The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-03-09
Travelling Public Continues to
Experience Much Trouble
In Reaching New YOrk's Down
Town Districts.
THEY HANG ON OUTSIDE
Every Inch of Space Occupied
on Cars That Move.
Heavy Guards Maintained at the
Power Houses.

New York, March 9.--With the open
ing of the third day of the Interborough
trainmen's strike there appeared to be
marked Improvement of the operation
of trains in the subway Otherwise
little change was noted. Traffic on the
east side elevated lines, Second and
Third avenues, was almost at a stand
still In fact no trains whatever were
operated during the early hours on the
Second avenue line. while on Third ave
nue. where an attempt was made to
resume the service something went
wrong and for half an hour at a time no
trains passed given point
Quite a number of trains were in
operation on the Sixth avenue line OF
the West side system, but at times
there were long delays and the plat
forms up town were crowded. On the
surface lines the jam that has pre-
vailed morning and night since Monday
was in evidence. Every inch of space
in the southbound cars was taken while
boys hung on by the window lodges and
supported themselves in precarious po-
sitions by placing their feet on the
narrow rails above the bottoms of the
cars.
Conditions were quite favorable to the
company in the subway towards which
their greatest efforts were aimed.
Trains were moving four to eight
minutes apart on the local tracks before
the express trains were started. The
system was well patronized, but pas
sengers manifested a disposition to
avoid the first and last cars.
Only isolated disturbances occurred
during the night and were limited to a
few hstic encounters on elevated trains.
Heavy guards are being maintained
about thre power houses to prevent any
AA--~- -
the engineers and hremen so vital in the
cOmpany's operations. It has been de-
cided by the strikers executive commit
tee to ask the courts for an injunction
compelling the InterboTough manage
ment to restore emergency brake cords
and other safety appliances alleged to
have been removed from many cars
when the strike was declared In event
I of the company's failure to restore these
appliances the strikers declared they
would ask the city authorities to in
\ terfere also.
While General Manager Hedley states
that fifty old men have returned to
their work, the strike leaders declare
not a man has deserted. During the
night the ranks Of the strike breakers
were increased by $50 men who were
taken under guard to car barns in
Harlem.
Considerable sickness is reported
among the men sheltered in the barns
A hospital physician who was called IN
the night to attend Frank Wittenberg,
of Philadelphia, found him suffering
from epilepsy. After treating Witten-
berg. who he thought would soon re
cover, the physician asserted that
among the 500 men in the barn at least
fifty were in need of medical attend
ance. They We're, he said, suffering
from diseased threats, fevers. colds or
grippe, aggravated by the conditions
under which they were living.
Uptown New Workers had less trOu-
Bile in reaching their places of business
in the lower end of the island today
than any time since the strike began.
Although the interborOugh company
had made preparations to pay of
three thousand strikers today and had
notified the men to come for their pay.
not one of the strikers put in an ap-
pearance. The leaders of the strike
movement took the attitude of the
men in this respect as proving their
loyalty to the cause of the strikers.
Samuel Gompers, president of the
American Federation of Labor; John
Mitchell, president of the United Mine
Workers of America, and vice pl esi-
dent of the American Federation Of
Labor: Thomas J. Kidd, a vice presl-
dent of the American Federation Of
Labor and William d. MahOn, presi-
dent of the international Association
of Electric and Street Railway En-
ployes. met today for a conference
Mr. Mitchell and Mr. Gompers are
member of the National Civic FEEDER
alton.
Before leaving the hotel both Mr..
Gompers and Mr.. Mitchell denied that
they came to New York in connection
with the street car strike.