Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1877-07-25
The Railroad Strike!
It's General Progress!
GREAT DESTRUCTION OF LIFE
AND PROPERTY
The Mob Assaults the Militia !
And the Militia Fire upon the Mob
Thrilling Scenes and Incidents |

Thrilling Scenes and Incidents
During the past week the country has expert
enced an era of strikes and riots which never be-
fell lis before. Beginning ut Martinsburgh, West
Virginia, on the line Of the Baltimore n Ohio road.
it has extended very generally along the great
lines running East and West
The principal destruction of life and property |
has so far been at Pittsburgh, Penn, Of which we
append the following account:
THE STRIKE AT pITTsBuRGH
Saturday morning, and increased in |
violence and extent throughout the day. It was
precipitated by an injudcious firing upon the |
crowd by militia regiment, the firing, az is usual
in such cases, killing several citizens who were |
merely spectators OF the riot This action largely |
increased the number Of the rioters, who soon had
the entire city under their control
FIRES STARTED
At five oclock in the afternoon, after number |
Of people had been killed, and several railroad |
depots burned, an alarm of fire was sounded, and
the fire department promptly responded; but the
rioters, who had complete control of the city, re-
fused to permit them to go and extinguish the
flames. They said they were determined to de-
s'roy t'e ra'iIoau company property, nut would
do no injury to that belonging to private citizens
They kept their word, too, and when lumber pile
belonging to citizen took fire, the rioters them
selves turned in and helped extinguish the flames.
Train after train was fired by the Infatuated
crowd, but the cars were far distant from the
round-houses that the heat did not seriously affect
'"' i''n."iy' 'nousn 'heir Position was one vi
po,n i''.S' """eNe' 'ne u''ii'" were oo'i-
m, y. e''7 VI ''''' "'''''' '''"s
THE FIRES EXTENDING
by seven D ciock the hre had extended from
MiilVllie station 10 twentieth street, ana envel-
opeu nuhuieus Vi cars the extensive inaehihe
snops t"o rouhu'houses, uepots' an" the post
ou'o vi '"e oniop Transfer Company oiackSIni'h
'"Vp' s'o'ono"Ho9 anu n"ihe'o"s o'''er p"''o'nsS
u'"his up 'he 'ertihdi I'e'ities oi TINS corpora
V'o" III ''e io"hu-"o"ses were ohe "uhoieu "nu
'"onY-hNe hIs.-ciass locomotives which were
''''hS ueeuo9eu' ihe scehes uanspring On LID
e'E street "'onH the me OF WHICH Tue TRACKS Oh
inc f"nro"u run ocsear description "hoie nun
u'eus "eie ensaseu IN nrihe cars ana masking
certain Oh 'he destruction oil tue valuable buildings
orJ ,Lui,a.. ...s.s a...-...... 4 !. -
- Wv '''
THE WORK OF piLLAelNG'
Men armed with heavy sledges would break
open cars ana theh the contents would b thrown
out aud carried oil by those bent on profting by
the reign OF terror existing, The street was al
most completely blocked by persons laborng to
carry oil the plumber they had gathered together
In hundreds OF instances wagons were pressed
into the service to enable the thieves to get away
with their goods. Mayor Mccarthy early i'll the
day endeavored to stop the pillage but the hand
ful OF men at his command were unable to control
the crowd The pillage was checked, but the moi
tired the cars and then proceeded with the work
OF destruction. 1t is impossible to form any idea
Of the amount OF goods stolen, but hundreds OF
thousands of dollars will not cover the loss. Her,
brawny woman could be seen with pairs of white
Kid slippers under her arm. Another, carrying an
infant, would be rolling barrel of -four along
the sidewalk, using her feet a. propelling power
while scores of families utilized dresses md anron.
to carry -four. dry goods. etc Bundles of NM
brellas. fancy parasols hams bacon leaf lard
ralico blankets, laces and flour were mixed to-
gether in the arms of the robbers. or carried ON
hastily constructed hand arrows
MN, ,,,,ox rv,o, ~ ,s
A. holfnos, ,hrao a b,r,ino con ,,o. r,, ao,,,
rho Grade rrdar the sbod. snrro,ndino tho Jn,on
denot lin IN this time il yas bo,ed that m.
hnildinq yould escane bnt the mass nj nina INN
her psed in shedding over the tracks were soon
sea of fire While the fire was raging here the
mob nllaped the freipht denot of the PITTSBURGH
Cincinnati and st. Louis railway. which il in close
vicinity Boxes of freight received for sbinment
we're broken open and the valuable contents car
ried off After plundering the depot for AN hour.
and when -four hams and all kinds of provisions
had been carried away the torch was applied and
soon the vast depot and the companys general
offices adjoining were mass OF flames. The Union
depot was large four-story building, the upper
floor being occupied by the Keystone Hotel In
the rear of the depotand extending back five hun
dred feet were lines OF pine sheds covering differ
ent tracks to protect passengers from the weather
1t was only under these that the burning car was
run.
oihi-h hoiipiNo' pfsih'h ED
Inc Helsn' uepo' Vi tiie rittsouIsh' olhcihhati
ana 81 LOUIS iailroau was large shcu ouiit 'front.'
ing on urah' street ana extending rom "ashing-
ION street 10 seventh avenue me company
general ofhces were IN n iour-storS onck building
destroyed, as was also the depot OF the Adams
Express Company III urah' street BOOKS ana val
liable papers mad been removed from the Union
depot offices, as well As from the other buildings,
before the fire reached them The hre depart
ment continued on duty from the time OF the hrst
"i"i"' ou' "eio no' 'i'o"e' " ''''o" any ""'e'
on OF MAKE "pS en"it 10 save 'ie property Vi 'he
raiiioau COMPANY Inc! consequently u''e''eu
'he'r ehor'' 70 saving private property on 'ne
nor'h sac Oh L'perty street III 'n's tney were
NANNY successful "l'nous" u"e'rhss anu SASH
factory were destroyed
CITIZENS PANIC STRICKEN,
When the Union depot building was fired, fol-
lowed by the Pan Handle offices, panic seized the
ci''Nehs' "no h"u up 10 lhis u'he calmly 'ooAeu
on was reared 'ha' 'he cohiasra'ioh wouiu
sweep the entire portion oil the Guy south oil the
ran iiahuie fp'i'oau .ia'hs' A''iis Junc'ure tue
nre department Vi A'lesnenS' "hich h"u peen
nelu III re"oinesS III case o' an outbreak On mat
sue Vi 'he HNe' was suniinoneu 10 ASSIST III st.