The Washington herald., 1916-03-06
Car Service Badly Crippled
AS Strike Gets Under Way
Companies Press In Clerks and Switch Cleaners as Condc-
tors in Effort to Maintain Schedule-Little Disorder
Appears-Cars Interned for Night

The man gave his name.
What is your first name?"
The motorman paused and then in
CURED:
Who arc you. anyhow
Herald reporter"
) As though struck by q bullet the young
man whlrled on his heel and disappeared
through the door.
Another motorman entered.
They're coming up" he said. The
whole bunch OF them are coming up the
track"
And I'D the track they came-a gang Of
twenty-five or fifty strikers. just return
ing from the mass meeting at Typo
graphical Temple. They walked the
track. They had little green strike but
tons pinned on their overcoat lapels. As
an occasional car passed they hooted and
teered and banged with their fists on the
side of the car. "scabr" they shouted.
The total number on the roll at this
barn under ordinary circumstances Is
lOS.' said Dan RItnour. captain OF the
strikers committee. "Of this number Do
are extra men who I'LL in when emergen-
cies arise. or the los men, only now are
working.
Clerks Impressed as Conductors.
THE company is calling on all It's de-
Switchmen are serving as conductors. A
section man who usually oils the tracks
and tightens nuts today is a conductor.
The company is employing some OF the
men from the Potomac Electric Power
Company Two of the ONCE clerks are
now conductors.
We have eight witnesses to the fact
that one motorman crossed NJ street at
Eleventh, which point is a fire stop, at
full ~.
ported to the police and a warrant will
be sworn out in the morning for his ar
rest"
Nearly all Of the conductors and motor
men on the Eleventh street line were
without uniforms, indicating that they
were novices. Most OF the cars had two
conductors, as an effort was made to
break In new men for immediate service.
On the Columbia line Of the Washing
ton Railway and Electric Company.
operating along H street and New York
avenue, the service was interrupted but
little
only about fifteen men here are out
on strike" said an official at the barn.
situated at Fifteenth and H streets
northeast. We usually run fourteen cars
on Sunday. We are running the same
number today.
Eighty-fve men are on the roll at this
udII. EOTly-SlenI OF lIls uuInOeE al
working today. Eight or ten OF these
forty-eight are men on the extra roll.
I'VE usually run thirty-six cars on
Monday. We expect to be able to run
about thirty in the morning. I estimate
that the Roadway will be heightened by
about half a minute during the rush
hours"
About twenty men are on strike at
this barn. said L. ]. Miller. captain Of
the strikers at this post, II don't see
how the line can get out more than
ing. This will completely disorgsnize the
schedule.
DO you blame US for striking? Here
are the facts: The extra men are COM
PEELED to report at work at 4 a. m. and
remain until p. m. During that time
they may get work or they may not
II they work they get around sixty and
seventy cents for the days work. There
are ten runs at This barn that pay the
men only between 81 cents and 81 a day.
About the only employees who are re-
naming loyal are those who have been
IN the service from eighteen to twenty
five years and who are about to receive
the benefits Of the retirement system.
These are mostly elderly men with fam
lilies. The young men. the men with fewer
responsibilities, are virtually all on
strike.
An official Of the eastern division of
the Washington Railway and Electric
Company, which embraces the George
town and Mount Pleasant lines, explain
ed att he barn at Fourteenth and East
Capitol streets northeast yesterday tsht
it had been necessary TO lengthen head
ways from an average of about six min
utes to seven. eight, nine, ten minutes
and even longer.