davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-04-03
HODCARRIERS ON COURTHOUSE JOB
 IN BRIEF STRIKE
Quit Asking More Pay and Get It After Bosses Have
 Conference.

Work on the county courthouse addition was stopped for more than an hour this morning when the bod car riers went on strike. One of the members of the county building com mittee noticed that an air of peace and quiet. reigned. He asked for an explanation from an emp1oye of Dowl- ing & Bottomley, the contractors in charge of the work.
 Well, we can't do anything until we settle this strike,'' the employe said.
 Fourteen men had laid down their hods with the declaration that they wouldn't resume work until they re- ceived an increase in wages. They had been receiving 2S. cents an hour and they demanded 30 cents. Supt. Taggert of the Bowling & Bottomley Co.,, talked with the strikers and final ly notified them they could have the increase. Then the bricks and nor tar were started again on their way to the upper stories.
The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-04-03
DISPUTE VALUE
 / OF WHEAT CARGO

London, April 3-The British gov ernment has served it's brief in the case of the steamship Wilhelmina and A. G. Hayes, representing the Ameri- can owners of the cargo, will reply within a fortnight. The whole case will then be submitted to Lord Mer- sey for arbitration
 The government contends in it's brief that the cargo should be valued at the price of wheat at Hamburg as legally fixed by the German govern men in February and March, 1915, which was 40 per centAbelow the Lon don price. The owners will contend that since the German government promised not to interfere with the sale of the cargo, thereby giving it a free market the regular competitive price should be taken as the basis
The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-04-03
BERLIN WON'T AWAIT REPORTS OF SUBMARINES Promises Ambassador Ger ard That Prompt Reply
 Will Be Given Him. WILL ASK NAVAL
 BASES TO REPORT Washington Soon to Have German Official View of
 Sinking of Sussex.

Washington, April 3.-American Ann
 0lssador Gerard at Berlin cabled to- day that the German government had promised him a prompt reply to his in quiry regarding destruction of the British steamer Sussex and other ves- sels on which Americans were endan- gered.
 The Berlin foreign office, Anbassa- dor Gerard stated, had referred his in quiry to the German admiralty. While no definite time was given by the Ger man officials within which a response would be made, MT. Gerard stated that he had assurances it would be forthcoming as soon as possible. The ambassadors report indicated that in stead of waiting for the German sub marine commanders to report, the ad- mtra1ty office would sent out inquiries to the submarine bases.
The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-04-03
U.. s. REFUSES PASSPORT FOR
 MRS. ROBINSON
Bridgeport Woman, Seeking to Join Husband, Must
 Have Better Reason.

The government has refused the application of Elsie Henshaw Robin son of Fairfield who asked for a pass port ito visit England. The appIica- ton was returned with the sole conn ment that the government desired more evidence before allowing the passport This is the first local ap- plicatfOn that has been refused.
 Naturalization Clerk M. J. FIana- gan, through whom the application was filed, said he knew of no reason for the governments decision. It is believed, however, that those in charge of issuing, passports have been ordered not to grant any except in cases of paramount importance. The, danger of ocean travel is so great at present that the government probably thinks the danger of international complications will be lessened if the number of passports is restricted.
 Mrs. Robinson is the wife of Arthur w. Robinson, who has been in London as representative of the Locomobile Go.
The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-04-03
Villa Reported Moving On Chihuahua City to Induce De Facto Government Garrison to Rebel and Join His Band Trail of Flight Is Well Covered.
Cutting of Telegraph Wires Adds to Difficulties of Chase Believed That Col.
 Dodd Soon May Clash With Scattered Bands Railroad Traffic Improves.

Fl Paso, April 3-A1most within the grasp of the American cavalry after the battle of Guerrero, Francisco Villa was reported today to have slip ped the net closing about him and to have covered the trail of flight. Mex fcal officials in Juarez sought infor- mation of the brigandss whereabouts, but the telegraph wire sbrought no definite word.
 Mexican reports had it that Villa and another band of his followers were moving on Chihuahua City, with the intention of getting the garrison of the de faet0 government there to rebel and join him against the Americans
 These reports, brought here by trav- e1ers, were secuted by Mexican Consul Garcia.
 While Hthe bandits main command was scattered at the battle of Guer- rero. it is believed here that Villa has several other large bodies of men ais posed at convenient points in the con tinental divide and that Col. Dodd and his American troops may come in con tact with them at any time. While sDodd will seek to destroy armed bodies of Villa forces which are constant menace to the line of communication.
 There is no light on the recent oper-, ations of the Carranza forces against the Villa bands. General Bertanf has
 
 quarters for several days and what as- sistance the troopssof the de facto gov ernment is giving General Pershing and his men is not known.
 Traffic over the Mexican Northwest ern railway is becoming more active since the advent of the American ex- peditionary forces in the <Casas Grandes and Gadera districts. A freight train arrived from ,Casas GrandeS today and later Q mixed pas senger and freight train started out for Pershing, 30 miles south of Casas- Grandes.
 Two car loads of oats and two of ex- press merchandise shipped by private parties, but expected eventually to reach the army, made up the freight consignment.
 The passengers, included many Americans returning to the interior after flight to the border following the. Columbus massacre.
The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-04-03

The tracks were little injured and the overhead work scarcely at all Nevertheless it was AIS before tracks two and four were cleared and 9:S2 p. m. before tracks one and three were cleared.
 Failure of Engineer W. R. Curtiss.
 of the second train. to obey the sig nals was the primary cause Eleven persons lost their lives and. 50 others were injured as a result of the ram
 ming of the Connecticut River E7I- press by a special train. The findin
 goes on to say:
 Two trains involved in this acci- dent left New Haven only two min utes aparbS the second train passing Woodmond signal tower (6.O6 miles west of New Haven and near the scene of the accident) three minutes behind the first train. The close spac- ing of these trains has been the sub ject of considerable comment and has created a feeling in the minds of some that show as the primary cause Of tie accident iI4 not affording sufficient time for the f1agman on the first train to go back far enough fully to pro tect his train.
 ''If automatic signals properly dis played are obeyed there is no possi- bi1ity of a rear-endN collision and if not obeyed the hagman protecting it might be of no avail irrespective of the spacing or time interval between trains at the starting point. Our en- gineer calls attention to the apparent inconsistency between the present Tagging ru1e''i and the Nopportunity for actual performance of the flag mans duties in the block signal sec tions when fixed signals are disobeyed by the engineers of following trains, but the commission does not deem it advisable, for the reasons above stat ed, to recommend any arbitrary rule governing the spacing or time interval between trains.
 t"rhe safety of operation, the estab- | lished means of protection, and the traffic necessities should be carefully | studied by the officers of the railroad company in determining the minimum interval of time allowed between trains going in the same direction on the same track, keeping in mind the fact that while the necessities of dense ! traffic require the y~sIose spacing Of l trains, the safety of the travelling public should be safeguarded to the : fullest extent
The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-04-03
be unWarranted.

The Commission, in it's finding sharply rebukes the New York, Nev Haven & Hartford Railroad for it failure to develope automatic trail stops. as suggested by the Commissio ol at the time of the Westport wreck.
 Says the Cona4nission:
 The facts in this case clearly show that the primary cause of
 the accident was the failure of the
 enginemen to obey the signals.
 The records in this office disclose that, five disastrous passenger -
 train accidents occurred on the
 New York, N. Haven & Hartford
 Railroad inNthe last few, years
 (those at Bridgeport, Westport,
 Stamford, North Haven and Mil
 ford) and were largely, if not en-
 tireIy, due to man failures. In
 every case the engineman disre-
 garded and ran past signals set
 against him, causing derailments
 or collisions with trains ahead. x
 These acts of omission or com
 mission were, of course, not will
 full but were incident to univers-
 al human fraility, and the disas-
 trous results of such acts cannot
 be entirely prevented by the sub
 stitution or addition of other hu-
 man elements. In many cases,
 
 devices provide a successful pre- ventative. In this connection we call attention to and lay par ticu1ar stress upon. the sugges- tions of our engineer pertaining to automatic train control devices. We feel this matter has not been given the careful constructive study and experim mentation on the part of the railroad company that 4I demand.
 The report also shows that the two ,olliding tra6ns were running but two minutes apart, and this created a, con- lition whereby the fagging rule could lot give the measure of protection it s designed to give, because in the vent of an accident to the train ahead here would not be time enough for he fagman to go back the prescribed q Iistance before the following train would be upon him.
 But one bright spot appears in the icture. The cars, did, in the opin- on of the Commission, save many lives nd many others from injury.
 The cause of the wreck is given as he failure of Engineer Curtiss to stop t signals, but, it is further said, the luman element is frail, and needs the rotection of automatic train stops. The wreck occurred at 11:22. The -ew Haven wrecker was called at 1:4O It did not leave until 12:25 nd did not arrive until 1850.
 In the meantime the injured and were without organized aid. f any kind, and received only such e1p as could be given by humane ersons, in the neigborhood, who were ot equipped with the necessary ap- aratus for the work.
 The Harlem river wrecker, called t the same time, did not arrive until :o5.
The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-04-03
FIRE UNDERWRITERS OF U. S. CONDEMN CHANGES
 IN CITY BUILDING CODE

Bridgeport is threatened with the same fate befe1I Augusta, Ga, when the city was nearly wiped out by fire, and Bridgeport has a s1ighter chance than Augusta of saving anything, according to the National Board of Fire Underwriters.
 The administration of the city is blamed by Ira H. Woolson, consulting engineer of the National Board. In a letter to the public of the city and the city officials, in most emphatic expression he calls attention to Bridgeport's danger.
 The National Board was astonish- ed at receipt of information that at the meeting of the Bridgeport com mon council March 20, the building code of the city, poor as it is, was amended to permit subterfuge for those who would build three-deckers.
 The aldermen voted to amend the code to allow building two story frame buildings, on one story fireproof bases. Under the reading of the change, six family tenenents could be made. The amendment was care fully drawn but the joker was detect ed. The ordinance comnRittee was anxious, when this occurred, to stem criticism of it's action. The chair man couldn't explain what it was all about.
 The letter of MT. Woo1son follows:
 MT. Charles H. Botsford,
 President Board of Building
 Commissioners, Bridgeport, Ct.
 Dear sir: N.S<
 We have received advices of the
 recent amendment to your Build
 ing Code. which permits the p1ac- ing of existing two-story four
 family frame buildings on top of
 one-story masonry walled struct-
 ureS. zs
The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-04-03
RAILROAD EARNINGS INCREASE THIRTEEN
 MILLION FOR FEB.

Washington, April 3-Prosperity of railroads throughout the country con tinues without abatement, according to preliminary reports for February made public today by the interstate commerce commission. Returns from ninety-six roads show thei- net rev enue increased from $25, 5,O0O,O0O in February 1915, to $38, 8,O0O.OOO for February, 1916, more than 50 per cent
 The greatest increase was in the eastern district and amounted to near- ly 90 per cent, the southern district showed an increase of approximately 50 per cent. and the western district excelled it's January showing of IS per cent. increase by an increase of ~-nre than 25 per cent.
The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-04-03
MANY PROPERTY OWNERS
 TO- PROTEST FACTORIES
 GRAB OF CITY HIGHWAYS

rnilistration favors the plan. Vice President Charles Stuart Garfield and
 other members of the park board, with the exception of President George S. Flames and Commissioner c. Bar mum Seeley, are opposed to the plan!
 More than a hundred South End property owners as well as many own CTS of West End property have op- posed it.
 In the East End the property own CTS are particularly hot because the Lake Torpedo company without wait ing for a disposition by the common courfcil, fenced off Jefferson and Adams streets about their factory and put up '.No Trespassing' signs. By vote of the common council two weeks ago the company was ordered to take down these signs and fences.
 The Lake company claims to have quit claim deeds Afrom property own CTS which give, them title to the streets as well as to-DeS Kalb avenue to the water front. City Attorney Comley has notified the streets and sidewalks committee that these deeds are not valid and that the city owns these streets and they may not be given up without consent of the council.
The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-04-03
PRESIDENT WILSON ONLY CANDIDATE IN
 MICHIGAN PRIMARY

Detroit, April 3-Michigan's pres1- dential primary law, enacted in 1912, was given it's initial trial today in the choice of candidates who are ex- pected to figure in the national con ventions this summer.
 The Progressive party, which swept the state four years ago. was with out a candidate.
 Woodrow Wilson is the only Dem O. cratic candidate, but a sharp contest over the nomination of a national committeeman is expected to enliven the balloting of the party.
 Three names are on the Republican ballot-William Alden Smith, United States Senator, of Grand Rapids; Henry F'orsythe, of Detroit, and Will liam G. Smith, of Detroit.
The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-04-03
BOMBARDMENT OF ZEPPELINS FAILS,
 DECLARE GERMANS

Berlin. April 3-The official Ger man account of Saturday nights zep- pe1in raid over England, follows:
 During the night of April 1-2, naval airships renewed the attack on the east coast of England. For a period of one and one-half hours ex- plosive and incendiary bombs were thrown on blast furnaces, iron works and industrial establishments on the south bank of the Tees and ~on the port establishments around Middle ibrough and Sunderland. Under large explosions, fires and demolitions were caused and the successful effects of the attack were clearly noticeable.
 Notwithstanding heavy shelling of our airships they suffered neither losses nor damages"
The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-04-03
EXPLOSION IN POWER HOUSE PARAL LYZES ALL
 LOCAL TROLLEY LINES

From, TAO to ssp5 a. m. today not a trolley car moved in Bridgeport or on any of the suburban lines due to the bursting of one of the feed lines in boiled No. at the Seaview avenue power house of the company. The escape of the steam contained in the big boiler brought the power down so low that the cars could not be moved until the repairs were made and the power plant placed in condition to operate at it's usual capacity.
 The shortage of power was first mo- ticeabIe directly after ' o'clock this morning. Cars on the suburban lines especially on the Stratford avenue division of the road, barely foated along. Cars from the Paradise Green and Milford divisions moved into the center or Stratford one after the oth-
The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-04-03
Three Alarms
 For Big Fire In New York
Tenants Ordered to Leave T Imperiled Structures As Flames Spread to Sky craper-Newspaper Plant In Danger.

New York, April 3-A serious fire =~Feke out in the downtown section of the city early this afternoon. It had at o'clock destroyed two five story buildings on Beekman street occupied by paper concerns and had spread to an old History building at the corner of Nassau and Beekman and threatened it with destruction.
 Three alarms were turned in. Shortly after 2 o'clock all tenants were ordered out Of the skyscraper known as the Nassau-Beekman build ing and occupied by the New York Sun. The building was seriously threatened by the flames.
The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-04-03

This construction in no manner decreases your fire hazard, in fact it increases it, for such ele- vated frame buildings will be more of menace than they are in their present condition.
 We cannot consistently nor con- scientiously let this unwise action on the part of your city authori- ties pass without expressing our disapprova1. We are disappoint- ed to know that so important a New England city as yours should have taken so retrograding a step when so many sister-cities in that section are passing laws to over7 come the hazard which such buildings produce.
 Bridgeport already has more buildings in it's congested area than existing in August a couple of weeks ago, but it has no wide dividing streets such as favored that stricken city. While those streets undoubtedly aided mater ial1y in controlling the conf1agra- ton, yet the fact that the fire due to the burning of inf1ammable wooden buildings did jump a 160-foot street and consume ten t blocks of buildings, is forceful demonstration of the extreme hazard which blocks of wooden buildings engender, and the great difficulty of controlling a fire well started in such areas.
 The inference is plain, and the peril to your city which such ill., advised laws incur. should bewell \ understood by it's citizens.
 Yours very respectfully,
 IRA H. wOOLSON,
 Consulting Engineer.
The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-04-03
10000 SUBWAY
 WORKERS STRIKE: 5000 MORE IDLE

New York, April S-About 10000 men, mostly unskil1ed 1aborers and tinbermen, employed on the city s new dual subways, went on strike to- day demanding an eight-hour day and an increase ot from 5 to 25 per cent. in wages The strikers are members of the Tunnel and Subway Construct ors' International Union. which is af- fIiated with the American Federation of Labor. and are employed by con- tractors
 According to Thomas E. O'Brien, president of the Subway Workers union, the action Of the members in quitting has tied up 80 per cent. ot the work on the new sr1bweys in .Mane- haitian, BrookIyn and the Bronx.
 Union officials estimate that 5000 rock dri11ers, bIasters and tool sharp eners who are not connected with the strike, will be forced into id1eness IS a result.
The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-04-03

CT and there they stalled. On the lines extending from that point there was evidently enough power to keep them moving very slowly but inside of that point there was hot enough to keep them going s1.4s.-.
 Z General Manager c. H. Chapman of the Connecticut Co., said, today that he was glad the break-down had not occurred between and ' o'clock, when the demand on his lines is heaviest. He said, however, that he thought the high pressure of steam required to meet this demand might be responsible for the break in the boiler later. The lines of the com pany are also taxed heavily between and 8 o'clock and the many business men and clerks going to work at that
 (Continued on Page N2.l
The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-04-03
BRITISH WARSHIP
 RESCUES JAPANESE

Hong Kong! April 3-The Japanese steamer Chiyo, who stranded in a storm off Lema Islands, 20 miles south of Hong Kong, has been aband- oned, as she was being driven on the rocks by a heavy gale, repeated efforts to refloat her having been unsuccess- full. The 229 passengers of the steam CT, which was bound from San Fran cisco for Japanese ports, the Philip pines and China, were rescued by a British warship shortly after she had stranded.
The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-04-03
DENY, SINKING OF
 CRUISER DONEGAL

London, April 3-The following of fcial statement was given out here to- day:
 'In the< German wireless press of today, the Cologne Gazette is quoted as having said the cruiser Donegal struck a mine and sunk about mid February /of this year. There is no truth. whatever in this statement.
 ( The Donegal is 8 British cruiser of $500 tons displacement, laid down
The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-04-03
l. c. c. REPORT, roo,
 EMPHASIZES NEED FOR
 AUTOMATIC TRAIN STOPS

Washington, April 9-The Inter state Commerce Commissions report on the New Haven Railroad near Mil ford, Feb. 22, in which II were killed and many injured, placed the blame on the engineer of the local train which struck a stalled express be- cause, the report says, he failed to regard block signals. The report adds that the wreck again emphasizes the need for automatic train stops.
The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-04-03
LAST AERIAL RAIDS /
 ON ENGLISH COAST
 { ARE BOLDEST EVER

London April "Details of last nights Zeppelin raids over Southern Scotland and the northeastern and eastern counties Of England have not been given out officially, but from such reports as have been received it is evident the Zeppelins covered wider area, than during the visitations of the two previous nights. Trains
 <Continued on Page 2.)
The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-04-03
6.AVALRYMEN MAY BE FIGHTING FORGE
 OF VILLA BANDITS

Camp of Gen. J. J. Pershing, at the Front. April s-By aerop1ane to Co- ionnia Dublan and radio to Columbus, N. M=American cavalryTnen encoun- tered a fleeing force of Villa men near sA early today and sounds of firing have been heard from that di- reetion but no report has been made to Headquarters.
The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-04-03
Citizenship Papers
 Issue For March Is
 Almost Up To Record

During March, 153 first citizenship papers were issued by Naturalization Clerk M. J. Flanagan and 53 second papers were also given out. This num- Der has been exceeded only once and that was in September, 1913. In that year 94 second papers were issued.
The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-04-03
Czar s Troop
 Ship Is Sunk With Supplies

Berlin, April 3-A f2,ooo7ton Russian transport with troops and war munitions aboard was sunk by a Turkish submarine on March 30, the Turkish war office anonunced today.
The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-04-03
.25 MEN INJURED
 AS GAS TANK LETS
 GO IN OTIS PLANT

Buffalo, April 3-Twenty-f men were injured. some probably fatally, as the result of an explosion of a gas tank in the foundry of the Otis Ele- vator Go. here today. The cause of the explosion is not known.
The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-04-03
LIEUT.. MORT REPRTMANDED
 FOR REsCUING COMRADES

San Antonio, April s-Lieut. John B. Mort, who was tried by court martial on charges of leading a de- tachment of soldiers into Mexico, to recover two American soldiers detain- ed by Mexicans. has been found guilty and sentenced to be reprimanded. announcement was made by Major General Funston today.
The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-04-03
DETECTION OF COLONEL
 CANO,S TROOPS DENIED

Laredo, Tex. April 3-Military au- h1orities at Neuvo Laredo, opposite here, declared today the. reported de- lection of Colonel Cano's forces in Chihuahua was untrue. They said the Chihuahua forces were loyal and were 'sworking indefatigab1y for the ap- prehension of Villa"