deliberately brea
some of the windows with the motc
lever The place where the tncider
took place is lonely and dark and ev
IDENTIFY the men thought they were Ill
seen. The sudden stopping of the ca
aroused the woman's attention. Thlnl
ing something had happened to cause
to suddenly stop she looked out an
saw the men deliberately get off til
car. stand together and apparent
speak for a moment or two, and the
one of them reached up and with IL
motor lever knocked in the glass In tW
of the windows. The woman WI
asked why she did not let the me
know they were observed and she r