The Topeka state journal., 1905-03-07

which was to expire last Wednesday
When Wednesday came, however, the
union officials declare that the promise
OF the officials of the company was vio-
lated and that the new schedule was
not accepted and that General Manager
He6ley declined to give any satisfaction
to the committee of the union which
called upon him. They also say that
when an effort was made to reach Pres
ident Belmont in connection with the
alleged failure to submit the new sched-
ule it was found that Mr.. Belmont was
out OF the city to remain indefinitely
and that he could not be reached; even
in the face of all this the union Off
Gals declared as late as yesterday that
ures being taken The employees be-
Heved up to yesterday that a strike
might be averted if they could reach
Mr.. Belmont, who is president of the
National Civic fedora tion.
Streets BiocI1aded.
Every car in the barns was brought
out and every one was packed during
the morning hours. But the cars were
for the masses. The few sought We
hicles or were whirled down town in auto
mobiles or private carriages. Never in
history has the city seen such a crush
of power vehicles or private turnouts
as this morning. Lower Broadway, into
which the stream was turned below
Grace church, resemb1ed the park drives
on a fine morning. Around City Hall
square automobiles were ranked like a
park of artillery, their occupants pre-
ferring to walk the rest of the distance
rather than creep along the constantly
b1ockaded streets. So great was the
congestion from this unusual inruSh of
traffic into the narrow street that the
police mounted and on foot had a hard
time to keep it untangleds Probably
half a million people are employed or
have their places of business below
Ninth street so with the interruption of
the rapid transit system, business was
slow in getting started this morning.
Women shoppers hesitated to make use
of the subway or elevated. This meant
a poor days business and although diff
fcult to estimate, the monetary loss to
storekeepers must be represented by
large numbers
An incident of the morning was a
rumor that troops had bean called out
to preserve order, but this was found to
have originated in the presence of
marching body of militia hOmeWard
bound from the inauguration.
Hundreds of nonunion men applied
for employment today and during the
forenoon the officials announced that
about $50 had been hired Many were
turned away because they were in
competent About SO of the strike
breakers brought here from the west
refused to go to work. They said
they had been engaged to work as
motormen but were asked to act as
guards. The union men claim that
many other strike breakers have been
won over
AS each train reached the uptown
terminal the leaders called the men
out from the trains and sent them
over to the steamer Northam for their
baggage. The men then went to the
strikers headquarters and told the
union men of what. they had done
Business Affected.
Business in the financial district was
materially affected by the strike At
the stock exchange scarcely more
than half the regular number of mem
berS were in attendance at the open
ing and practically the same condi-
tions obtained at the other exchanges.
Interborough stock opened at 205, a
point below yesterdays close. Man
haitian was unchanged while Metro
poIitan Street railway and Metropoli
tan securities were slightly higher.
Soon after the opening, however, all
these stocks became heavier and rath-
er dull.
H B. May, vice president of the
Anal 1gamated Association of Electric
and Street Railway Employees, in
formal statement issued this after
noon, said that action would be taken
at once to call out the men of the en-
gineerS and 6remen electric and ec-
centric union who are employed in the
power houses of the subway.
''When this union is called OUT
says the statement, iii will mean a
complete tie UP of the subway sys-
tenn
What Belmont Says.
Palm Beach. Fla. March 7-NIr. Aug
ust Belmont, who is a guest here, said
today that he saw no necessity for mis-
return to New York on account of the
strike.
THE company has matters well in
hand,'' said Mr.. Belmont, land is am
ply prepared to meet the situation. The
action of the men has been precipitate
and without due regard for their obli-
cations to the public which they do not
seem to have regarded as obligations in
every sense equal to those of the own
ers of the transportation lines to say
nothing of their duty to a corporation
which has treated them literally ard
fairly