The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-11-13
SEVERAL CARS WRECKED
Many Persons Injured by
 Flying Stones.
Vicious Attacks of the Strikers In- timidate the Non-Union Men and the Tie ,n is Made
 Complete.

Chicago. Nov. I2.-Constant scenes of disorder over a district approximately | fifty square miles in extent resulted to- | day from the inauguration of a strike by the 5000 employees of one of the two prin- | clpal surface street railway companies in | Chicago. All along the lines, wherever | cars was started. strike sympathizers made desperate onslaughts on the crews. beginning at dawn today and continuing | as long as cars remained on the tracks | The tie-up was made complete. number of cars were wrecked and | that no person was killed is no fault Jf | the rioters. One man had his back l broken and the first shot of the strike was fired at Wentworth Avenue and West 69th Street, where mob of several hum dred persons tried to hold up train. Many Persons Hurt. Many persons. chiefly non-union street car men, were injured by flying stones or splintered glass. Two women were among those hurt.
 Excepting a few dozen passengers who had to flee from the cars, the 300.000 daily patrons of the company were forced to all sorts of other methods in order to get down town and back.
 With faces and hands bleeding from the attacks of the strikers, motormen, grip men and conductors who tried to run trains returned to the barns and refused to go out again unless the trains bore platoons of police or patrol wagons were alongside.
 The police confined their efforts to see- ing that the passage of cars from the barns was unobstructed and that crowds and blockades in the streets were quickly cleared. This was done under orders from Mayor Harrison, whose announced pur- pose was to preserve an impartial atti- tude, taking sides neither for nor against the strikers or the street car company. Government Intervention. Possibilities of Federal intervention un- der certain contingencies are discussed. | The situation in this aspect was outlined | today by Postmaster Coyne. He said: | Thus far there Is no cause for alarm | as to the mail service. It is true trains have been delayed, but that is not seri- ous enough to report to Washington. The l street car company owns the mail cars and by contract is obliged to run them | in separate trains and deliver mail at 1 specified points. There Is no grounds for objections against the companies sending out mail trains between passenger trains. | What else can the company do? If se- | rious delay occurs, we will report the fact to Washington and act on instructions from the Postal Department" Before nightfall President D. c. Ham,
 
 railway company. after endeavoring to operate cars. announced after u confer ence with Mayor Harrison that the att tempt would be abandoned for the day.
 Many Employees Loyal. The railway officials declare that % per cent. of their employees are loyal and that if accorded sufficient protection by the Police Department, they would be able to man and operate their cars. further al fr prnN nrI by squad of police in a patrol wagon, will. 1t is expected. be made tomorrow.
 As result of the tie-up of the surface lines, the elevated and steam roads tra- versing the trfke-bound districts were taxed to their utmost capacity. Bus lines. hacks and express wagons with impro- vised seats did a thriving business in transporting people to and from their places of business
 The strike Is the outgrowth of persist. ent efforts to secure increased wages and exclusion of non-union employees, The number of men at any time running cars was only a small fraction of the number usually at work
 The company's stationary firemen who have also presented demands on the com. pany for increased wages and to whom the trainmen look for assistance declined to go out, expressing their belief, after a conference with General Manager Mo- Culloch of the railway company. that he had not refused arbitration The fire mems committee offered it's services to the company as mediator. Whether or not the offer will be accepted has not been decided.
 Derogatory remarks regarding the union by an armed non-union employe of the company caused a riot at 36th and state streets tonight. The man was chased into the engine house nearby and before the police could reach the spot mob of 2Co6 persons surrounded the place, bowling for the life of the refugee. A squad of police men after great deal of difficulty finally quelled the disturbance and removed the man to a place of safety