The New York herald., 1877-07-23


of death embraced the readiest means to
escape from it. never saw such q wicked,
desperate mob in all my life. How any of
US escaped with our lives is a mystery.
Last night had given up all hopes of see
ing home again. If the crowd could have
got arms am sure not one of US would
have come out of the round house alive.
INTERVIEW WITH MAJOR BURLINGTON.
Major Burlington, commanding the United
States Allegheny Arsenal, in the Seventeenth
ward, was called on this afternoon by rep
resentative of the HERALD:-
II called to learn the reason of your re.
fusal to afford protection to the militia from
the mob which followed it to this point"
1T has been entirely out of the line of
my duty to allow the State troops to enter
these premises. Great crowds of men came
here last night and demanded of me guns
and ammunition, saying that if they were
refused they would break down the gates
and help themselves. I reasoned with
them. for with my force here 1
was not and an not able TO
cope successfully with such fierce crowd
as that which visited me. told them that
there were no arms in here for them; that the
property was the governments, which had
afforded the people protection and which
would surely visit them with severe punish
ment should any of it's material be dis
turted. so reasoned with them that they
left, and wasn't further disturbed through
the night"
REPORTER force Of men have you
stationed here under your command?
Major BuYr1xaroN-I have just twenty
mere handful to fight crowd like that
last night, and on the upper side of the
street have two immense magazines filled
with all sorts of ammunition. We have
just 600 small arms here. If the State troops
had entered this morning could not have
protected the magazines from depredations
of the mob; and if by any chance these
magazines had been fred the consequences
would have been fearful to contemplate.
This arsenal, you must understand, is almost
in the heart Of the city. Moral persuasion.
found, worked best with the crowd for I
am sure they could have overpowered US
with the force we had.
"Did any number OF the State troops find
shelter here? ~>
Eyes; in the early morning heard firing
down the street and at once came to the
conclusion that the crowd were moving on
US. In few minutes the soldiers COM
menced to scale the walls while the firing
of the mob without was very fast. Some Of
the soldiers were without arms and as num-
bers in the mob had similar guns inferred
they had been taken from the militia. re-
ceived the officers Of the command and told
them of the situation within and advised
them to go out and form the men solidly
and fight their way which, was done. The
wounded I took in, and they are
now in the hospital. The most seri-
ous one is Lieutenant Ash, of Keystone
battery, q teller in the First National. Bank
of Philadelphia His leg above the knee
is badly shattered, and it is likely the limb
will have to be amputated. We also have
five of the men belonging to different COM
paniea but don't care to have the fact
known. have furnished them with United
States uniforms and will see they are not
molested. The mob was a desperate one
and am pleased the government property
escaped their hands. Ifthey had got hold of
the guns and ammunition here the loss Of
life would have been much greater than
it is."
"Who furnishes tho State troops with
ammunition ?"
1--WE do here on proper authority. We
have been dealing it out for the last two or
three days, but all is now exhausted"
CONDITION OF THE pennsylvania RAILROAD.
The tracks of the Pennsylvania Railroad
are burned in many places and tho rails
twisted in all conceivable shapes. The
travel out of the city is entirely suspended
and the passengers from the East this morn
ing were brought through by the West
Pennsylvania road. Trains were switched
off at Blairsville intersection and ran down
the tracks Of the above mentioned road into
Allegheny City. Passengers from this city
going West were taken over in carriages to