Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1877-07-27

here, the mob pillaged the freight de.
pot Of the Pittsburg, Cincinnati & St.
Louis Railroad, which was in close
proximity. The freight received for
shipment was broken open and valuable
contents carried off. After plundering
the depot for an hour, and when flour,
ham and all kinds of provisions had
been carried away, the torch was ap-
piled; and soon the vast depot and the
Company's general Offices adjoining were
mass of flames. The Union Depot
was large four-story building. 1t had
frontage on Liberty street of about
seventy-five feet and extended back
about 2OO.feet. Lower floor was used
as waiting room, ticket-oflices and Com
pany Offices; the upper floor was occu-
pied by the Keystone Hotel Company,
and was one of the finest hotels in this
city. The whole building was of the
modern style of architecture, and was
considered one of the best arranged de-
pots in the country. 1t was finished
about seven years since. In the rear of
the depot and extending back 500 feet
were lines OF neat pine sheds, covering
different tracks, to protect passengers
from the weather. 1t was under these
that the burning car was run.
The freight depot of the Pittsburg,
Cincinnati 4 St. Louis Railroad was a
large shed building, fronting on Grant
street, and extending from Washington
street to Seventh Avenue. The Com
pany's Offices were in four-story brick
building fronting on Seventh Avenue.
These were totally destroyed, as was
also the depot of the Adams Express
Company, located on Grant street. The
books and valuable papers had been re-
moved from the Union Depot Offices, as
well as from the other buildings, before
the fire reached them. The Fire De-
partment Of the city continued on duty
from the time of the first alarm, but
were not allowed to throw any water or
make any effort to save the property of
the railroad company. They conse-
quently directed their efforts to saving
the private property on the north side
of Liberty street. In this they were
mainly successful, although six dwell
ings and sash factory located near the
rOund-houses were destroyed early in
the day.
GETTING ALARMED.
When the Union Depot building was
fired, followed by the Panhandle Of
fees, panic seized the citizens, who
had, up to this time, calmly folded their
arms and looked ON. 1t was feared that
the confagration would sweep the en-
tire portion of this city south of the
Pan-H Handle Railroad tracks, as many of
those buildings were small frames, as
dry as finder. At this juncture the
Fire Department of Allegheny, which
had been held in readiness in case of an
outbreak on that side of the river, was
summoned to assist in staying the pro-
gress of the flames. The Pan Handle
Railroad building was the last one in
the line, and the Allegheny department
was placed on Seventh avenue to check
the progress of the flames in that direc-
ton, When this last building was fired
the whole territory between Seventh
avenue and Millvale Station, a distance
of three miles, was mass of flame, the
Railroad Company's property being all
between the south side of Liberty street
and the bluff or hill extending from
Seventh avenue to Millvale. The stall
houses on the hillside, although badly
scorched. were not destroyed.
THE ELEVATOR.
About o'clock the fire from the I'm
ion Depot communicated to the i'm
mense grain-elevator at the corner of
Grant and Washington streets. This
was built of huge timbers and covered
with slate, containing large quantity
of grain. The destruction of these
buildings seemed to satisfy the rioters,
as they began to dispense while they
were burning. Most of those who de-
serted the crowd loaded themselves
with plumber, and wendell their way
homeward.
AFTER PEARSON.
Throughout the entire day various
gangs of rioters were searching for Gen.
Pearson and the general officers of the
Pennsylvania Railroad. The latter had
made themselves particularly obnoxious
because they brought the Philadelphia
troops here, while Gen. Pearson is
charged with having given the order to
fire last evening which resulted in the
death and wounding of many citizens.
Whether he is responsible or not, he
would have certainly been killed had he
not managed to get out of the way 1t
is said that he and the railroad officers
left the city this forenoon, At all
events, his whereabouts are unknown.
PROJECTION,
At the adjourned meeting of the citi-
zens held this afternoon Vigilance
Committee was organized to prevent
further destruction of property. 1t
was rapidly recruited, and the members
were first provided with baseball bats,
but these were afterwards exchanged
for guns. They were designated by
white ribbons on their arms, AS soon
as the force was organized tVey marched
to Seventh avenue, where hundreds of
spectators who had been waiting for
some one to lead joined with them in
preventing further imcendiarism.
CHICAGO.
On Tuesday the strike had extended
to Chicago, when self-constituted com
mittees of all the roads centering there
waited upon and notified the rail
road officials that no fret ght trains must
be dispatched from the the city. TO
avoid trouble, and wisely, the railroad
officers acquiesced for the time being,
and business of all kinds has been prac-
tically suspended Up to the present
writing no violent demonstrations have
occurred, and probably so far as the rail
road men are concerned, none of the
frightful scenes enacted elsewhere will
be repeated in Chicago But the strike
of the railroad employees formed a cover
for the workings of that pestilcnt organ
ization, the Communists. The leaders
of this body, after holding meetings and
haranguing the people in the most in
fammatory manner, collected horde of
thieves, Migrants and rag-muffins, the
very scum of the city, and with them
visited the various factories and work
shops, compelling the employees to stop
work and inviting them to join the ruff
fianly horde, calculating when it receiv
ed sufficient accessions to inaugurate a
general sack and pillage of the city.
The workmen, however, had generally
too much sense to enter such scheme,
and so the Communists demonstration