Perth Amboy evening news., 1917-01-13
STRIKERS GROW
MORE REST|vE
Charge Police, Attack Fore
man and HurI Stones
Through Car Windows at the
A. S. & R. PIant-No Efforts
Today to End Strike.

With efforts to settle the strike fail
ing yesterday and strikers becoming
lawless to the point of charging po-
licemen, attacking foremen and hurl-
ing stones through car windows, the
situation at the American Smelling &
Refining Companys plant becomes
more serious today. The police are
working overtime trying to cope with
the situation and clamors are being
made for action by the sheriff. Strik-
ers resorted to brick bats yesterday
and made it necessary for one police
officer to WELD his night-Stick and
draw his revolver yesterday. They
charged two other officers last night
with the result that two strikers were
injured. Neither the men nor their
employers were making any further
move today to settle the strike. There
were no meetings nor conferences af-
ter those yesterday failed. The COM
pany officials say they have made
their best offer possible, and the men
generally continue to clamor for a
raise of five cents an hour and time
and one-half pay for all overtime,
while some demand q raise of ten
cents an hour and extra pay for over
time.
Enormously interpreting advice
given by Mayor John +. Ten Broeck,
the strikers began to become trouble
some yesterday afternoon. They Ia
bored under the delusion that they had
right to gather unlawfully on the
street and to resist any attempt by any
person to go in or out of the American
Smelling & Refining Company's plant,
and that they could hit a policeman
before he could hit them. Mayor Ten
Broeck said he had not given any such
permission. He told them to be
quiet, peaceful and good" When they
tried to carry out the program OF
stopping everyone about the plant
there came sharp clashes with the
police. Patrolman William Calvin
got into thick fray about 4 o'clock
yesterday afternoon when he forced
the strikers to admit Foreman James
Pender. A few strikers tried with
force to resist the officers actions and
to keep Pender out. Calvin welded
his club with telling effect and several
strikers were wounded about the legs.
At this juncture the entire gathering
of about $50 strikers began running
towards convenient piles of brick bats
on the Gadek property on the wester-
Iy side of State street. With revolver
in hand Calvin gave pursuit and COM
manded every striker to drop the
bricks under penalty of being shot.
ening mob, shaking their fists under
Caivia's nose and uttering curses and
threatA at him. e held them at bay
NTH {fs-EeyofSi6f and club until they
1ecafne more quiet.
At the same time Patrolman Kaspr-
zak and Larsen were exerting strenu-
Gus efforts to keep other smaller
groups of strikers from molesting en-
ployes in the A. S. & r. office building.
The strikers would not let employees
go to or from the building, until forced
to do so by the police.
A mob of strikers charged Patrol
men Larsen and Toolan when they
defended Frank Applegate as he was
entering the plant shortly before IL
o'clock last night. PatrOlman Larsen
knocked one striker out and Officer
Toolan held another off as he seized
him by the throat. The gang threat
ened the officers.
Some the strikers reported to
Mayor Ten Broeck last night that
Officer No. ~, Patrolman Calvin, had
assaulted them yesterday before they
had attacked him. The charge was
ridiculed by the authorities, as there
was positive evidence that Calvin did
nothing but his duty and that he did
not deal as harshly with the attacking
strikers as he might have done.
Some strikers stoned Newark
fast line trolley car as 1t was driven
past the main gate of the plant short
ly after 10 o'clock last night. One
window was broken. This incident
was not witnessed by the police.
Prosecutor Joseph E. Stricken
Viewed the strike scene yesterday
afternoon and conferred with the po-
lice. Chief of Police Patrick J.
Burke visited the scene this morning
and doubled the guard of yesterday.
Strikers have threatened to burn
or otherwise destroy the commissary
building west of the plant, which is
Inhabited by negro employees About
twenty-five negroes entered the plant
this morning while the strikers en-
forcements were too smah to keep
them out.
The strikers agreed to let a union
delegate bring about sixty stevedores
from New York into the plant to un-
load a steamer under contract. but
the New Workers would not enter af-
ter they ascertained conditions.
1t Is understood that the A. s. & r.
Company has intercepted steamers by
wireless and turned them back to
other plants of the company, indi-
eating that the local plant may re-
main closed indefinitely.