Interborough Strike of 1919 by G.J. Christiano - The Third Rail - 1/03

Page 5

Two Interborough power houses, at Fifty-ninth street and Seventy- fourth street and the New York Edison Company plant at Sixty-sixth street and the East River supplied the power which was used during the day by the surface lines and the Manhattan branch of the B.R.T. subway.

Attempt to Run Train Fails.

Early in the afternoon there was an unsuccessful attempt to oper- ate an "L" train of three cars from the Eighth avenue and 155th street station of the Ninth avenue line. It was announced that the train would leave and a few minutes later the train dispatcher announced that the crew had backed out and would not take the train out.

Last Thursday it was estimated the fifty thousand persons struggled for admission to the Polo Ground. Yesterday there was somewhat of a contrast. Three hundred men, most of them living conveniently near- by, gathered in the stands to watch the Giants and the Cubs play. At half-past one o'clock the announcement was made that the game had been postponed.

There was no confusion at the Brooklyn terminal of the Interborough, at Flatbush and Atlantic avenues. Station entrances at the terminal and entrances at the intermediate stations from Borough Hall and Brooklyn Heights were roped off, and a policeman was on guard at each station.

Passengers coming in over the Long Island Railroad and downtown on the Brooklyn lines flocked to the B. R. T. subway.

Policeman William Brown, on strike duty, was injured in the after- noon when a passing trolley car struck him as he was riding on the running board of a bus at Madison avenue and Forty-eight street. Brown suffered a fractured rib and was sent home after being attended by Dr. Gillette of Flower Hospital.

STRIKE MEANS BIG

LOSS TO MERCHANTS

______________

The money loss to merchants, hotels, theatrical and restaurant proprietors, excursion boat operators, not to mention the heavy loss to the Interborough company and the employes on strike, will be counted in the millions, even if the present strike lasts only a few days. All of the nearby shore resorts, notably Coney Island, for which the rapid transit lines in Manhattan act as feeders, will be seriously affected.

While shoppers in Manhattan can use the surface cars to get to get to the big stores, or the improvised jitney lines, it is not ex- pected that fifty per cent of the usual weekday crowds will be in the stores during the strike. Thousands of women from the Bronx and other outlying districts, who prefer to spend their dollars in the

Manhattan store, as well as those who are accustomed to come from Brooklyn, are expected to be discouraged and not make the trip.

______________

JUDGE BETWEEN US,

SAYS FRIDIGER

______________

Characterizing the report as a “damn lie,” Louis Ridiger, counsel for The Amalgamated Association of Street and Electric Railway Employes, denied last night a report that the Amalgamated had offered the Interborough the use of 1,ooo of its members to operate trains on their lines. The report gained wide circulation yesterday, and was discussed at the headquarters of the Brotherhood in the New Star Casino.

“My organization would never be guilty of conduct such as the Brotherhood has displayed,” said Fridiger. “We grasped eagerly at Mayor Hylan’s offer of arbitration. The public can judge between the attitudes taken by the two organizations. I never knew of a labor union to act as the Brotherhood has.”

Half an hour later the service was resumed, power having been obtained from the Fifty-ninth street power houses, from which also the B. R. T. obtains power for the Manhattan sections of its Broadway subway.

Brooklyn Rapid Transit officials declared at nine o'clock that they were running their subway trains in Broadway at a regular Sunday schedule today unless additional power was forthcoming The company was endeavoring to arrange for power from the Edison company.

FEW PASSENGERS WAITING.

When the last southbound train on the west side subway reached

Times square there were only a dozen passengers waiting on the plat- form. As the train was leaving, two women carrying large bundles came rushing down the stairway by a guard, who called to the motor-man to a stop to accommodate the two last minute passengers.

At eight o'clock one train was run from the Interborough terminal at 137th street and Broadway and carried over the entire system. It was explained that this was done in order that the company might comply with the terms of its franchise, which requires one train a day to run, on penalty of forfeiture of the contract. No passengers were carried on the run in question.

Not a single subway or elevated train arrived at South Ferry sta tion after four o'clock. Traffic was diverted to surface lines and be- cause it was Sunday there was not the slightest congestion of traffic.

At ten minutes to six o'clock the power was shut off in the houses feeding the Second and Third avenue "L" lines, the Lexington avenue subway and the signal system. All the power houses of the company were running in the Bronx.

Updated January 20 , 2003