The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1877-07-27
The Great Rail Road Strike.

| tended railroad strike resulting III fearful
| loss of life at Baltimore and Pittsburgh,
and the destruction in the latter named
| city of several millions of dollars worth OF
property belonging to the Pennsylvania Ran
/ Road Company. 1t is only necessary to
| state that the cause of all the trouble has
been the reduction Of wages, the rail road
companies alleging that the general stag
nation of business compelled them to reduce
expenses in this way, while the operatives
declare that longer submission would re-
duce them and their families to state OF
| starvation. This is not the time 70 discuss
the merits of the dispute between the rali
road corporations and their employees, but
it may be safely stated that at the outset OF
the trouble popular sympathy was on the
| side of the latter. AS the trouble increas-
, ed, however, it became conflict between
! law and lawlessness, between the civil
authorities and bowling mobs intent only
on the wanton destruction of the property
of the objects of their wrath. This is a
country of law and the supremacy of the
law must be maintained at all hazards, and
wi h all the power both of the National
! and State governments, no matter who may
, suffer- In this connection it may be stated
| that so far as the burning of the buildings
aud rail road cars of the company at Pitts
burgh were concerned, it does not appear
that the strikers are justly responsible for
the fearful havoc, it having been the tiend-
ish work of a set of outlaws and incendia-
ries of that city who had focked to the
scene Of disturbance for spoil and pluuder.
The strike commenced at Baltimore on
last Monday week. the first move being
made by the f.emen and other train hands
of the Baltimore and Ohio rail road, who
refused to go out on freight trains, or per-
, nit others to do SO. On the evening of
that day the same thing took place at Mar
tinsburg, W. Va, where the trouble as
sumed the proportions of a large mob, but
no damage was done to property, and pas
senger trains were not interfered with.
On Tuesday tho strike had become general
along the entire road to Wheeling and
Paikersburg, and company of State troops
was ordered to Martinsburg by Gov. Mat
thews of West Virginia to quell the distur-
bance at that poiut. On Wednesday, at
the request of the Governor, body of
United States troops under Col. French
were ordered to the same point by the Sec
retary Of Wharf.-The excitement all the time
increasing, but no serious breach of the
peace having occurred. On Friday the RI
otous proceedings beca me 50 alarming at
Cumberland that Gov. Carroll of Maryland
ordered a regiment of State troops, under
Gen. Herbert, to proceed 10 that place and
tinp a,,Hi l,n
rioters to disperse. On their way to the
depot the soldiers were followed by an i'm
nIense crowd, shouting and yelling, throw
ing stones and occasionally firing pistols at
them. The troops at last fired on the mob,
killing eight men and boys and woundng
forty others. Tie depot was then fired, but
was soon extinguished, aud the troops at a
, late hour started for Cumberland. Addi-
tional United States troops, amounting to
between one and two thousand. were sent
to Baltimore on Saturday, and Major Gen
eral Hancock arrived there on Sunday to
, direct any military movements that might
, become necessary. All was quiet in that
city on Tuesday and also along the line OF
: the road but no freight trains were run.
= ming. We have thus stated in a genel a.
way what occurred at Baltimore and along
the line of the Baltimore and Ohio raj
road.
+ On Thursday morning yesterday week
a the strike began at Pittsburgh and nC
: freight trains were allowed by the strikers
to pass the outer depot, either east or vest
while all the cattle trains bound east were
t stopped at the East Liberty stock yards
! Large and excited meetings of the strikers
and their sympathiZers were held du ing
n the day and night and intense eXcitemen,
= prevailed throughout the city. 1t must be
here stated that new railroad order went
: into effect on that morning. requiring that
10 4. r.,
: six cars be taken out with one crew to AL
toona, a distance of 1i6 miles, in one day
+. instead of to Derry, only As miles, which
before that was considered days work
> Against this new rule .he train hands re
beled.
=, On Friday morning Sheriff Fife, of ALE
- gbeny county, teegrdphed Governor Hart
: rant requesting him to call out the militia
e ry to suppress the strike. The Governo,
n being absent on his way to California, Ad
, jutant General Latta ordered Genera
= Pearson, of Pittsburgh, commander of the
t 18th Reg't p. n. G., to report for duty a
the Union depot, and on the same day he
Secretary of the Commonw ealtb, NJ. S
Quay, in the name of tie Cover nor ISSUED
: the usual proclamation. No special VIC
S lence was committed during that day, al
e though The situation bourly grew more Sc
= rious. At / clock on Friday morninp
Sheriff Fife, at the request of the rail road
officials, had gone out to disperse the mob
D but failed to do So Two additional rcgi
e ments were ordered from Philadelphia anf
4 reached Pittsburgh on Saturday afternoon
at 2 o'clnck. In the meantime clever
warrants had been obtained from the
p, Court for the arrest of the ring leaders OF
D the strike and placed in tie Sheriffs hand.
! 70 be executed. Up to the time of the ar
rival of the troops the strikers showed thai
while they were determined to remain
! firm, they had no desire to resort to rio
4 and bloodshed. About ) o'clock the Phil
adelphia troops between 800 and 300 strong
marched from the Union depot to the
outer depot to disperse the crowd estima
ted at many thousands, only fraction o
+ whom were strikers. Mr.. Pitcairn, sup
, of the Western division, aud Sheriff Fife
with posse of policemen aud other off
GERS. acCOmnanlPd The trnnnS TIn nr1n,