Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1908-04-17
RIOTS AT CHESTER
Striking Trolley Employees Clash
With Police.
STRIKE-BREAKERS ON SCENE
Crowd Charged State Police and Shot
Horse From Under officer-Several
Persons Hurt, None Dangerously.
More Trouble Expected.

Chester. Pa. April 15.-The situa-
ton in the street car strike here re-
mains unchanged. No cars have been
run since Monday and there has been
little disorder. The state constabulary,
which was ordered down from the bar
racks at Reading to protect property
and cope with the angry strike sympa-
thizers. left the city, and the local au.
thOrities have taken steps to strength
en- their police force.
What seems to have incensed the
strikers more than anything else is
the fact that where the lines of the
Chester Traction company come in
contact with the lines of the Philadel.
phia Rapid Transit company the CheE
ter employees find that they are receiv
ing, under their reduced wages, about
fifty cents a day less than the men
with whom they come in contact and
who are doing about the same amount
Of work. The Philadelphia Rapid
Transit company pays twenty-Ona
cents an hour, and the Chester EN-
ployes were cut from eighteen TO six
teen and two-third cents an hour.
Mondays trouble started when the
strikers, with a lot OF sympathizers, pre-
pared to stop the running OF any cars
by strike-breakers. The first car out
of the barn was stoned by the strikers
and every window in it was broken.
This absolutely tied up every line OF
cars in Chester, including the South.
western trolley line to Philadelphia
The strikers congregated near the
trolley barns on Edgemont avenue, do
termined not to let the strike-breakers,
who they say we're sheltered in the
barns, operate any cars. While the
strikers held themselves in readiness
to prevent the operation of cars a de
tachment of twenty state police, in
command of Captain GrOome, came
upon the scene. Their appearance
reused the ire of the strikers and the
officers were stoned and rushed by the
mob. Lieutenant Charles Feurstein
was struck on the back Of the head
by stone and rendered unconscious
but he was not dangerously hurt. His
co-workers came to his rescue and the
strikers and their friends were driven
back.
The strikers declared there was no
necessity for calling out the constabu-
larry. and that the local police. it was
said. could cope with the situation.
Several times during the day the
mounted men were compelled to
charge the crowds to drive them back
and there were incipient riots. but the
worst disturbance came at nightfall,
when the strikers. augmented by sew
eral thousand men and women, charg
ed the mounted state police. A number
of shots were fired, and a horse be-
longing to Private Sullivan was shot
from under him and killed. Louis
Dunn. a civilian, was ridden down by
one of the troopers and seriously in
jured. To add to the excitement, some
one turned in an alarm of fire, and
the engines came changing through the
crowded streets, driving the people
right and left. The crowd hooted the
and declared that they
would drive them out of town. The
mounted men drove their horses into
the throng and arrested half dozen
men. The iremen were instructed to
turn the water on the strikers, and
they were finally subdued.
The strike was precipitated by the
Traction company announcing a 10
per cent reduction in wages, but for
some time the trolley men say they
have been subject to a lot Of petty
orders affecting them in their work
and they have the sympathy Of many
people.