UNPUNCTUAL TRAINS RIOT.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 139, 6 March 1908, Page 11

UNPUNCTUAL TRAINS RIOT.

>'■ ' J V)' •.. /; ■■' i '■ • ••■best«to wreck -: the • • Gare' St. Lazare, Pans, . . recently. : : vTlioy. were infuriated by the con- ' '.-. . tiiined . lateness;'';and- -unpunctuality •; ofthe ; / - Buburbanyfraijis,';and4 cook .-/very,: strong; ■ ' . •;* measures..by way of protest.'.. ! -r ;' v TlieyJdid .iiot-;\rreck the 'station absolutely, . f■ .' but. they; : broke a good ;inauy-. windows, • . thrashed a.number of eiiiployeesy Tory heiirly. ' ' 7:.: kiliedv.ai'fellow-p'asssngef, ti'ied to set fiio :to. ■ the ;B&tipn;-'.-a»'d •< snccee'tledl in';? firing •• flioso.' • : 'Parisians "'who.'' have' not'. to trarel by. the v >. •'Western s>Kaiiway.. Company's lines a. good . deal of. amusement. ' .v V;; _,tfbr7 a past.. allf the' ./suburban' • - trains have been terribly impunctual. :lte- .. - t v.ctmtly, Rowingl'jto t'ho thav.' . and . ' frost,;; V;Y,7';the.-, early' .trains' wero . very late ■m- ' deed.'. most of "lVhoni were' clerks;iii''l'arig iirnis, ■ app 1 tedjjo: the' officials for some' sort!of a certificate-'of delay.wMiich: : ■■ theyrmight -show, 'to their employers.This VaV.refused them,' and tiiey set to work to. show their .displeasure. '■ '' , About half-pajit eight' a'_ train' arrived' an : „•> .hpiirilato from' St. ; Gennain. :-Several hun-- ; • dreds;; of .; passengers made, for,/the . engine-; : : driver': ana.-stolcer as soon . as Vthe . train \ . .'. stopped, and the two men had-to'fight for their: lives\with lumps ,of coal and the. •\ - shovels.".-".'Then,;.to.' liis'.misfortune, an in- •' v.t spector 7 appeared and tried to calm the ■t oi'oivd. . ,'i'Jioy •' half killod him, and he 'was : \ ; -~carried oft to his office to.think-things over. '•• By-.this' time;there, were ;about 3()0U. angry ■■ v people in the station. - The/women w.fero as ' / V excited; as rthe men, . and both men aiid. ■ ' women-smashed . all /tliov windows they,, could - i see,-; broke up. the benches iri,tho waiting- • ! rooms,.' and -went out along' the line to . i gather -rubble with which, to smash more windows.. ' . . : i- One of tho- passengers',- M'hile .making: a • ! wildly excited spceeh, opened; his umbrella, ■ | set*, it alight, and with tho flames set fire j to; some : of tlie Woodwork. Fortunately .this •',..-. fire was"extinguished.' ' : ! ' ' Ah. incident then . followed which had its. (amusing-side for everybody;except the: principal performer.' .Six' or seven.hundred' ./ ■' 'passengers- rushed io the : o!Sco : : 'of. the chief ... ' , inspector; to lodge their complaints. A ... ~ The - first comers r "' smashed his'-hatj : tore his. coat, arid pulled ; ■ him out;;to"tho platform. There lie was buf- • feted and banged. about, his clothes - were, torn;;t6';'r|igs; iuid .it 'was only after ho had . fainted and recovered that-ho; was able to •' explain! that .-he;, was not the chief inspector,, hut-merely-the first one of then'.selves'who bad 1 thought of lodging a formal complaint at'the inspector's oiliee.. . . ', . Meanwhile , the. crowd raged ;iip and down ; ; the . station, . aud the-riot hnd lasted for two "hours before -the-, police : arrived- in force. ••Then there , was .another .riot.. Thepolieo, ''either; Could riot' or would not distinguish between. angry passengers who ha'd- arrived; by train and tho - passengers.who wanted to loave 1 by train-and who were going, to got fingry.-because;thoy-'were'prevented from so . doing/ All of tliem, with or. without luggage, were turned out neck and'crop, and lots of passengers got back again only to find their trains, gone. ": About thirty . arrests, .wire.;made before calm;was restored, which .was not until afivr eleven o'clock, but the police magistrate who ■ questioned-the . prisoners let- tliem all go, saying -that, although their'-way of protesting had/'boon a violent one, he lived in the suburbs himself, r.'nd quite under stood their annbyanco; V '. . , - - V '■■■ • ' T!io company issued a; note later, making ' light of the affair, but tlicro. is : some likeli- ; hood that tlie suburban trains j will keep batter time'in future. I, V: