The Portland daily press., 1877-07-28
THE PRESS.
From the Maine State Press of July 90, 1871
History of Seven Days.
The News for the week ending Wednes
day Mig hat, July 25.
THE RAILROAD 1NsURREcT1oN.


has grown till it has assumed the form of an
instruction against the peace and security of
society, in which millions Of property and
many lives have already been sacrificed. The
outbreak was caused by general reduction in
the pay Of the trainmen. The trouble first
developed itself on the Baltimore & Ohio rail-
road at Martinsburg, in Western Virginia.
Freight trains were abandoned, and men who
were willing to work on the company's terms
were driven off and the traffic stopped. Act
ing under orders from Gov. Matthews COM
parry of militia attempted to raise the blockade
and start the trains, but were fred upon by
the mob and several killed. The fire was re.
turned and one of the rioters killed. This was
followed by the widest excitement. The mob
uncoupled the cars and bid defiance to the SOL
diers, and effectually prevented the moving of
any freights train. Finding himself utterly un-
able to cope with the rioters Gov. Matthews
telegraphed to the President for United States
troops, and in response Gen. French with
several companies was sent to the scene of the
disturbance and proclamation was issued by
the President commanding the rioters to dis
perse. While these scenes were being enacted
at Martinsburg, strikers at other points were
ndulging in similar outrages. At Grafton the
strikers cut the bolts of all the freight engines
uniting them for use. They had full posses.
sion and deied the civil authorities to arrest
them. The strike extended to the Central
Ohio division, and at Columbus and Newark
crowds gathered and stopped all trains and
threatened with death any one who should
attempt to start. Crowds of roughs paraded
the streets defying the civil authorities and
compelling workmen in the railroads shops and
other manufactures to abandon their work and
join them. AT Baltimore Friday night there
was serious collision between regiment of
State militia and the mob The regiment was
making from its armory along Baltimore street
to the Camden station to proceed to Cum.
berland, when it was assailed with shower of
stones which was returned with shower of
bullets, and eight men, most of them innocent
spectators, fell dead Throughout the night
the excitement was intense and fears were en-
tertained of general riot. The Camden sta
ton was set on fire and burned, the telegraph
Office destroyed and the wires cut. Nothing
but the presence of United States troops pre-
vented the tragedy which was enacted at Pitts
burg two days LATER Since Friday the situa-
ton on the Baltimore and Ohio has remained
virtually unchanged. q. S. troops have pre-
vented an outbreak but the strikers have pre-
vented the moving of singlelfreight train.
The trouble on this road soon extended to the
Pennsylvania, and at noon Thursday the train
men on the western division at Pittsburg re-
fused to go out with the trains. This action
was followed bya general strike throughout the
whole line. At midnight on Friday the Sheriff
of Pittsburg attempted to dispense the rioters
who were collected at the company's depots
preventing the departure of trains, but is au.
thority was deied. A regiment of soldiers was
then called out and Gov. Hartranft issued
proclamation commanding the mob to dispense,
but without effect. Saturday night the troubles
at this pointsculminated in bloody encounter
between the rioters and the militia, in which
the latter were beaten and the city given over
for twenty-four hours to incendiaries and
thieves.
At twenty minutes past four on Saturday
afternoon the Philadelphia troops left their
armory for the 18th street crossing, marching
out along the track preceded by Sheriff Fife
and posse. Expecting to fail in the effort to
disperse the strikers the sheriff determined to
attempt it and then call upon the military.
They arrived in the vicinity of the mob little
before five. The Black Hussars were ordered
toiclear the crossing, but not being able to do
SO another company was sent to assist them
The troopsiadvanced with fixed bayonets, but
were received with a shower of stones when
they opened fire on the crowd Unfortunately.
The terrible results of the fire caused intense
excitement and brought to the mob an immense
reinforcement. of tramps and working men
from the rolling mills coal mines and various
manufacturing establishments. By o'clock
in the evening the mobs were moving about
the city in various directions, sacking stores to
secure arms, breaking into the armories of the
military companies and preparing themselves
to execute their threat of massacreing the
whole Philadelphia command. About 10 o'clock
in the evening mob numbering several thou
sand men had congregated about the Round
House. Several solid shots were fired at the
building, and breach made in the walls.
When the mob attempted to rush into the
building the military were ordered to fire and
discharged volley after volley into the crowd.
The rioters retreated for time, but soon mus.
tered up courage again and returned. Finding
it difficult to dislodge the troops they resolved
to burn them out. An order to this effect was
issued and carried out with alacrity. While
portion of the crowd surrounded the buildings
others set fire to oil trains and in moment the
track for miles was sheet of fame. An alarm
was sounded and the fire department sum-
moned, but the rioters refused to allow them
to make any effort to extinguish the flames.
Train after train was fired, but the cars were
SO far from the Round House that the heat did
not seriously affect the military. Finally
large party of strikers captured car filled
with coke, which they run from the Allegheny
track to siding connecting with the Pennsyl-
vania road. They then procured large Quanti-
ties of petroleum and pouring it over the coke
ignited the pile and pushed the burning train
toward the Round House. The building was
soon ignited and the soldiers were compelled
to prepare to fight their way out through the
frenzied mob. Fortunately for them the mob
for some unexplained reason left for few mo-
ments. which gave them chance to escape.
Rapidly forming the troops marched to Liberty
street and thence to Pennsylvania Avenue
While turning into Butler street the leaders of
the mob discovered their retreat and with
thousand followers started in pursuit. When
the troops reached the arsenal, where they ex-
pected to find shelter, its commandant refused
to admit them, fearing the mob would blow up
the building, which contained large quantities
of powder, and the column continued their re
treat, fighting their way across the Allegheny
river, where they divided up into small bodies
and escaped their pursuers. During the fight.
ing some twenty men were killed, including
the sheriff, who led the posse which at
tempted the arrest.
In the meantime the city was in a state of
anarchy, and incendiaries about the depots
were assisting in spreading the flames. By
Z o'clock Sunday morning the fire had extended
from Millville station to Twentieth street and
enveoped hundreds of cars the extensive
machine shops, storehouses and outer buildings
belonging to the Pennsylvania Company. In
he Round House were 125 engines which were
totally destroyed. While hundreds of men
were engaged in firing cars, thousands of men,
women and children were robbing them of |
their contents. The streets were almost block
AIDED with the plumber which had been gath
ered Hundreds of thousands will not cover
nil ooo Q h,-