New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-05-16

Mayor Summons Police and Firemen
TO Preve1t Track Laging.

Newport, r. l., May I5.-Mayor Boyle de-
clared the city of Newport to be in state OF
riot at 4:30 o'clock this afternoon. as the climax
of trouble between the police stationed in Broad
way and gang of track layers employed by the
Old Colony Street Railway, who intended to lay
a switch in the face of Order not to do so.
The riot call was sounded on the fire bells, the
Fire Department was placed in readiness to
help the police and Mayor Boyle, as the COM
manding civil officer had arranged to have the
Newport Artillery and the Newport company OF
the Naval Reserves called out.
While things looked threatening for two hours
the danger from actual hand to hand con-
fict between the police and the track layers was
not great, for the reason that the fifty work.
men were scared by overwhelming numbers.
fully FIVE thousand persons, the greater number
being men, standing ready to back up Mayor
Boyle and the police Tonight the City Council
made permanent the Mayors order forbidding
the Old Colony Railway Company to lay the
turnout,
The Old Colony Street Railway Company has
a single track franchise to run through Broad
way. Recently the new Newport and Provi-
dence Railway secured one track franchise IN
the same street The city wants the companies
to make joint Of the two tracks The COM
panies are at loggerheads over this proposition.
This week the Old Colony Company started lay
ing turnout, fully two and a nall Dlocks IN
length. The Mayor forbade the work. but it had
advanced to the point where switches were
needed to connect ii with the main track To-
day Mayor Boyle had a policeman stationed to
stop, the laying of the switch pending the Coun-
ell meeting. The officer crowded by the
track layers this afternoon and he warned the
men that Trey would have to lay the iron over
his body and if he were touched arrests would
follow When he found that he could not hold
his own he asked for assistance and squad of
police 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 state of riot. The
call was sounded and all the police and reserves
responded within seventeen minutes. Firemen
and received instructions from Chlet 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 reply that he would not call off his men, and
that the switches would be laid il spite OF the
Mayor or his order.
The Mayor then said that he would arrest
every foreman and official and the laborers
themselves if any further attempt were made
force conflict with the police. Ihls oc-
curred at the south end of the turnout, and the
track layers next made an attempt to lay
connection at the north end. The police again
presented solid front
At 6: 10 q train arrived bringing more layers
and shovellers from Fall River. Again things
looked bad. but at $50 the workmen were called
off and the night lanterns put out, indicating
that for a time at least, the effort to lay the
switches had been delayed. The police are on
duty the turnout tonight.