The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1877-07-21
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Strike.

The reduction Of ten per cent, in the
pay OF all officers and employees of the
Baltimore and Ohio railroad who received
81 day, which was determined upon by
the board of directors and announced in a
circular by MIR. John w. Garrett, president,
last week, went into effect on Monday.
The reduction was accepted quietly by the
officers and employees with the exception
of the tiremen and one or two of the engi-
neers at Baltimore and the firemen at
Martinsburg, West Virginia About
twenty-five fireman left their train at
Riverside, Mount Clara and Camden Sta
ton, Baltimore, but their places were sup
piled by Others
At Martinsburg from twenty, five to thirty
firemen left work, and no freight trains
were able to pass that point the new men
employed by the company being intimda-
ted by the strikers.
The pay of the first, class firemen has
been $1.15 and is now $1.5S per day, and
second class tiremen has been $50, and is
under the reduction $1.35 per day
A serious riot occurred at Martinsburg,
w. Va, on Tuesday morning. Several
hundred strikers and their friends rushed
on train which was about to leave the
depot and cut the couplings of the cars.
strikers and company of militia on
on duty there, and two men were severely
wounded. AS the militia sympathized
with the strikers, they were subsequently
withdrawn, and the rioters remained mas,
tiers of the field A large amount of freight
is detained in Martinsburg and other points
on the road. In Baltimore a freight train
was wrecked by the displacement of a
switch, supposed to be the work of strikers.
No PASSENGER trains have been interfered
with yet.
The strikers and their friends having
assembled in large numbers at Martins
burg, and as the citizens and MALTA were
in sympathy with them, Gov. Matthews
called upon the President for L. S. troops.
On Wednesday night, eight companies of
|. S. artillery, as infantry, left Washington
for that place. Six of these companies had
been stationed at the Washington arsenal
since last Fall. The companies were in com
mand of Gen. French, and were in all about
three hundred men, as follows: Battery b,
Capt. Litchtield; battery f, Lieut.. Clifford !;
battery |, Lieut.. Howard: battery G, Lient
Smith. AS soon as batteries L, Capt.
Rogers, and II, Capt. Wilson, from Fort
Mcl1enry, arrived at the depot, Gen. French
assumed command of the entire eight
companies. The men were fully equipped
and provided with three days rationS.
| The entire command. including the troops
from Fort McfIenry, occupied nine cars,
drawn by engine No. 407. Gen. French,
in conversation just prior to departure,
said that he did not anticipate any trouble,
and that the men were glad of the trip.
| The President, on Wednesday issued a
proclamation warning all participating in
| the riots to desst and repair to their homes
before noon of Wednesday. The strikers
| plan of operations seems to be entirely
confined to preventing freight trains from
passing out. They propose to throw open
| the switches and fire on any man who
| dares close them. Canal men from this
State joined the strikers in large numbers.
| The L. S. troops arrived on the ground
on Thursday morning.
The strike on the Baltimore and Ohio
railroad has extended along the line to
! Chicago, The United States troops sent
from Washington and Baltimore arrived at
Martinsburg early on Thursday morning,
and barracked in one of the round houses.
During the afternoon and night several
trains were moved from Martins burg under
protection of the military, and it was ex-
pected that all could be moved from that
! point to-day. In the afternoon, the tele-
| graph wires west Of the town we're cut by
the strikers. and the officials of the Ohio
division called upon the Governor of Ohio
| for troops. Several of the ringleaders at
Martinsburg were arrested in the afternoon,
which had a subduing effect on theiI fol
lowers. Elsewhere, the strikers seem to
have been still masters of the situation.
The freight train men on the Western
Division of the Pennsylvania Railroad also
struck on Thursday, against order of
the Company increasing the number of cars
in their trains. The strikers prevented
the moving Of freight at Pttsburg, and
before evening there were eighteen trains
without crews to run them. A meeting of
the strikers, in which the, ap-;-rrs ,-~,,ie:
pated, was held s"I @0"ts determined 70
stand finn
yne able to pass the blockade on the Chesa-
peake and Ohio Canal, arrived at George.
town, d. c., on Thursday, with one hun
bred tons of coal. On her way down the
strikers threw stones at her, and did every
thing they could to intimdate her crew.
\ special correspondent of Washington
paper, who is on the ground, says that the
accounts published by the press generally,
are greatly exaggerated. He represents the
strikers as in no wise ferocious, as repre-
scented. 1t is thought Il day or two will enc
the matter without bloodshed.