Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-07
GOTHAM ALL ACOC
TIainmen Act on Own
Responsibility
5000 MEN ON STRIKE
Workmen on Subway and
Elevated Lines Quit.
NEW YORK CITY TODAY
MOST COMPLETE IN EARLY
STAGES OF ANY HERETOFORE.
UNIQUE Features of Walkout-No Sc
rious Disturbances Reported-Public
NEW YORK CITY TODAY
MOST COMPLETE IN EARLY
STAGES OF ANY HERETOFORE.
Unique Features Of Walkout-No Sc
rious Disturbances Reported-Public
Accepts Observation-Disclosures.

act of violence, 5000 employees on
the Subway and Manhattan elevated
lines in New York went out on a
strike at an early hour this morning.
Strike breakers were promptly
pressed into service, but their lack
OF training and knowledge OF train
appliances failed to keep up any.
train service.
The strike is the most complete OF
anv heretofore i'll the history OF the
city.
NEW YORK. March THE 5000 or moro
EMPLOYEES of the Interborough Rapid Trans
it Company. controlling the subway ana mo
Manhattan Elevated railways, went On
strike at o'clock this morning, ana ior
the first time Manhattan Island Is struS-
Cling with a labor disturbance anectihs
practically every citizen and extending IN
its effects to the remotest section of the
five boroughs.
The organization of the men was per-
feet and for the first few hours after the
word had been passed practically not
wheel turned on the great system.
But the company, too, was prepared, ana
a steamship load of strike breakers, who
had been held In the harbor for seVerai
days. were rushed to the lines, and by ire
time the first rpples of the human nood
which daily pours down the length OF Man
haitian Island had started an irregular
service was in operation in the subway
If was bettered little by little tha
10
hour the number of trains in operation had
been increased sufficiently to care for
norton of the traffic The service was ir-
regular and no attempt was made TO run
on schedule either as to time or speed, ont
nevertheless 1t carried thousands, and In
measure helped to relieve the enormous tax
on the surface lines.
Company's Greatest Effort.
Apparently the company's greatest eHoft
was directed toward maintaining the sub
way. The elevated lines were to a certain
extent left to shift for themselves, and the
service there during the forenoon was SO
insufficient and so irregular that it hardly
deserved notice.
Tn TO noon no serious disturbance had oc-
ourred. One or two minor collisions be-
tween strikers and strike breakers. few
demonstrations in stations and an occa-
sional personal alteration between the old
empIoyes and the new men was the sum
total of disorder. Each train in the under-
ground carried three and sometimes 1our
men in the motorman's box and on the rear
platform of each was a policeman In
every station a pair of uniformed men pa
trolied the platform, while at the big express
stations whose complicated system of plat
forms extends for more than a city block,
small squads of police were stationed
Plain Clothes Men on Hand.
Plain clothes men, too, were distributed
about the system at what the authorities
consider as danger points. In this respect
the strike is almost unique. The strikers
are apparently relying on persuasion and
have won over large number of the new
men. The physical conditions of the sub
way. however, are such as to make this
slow work. Access can only be obtained
to the non-union men at the station as
their trains draw in for the brief stop, and
the strikers can only work by couples ana
threes, as the police do not permit any con-
siderable number OF persons. passengers OF
employees TO loter on the platform. In
snite of the Inconvenience New Workers are
taking the situation with ph4osophie
humor
Diverted from it's usual channels the traf-1
fic poured upon the surface lines. Every
car in the barns was brought out and eV-
cry one was packed during the morning
hours Men hung On the platforms on the
lower steps and in some instances the more
daring swung from the platform rails TO the
roof and there read morning papers and
viewed the city from the unaccustomed
vantage point. But the cars were for the
masses The few sought vehicles or were
whirled down town in automobiles or pri-
vate carriages.
lxoh
Never in history has the city seen such
crush of power vehicles or private turnouts
as this morning. Lower Broadway. into
which the stream was turned below Grace
Church, resembled the park drives fine
morning. Around City Hall square automo-
biies were ranked like a park Of artillery.
their occupants preferrng to walk the rest
of the distance to the financial section
ather than creep along the constantly
blockaded streets.
So great was the congestion from his
usual ini uSh of traffic into the narrow
street that the police. mounted ANA afoot,
had a hard time to keep 1t un -angled-
Probably half million people employ
ed or have their places of business below
9th street. so with the interruption of the
rapid transit system business was slow In
getting started this morning. In many in
stances employers in automobiles reached
their offices to find not a clerk or sten0g-
rapher dependent upon public transit on
hand.
Retail Trade Affected.
The retail trade of the shopping district
CONTINUED on Eighth Pase.)