, 1877-09-22

THE LOSSES OF PROPERTY BY THE RAIL.
ROAD RIOTS.
Ecclcs. tx,
From the Milwaukee News


ROAD RIOTS.
From the Milwaukee News
The losses to the railrouds by the re-
cent slIikes and riots foot up m enor,
nous amount. They cannot be detailed
with accuracy, and nearly all the figures
given are estimates. These losses in
clude the following items:
Track, rolling stock, dcpots and other
property destroyed.
Perishable articles of freight, which
became valurless during the blockade.
Live stock rendered unfit for market,
some starved to death, by stoppuge OF
cattle trains.
Destruction Of oil on the Pennsylvania
road by wreck of trains.
Contracts annuled and claims OF
frrighters for losses tor non performance
of contract.
Other items of losses and destruction
of property of all classes aud variety not
enumerated in the above schedule will
greatly increase the aggregate, but these
details Of losses by the various roads are
appalling in magnitude:
Baltimore and Ohio. 3,2AO,OoO
PENNSYLVANIA Central. ........... 100000
Pittsburgh, Ft wayne and Chicago 10000
New York Central. 1000, 00J
Erie railroad ................ 1000, 600
Lake Shore railroad d............ 1900, 600
Michigan Central 1000, 600
Canada Southern. n.............. 100000
Delaware Lakawunna and western 100000
Delaware and Hudson ............ l,200, 900
Jersey Central al................. 100000
Chicago and Rock Island. ......... 100000
Total destruction and loss ofrallroad
property ........,....$2l,T T5O, w
The railroads have lost $2l, 100000 by
property destroyed and damages, which
they have been or will be compelled to
pay on contracts, But beyond these
items the losses ale immense. Business
men in the disturbed STATES are losers to
the amount OF $G,OoO,OOO Taxpayers
in the cities and States which by law
make municipal corporations responsible
for property destroyed by mob violence,
will be called on to pay in taxes $l0,0O0,-
600 to $12,ooo,ooo. In addition TO
this the Neus has heretofore estimated,
and the estimate is doubtless correct
one in the main, that LOCO, 900 employees
OF railroads, manufactures, mines, ETC.,
earning on an average sl75 u day, were
thrown out of employment for ten days,
making loss to each man of $3.50, or
$17.5oo,o 900 as the total to the employees
for lost time and wages by the strike.
This makes the entire loss by destruc-
tion of property and annihilation Of
wages by the strike foot up the enor-
nous sum of $57,25o,ooo. This was the
ten days work Of the strikers and their
allies.
The railroad men did not do all this.
The strike originated with them. But
they did not intend that it should reach
such vast proportions. rhe greater
amount of the damage was done by
tramps and the desperate and criminal
classes who have no sympathy with Ia
bor or its sufferings, or its inheritance of
sorrow, but who are mere vagabonds,
brigands and highwaymen, whose hands
are against every man, aud who would
rob at every opportunity the lsberer of
the last cent he had in his pocket as the
wages of toll.
The destruction Of property has made
the country so much poorer, and the
losses of every laboring man will be
some part OF this amount.
At the beginning OF the year 1876
California had in operation 1903 miles