100 years ago today: Washington Water Power snubs city’s streetcar demands

The Washington Water Power Co. defied the city’s ultimatum ordering the company to resume service on two abandoned streetcar lines.

The company “silently answered” the ultimatum simply by letting the deadline pass.

The company’s president, D.L. Huntington, said that the company had received permission to abandon the lines from the state Public Service Commission after the company had shown the commission that it was losing $4,500 a month on those lines. The company therefore believed it had the legal right to abandon the lines.

The city, however, believed that it took precedence over the Public Service Commission since it was the entity that granted WWP the streetcar franchise in the first place.

It was also the entity that could take away the franchise. The city attorney threatened to take WWP to court and revoke its franchise if it would not comply.

From the labor beat: The Butte copper miner’s strike ended after a tense few days when the unions called off the strike.

“Nothing can be gained by the present strike except a long shutdown,” said one union leader.

Spokane soldiers from Fort George Wright had been sent to Butte to keep order. Soldiers had been needed to disperse crowds of picketers on several occasions.