The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1877-07-26

o'clock i'll the afternoon no effort had been |
made to check the mob other than the meet.
ing of citizens referred to.
The mob worked very quietly and il was
a noticeable fact that few of the railroad
employees were engaged in the work of de-
struction. Here and there a man who had
been discharged might have been seen lend-
ing crowd, but generally the ringleadcrs
were men who had never been employed
on any railroad. Many half grown boys
were foremost in the work of devastation
and gied with the older ones in their efforts.
The operations were carried on very
quietly and the multitude of men, women
and children who filled the streets and oc-
cupied positions on the hillside south of the
railroad, looked ON with astonishment
while the destruction of property con-
tinued.
AT 3 80 a burning car vas run down the
grade under sheds surrounding the Union
depot. Up to this time it was hoped that
the building would escape, bu. the mass of
pine lumber used in shedding over tracks
were soon sea of fire. While the fire was
raging here the mob pilaged the freight
depot Of the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and st.
Louis railroad which is in close vicinity.
Boxes of freight received for shipment
were broken open and valuable contents
carried off.
After plundering the depot for an hour,
and after the -four, hams, and all kinds Of
provisions had been carried away, the torch
was applied and soon the vast depot and
the company's general office adjoining.
were mass of flames.
The depot of the Adams express com
| pany, located On Grand street, was also de-
stroyed.
The fire department of the city con-
tinued on duty from the time of the first
| alarm but were not allowed TO throw any
water on, or make any effort to save the
| property of the railroad company. They
consequently directed their efforts to saw
| ing the private property on the north side
Of Liberty street. In this they were mainly
successful although six dwellings and
sash factory. located near the round house
| were destroyed early in the day.
When the Union depot building was fired.
followed by the Panhadle vlice, panic
seized the citizens, who had up to this time
calmly folded their arms and looked on.
1t was feared that a confagraton would
sweep the entire portion of this city south
of the Panhandle railroad tracks, as many
of the buildings were small frames and as
dry as tinder. At this juncure the fire de
partment of Allegheny, which had been
held in readiness in case of an outbreak on
that side of The river, was summoned 10 as
sist in staying the progress Of the flames.
| The Pan Handle railroad building was
the last one in the line aud the Allegheny
department was placed on Seventh avenue
to check the progress Of the flames in tha
direction. When this last building was
fired the whole territory between Seventh
avenue and Mullvale section, distance Of
| mil a M NJ Hnm |
way company's property being all between
the south side of Liberty street and the Bluff.
The hill extending from Seventh avenue to
Mulvale. The small houses on the hill
side, although badly scorched, were not
destroyed.
The railroad buildings destroyed were as
! follow: Two roundhouses, one machin e
shop, superinendents office, car repair
shop blacksmith, shop, three or four oil
houses, Union transfer depot and the Off
ces of the Pullman company, laundry and
offices, dispatches office, powder house.
Union depot hotel, Pan Handle railroad en-
gine house, general offices and fl eight depot
of the Adams express company
The freight depot of the Pittsburg, Gin
cnnati and st Louis and the general Office
of the same company were fired at 4.3C
O'Clock this afternoon. These are in close
proximity TO the Union depot.
Harrisburgh was for time in the
hands of the mob, the militia being
disarmed, willingly, and paraded
through the streets and provisioned
by the strikers.
The daily papers are full of accounts
of the strike and to them we invite
our readers attention as we have not
space to give more than Il glimpse OF
the greatest strike America ever
knew. Freight traffic has been almost
entirely suspended, and on the Lake
Shore Road no trains of any descrip-
ton were run for two or three days
the damage to the business interests
of the country being immense.
Although the strikers did not, it is
alleged, fire the Union depot at Pitts
burgh, they made it possible for the
roughs and vagabonds to have an ex-
cuse for doing so for the sake of plum
der, and at the doors of the strikers
must be laid the blame for the wantor
destruction ofproperty, the sacrifice o
valuable lives, and the great loss to al
classes by reason of the detention o
trains.
The men who struck were in many
instances poorly paid, and had they
conducted the strikein an orderly man
ner the sympathy of the entire country
would have been with them. Wher
strikers become murderers and incen,
diaries, then all law and order loving
people must denounce them as out
laws, and the sympathy born of thei
|, wrongs must be strangled by the in
dignation at the still greater wrongs
they commit. In the namey of op
prested labor, tramps, vagabonds, an,
thieves, destroy property and endan
ger life, they clog the wheels of com
merce and cause thinking citizens t.
feel that the Republic of our fathers il
f a failure, but we know this order o
things cannot last long, for if it die
ruin and bankruptcy would sap tn,
foundation of our vast empire until i
would totter to the fall. The majest
of the law will assert itself and people
: in a sober second thought will en-
deavor to fix on some plan to preven
a repetition of the hellish scenes wit
messed almost at our very doors durin,
, | the eVeptfiII yaaly inst paSt