Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1903-11-19
BIG CHICAGO STREET
CAR STRIKE IS On
Employees Of the Chicago City
Railway Quit to Enforce
Wase Demands.
DISORDER
Physician Said to Have Refused to At
tend a Motorman Who Was In.
jured Because He Was Not
a Union Member.

Chicago. Nov. 1A.-Constant scenes
Of disorder over Il district approx
mately fifty square miles in extent re-
suited yesterday from the Inaugural
.ion of a strike by the employees of one
OF the two principal surface street rail-
way companies in Chicago. All along
the lines. wherever cars We're started,
strike sympathizers made desperate
~onslaughts on the crews, beginning at
dawn of day and continuing as long as
cars remained on the tracks. The tie
up was made complete.
a number of cars were wrecked, n
that no person was killed is no fault of
the rioters. one man had his back
broken, and the first shot of the strike
was fired at Wentworth avenue n
West SiXty-ninth street. where a mob
of several Eundred persons tried to
hold up Il train.
Many persons. chiefly %non-union street
car men. were injured by flying stones
or splintered glass. Two women We're
among these hurt.
Excepting a few dozen passengers who
had to flee from the cars. the 100000 daily
patrons of the company were forced to
all sorts of other methods in order to
get dow tom and back.
With faces and hands bleeding from
the attacks of the strikers motorrnen.
gripmen 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.
Chicago, Nov. Nov. 14.-At 4 O'Clock
Thursday all the union employees of the
Chicago City Railway quit
work and say they will remain idle
until the company consents to arbitrate
the issue that brought on the strike.
Few cars without passengers started
out early today. manned with nom
union crews, but they had not pro-
ceeded far before they We're attacked
by crowds and blockaded by trucks
and delivery wagons, the trainmen
ma!treated and car windows broken
by stones.
Cars carrying mail were not mo-
Tested. Mayor Harrison has issued a
proclamation warning citizens to keep
off the streets along the line of the
city railway inc all police reserves are
held in readiness for emergencies, with
general orders to remain in reserve
and take no part in the strike unless
ordered, n then only to protect
property. over 200 police were sent to
the various car barns today.
AT Forty-seventh street a cable car
was derailed by a horseshoe being
wedged in the slot. The gripman was
injured by the shock and removed to
a drug store. A physician called to
attend him is said to have inquired IL
he had a union button. On receiving
a negative reply he said:
Take him to the barns; they will
attend to him ahere." and refused to
examine the gripman's injuries.
1t 500 became apparent that deter
mined efforts were being made by the
company to break the strike at its in
ception.- Passenger. cars quickly fol-
lowed those carrying mail, but We're al
most invariably empty. Patrons APP
parently preferred to walk or to make
long detours to the steam and elevated
lines rather than risk injury. The
first car on the Wentworth avenue line
carried a few women. The strikers
say the women We're put there by the
company to test the attitude of the I'M
ion towards passengers. The cars were
promptly blockaded by teamsters at
Van Buren, street.
The strike was ordered at an early
morning mass meeting with only four
dissenting votes. and is to enforce a
demand for a rs per cent. increase and
recognition of the union. Three thou
sand employees are involved and 22O
miles OF surface trackage.
Fear Call for Troops.
The union officials, fearing interior
cnce with the operation of the mail
service would result ~ calling troops
from Fort Sheridan o protect the cars,
instructed the motormen on mail cars
to report for duty as usual. 1t is said
that when they reported to the barns the
bosses insisted they must take off their
union buttons if they intended to work.
Many refused to do this.
Vehicles of all kinds were pressed into
service and were we'll patronized. The
steam and elevated systems are badly
congested. The first train on the Cot
tage Grove avenue line succeeded in
making a round trip. but it is said the
crew deserted wnen h barns were
reached. The worst disorder of the
early hours was at Clark and Van Bur-
en- streets, where Two Wentworth aven-
ue cars, followed by mail cars, were
blockaded; on the rear passenger car
q mar believed to be Boss Farrell. a
strike breaker, rode beside the motor
man fiourishing a revolver. Bricks
thrown from the crowd struck the arm
holding the weapon, but did not dis
able 1t.
Ask for Protection.
One by one the stalled cars broke
through the blockades. and upon CIV
ing assurance hat they would run the
cars back to the barns the crews were
allowed to proceed. Near'v every car
returned with its windows shattered
and plentifully Uttered with missiles OF
every description. The police in many
instances were OF the platforms Of the
cars and frequently found 1t necessary
to draw their clubs N drive the
crowds back.
d. q. Hamilton. president of the City
Railway company, called at the may.
or's office with a request hat the police
escort the cars. The mayor gave assur.
ance that the police would protect lives
and property but referred to Chief OF
Police O'Neill the requests that the
police ride on the cars. 1t is under.
stood arrangements were made for es.
corts in patrO wagons.
The bremen employed by the com
pany in the various powerhousss de.
cided to remain at work. They declared
themselves convinced that McCullou9f
had not rejected arbitration. and they
expected to secure advantageous terms
from the company.
EDlcr.