Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-13
LIGHTS FAIL TO SHINE
employees GO ON STRIKE BUT
PLACES SOON FILLED.

Seventeen street lamplighters in the en-
ploy of the American Street Lighting Com
pany Of Baltimore, which company has the
contract for lighting the gas lamps in the
District of Columbia, refused to go to work
last evening shortly before the hour for
lighting the lamps, and a result the Luz
minaries in many parts of the city were
not discharging their functions for about
half an hour after the scheduled time Dur
ing the afternoon the members Of the union
held meeting In Costelos Hall at 9th
and G streets northwest and decided to
strike under certain conditions. A short
time later they informed Thomas NJ. Quill.
the local superintendent of the American
Street Lighting Company. of their purpose.
and he at once employed seventeen other
men TO see that the lamps of the city were
lighted.
When asked for a statement today Mr.
Quill said that the men came to him and
informed him of the action of the union.
He thereupon got other men to fill the
places of the strikers.
The time fxed in the schedule for the
lighting of the lamps is SAP o'clock at
the present season OF the year but ac-
lamps were not lighted last evening until
quite half an hour afterward In some OF
the suburban sections of the city. 1t was
also stated the lamps were not lighted
until about an hour had elapsed. but Mr..
Quill expects no further trouble from
the striking lighters.
When Mr.. Quill was asked late this
afternoon to state why the lampIighters
had resolved to strike he said that as far
as he knew they could not have possibly
had grievance against his company. 1t
| was suggested to him that the men had
possibly had few words to say to him
relative to demands, but his reply was:
II absolutely do not know a thing about
it."
Reasons Assigned.
None of the members of the union could
be located today.
prominent member of the Central Labor
Union said this afternoon. however, that
| the company In Baltimore had been op-
posed to the idea of the men organizing
labor unions. and that from time to time
| the organizers had been discharged. , He
had been Informed, he said, that the COM
mittee of the Central Labor Union which
| visited Baltimore several days ago had been
| informed that the company MANAGEMENT
| had no objections to the men organizing.
| but, he concluded: II suppose the meeting
| the lamplighters held yesterday afternoon
| marked the finale and they decided to stop
Walter c. Allen, superintendent of the
electrical department of the District of
| Columbia, stated today that he does not
anticipate any trouble on the part of strik-
ing lamplighters. His department. he
stated, has no supervision over them, they
being employed by the company having
the lighting contract. The company. he
| said, does all Of the employing and manag-
ing Of the lighters. but with a view of
taking every precaution to see that the
| street lighting of the city is protected, he.
| with the permission Of the Commissioners.
| requested Maj. Sylvester yesterday to in
| struct the police to keep particular watch
and to see that no acts Of vandalism oc-
| Cured.
Maj Sylvester had a number of extra
men on duty last night to see that all the
lamps were lighted. He explained today
that the members of the police force are
| charged with this duty at all times, and
last night the reserves in some of the pre-
| cincts were sent out, as 1t was feared
some Of the lamps might be neglected. No
| trouble was expected, he stated, and the
| members of the department who are
| charged with the responsibility of seeing
| that the lamps are attended to reported
! that the strike breakers had performed their
duty faithfully.