five o'clock
The municipal employees had refused to strike , and only by force would the city go dark that night . It was a blow to the conspirators . In the strange psychology of the mob , darkness was an essential to violence , and by three o'clock that afternoon the light plant and city water supply had been secured against attack by effectual policing . The power plant for the car lines was likewise protected , and at five o'clock a line of street cars , stalled on Amanda Street , began to show signs of life . The first car was boarded by a half dozen youngish men , unobtrusively ready for trouble , and headed by a tall youth who limped slightly and wore an extremely anxious expression . He went forward and commenced a series of experiments with levers and brake , in which process incidentally he liberated a quantity of sand onto the rails . A moment later the car lurched forward , and then stopped with a jerk .