The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1877-07-28
CARNIVAL OF RUIN.
Wanton Destruction of Property by the
Railroad Rioters in Pittsburg
and Baltimore.
Twenty-nine Persons Killed and Man!
Wounded i'm Conflict with
the Troops.
Hundred Locomotives and Two
Thousand Cars Destroyed
at pittsburS.

PrrTsBURG, Pa, July 22.-The crisis
of the railway strike of this city as lndl-
Gated in these dispatches Saturday night
was reached yesterday afternoon about
five O'Clock, when the Philadelphia
troops who had been sent here to-
suppress the strikers fired on the crowd,
killing twenty-eight people and wounding
as many more. The terribly fatal effects
of the shots fired on the troops exasper-
ated citizens as we'll as strikers, and in
less than an hour thousands of working
men from the rolling mills, coal mines
and various manufacturing establish
ments hurried to the scene of the conflict,
determined to have revenge on the troops
and railway officials. By eight o'clock
in the evening 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 the
threats freely expressed of massacring the
the entire Philadelphia command By
this time the military had with
drawn from the railroad crossing at
Twenty-eighth street, when the first
conflict took place, and was ordered to
one of the roundhouses where they could
find better protection. About 10 O'Clock
in the evening mob numbering several
thousand had congregated about the
round house. They had previously cap
tured the guns belonging to the Ketch-
inson's battery, local organization, and
planted them so as to command the
round house. Several solid shots were
fired at the building, and breach made
in the walls, but when the Infatuated
mob attempted to rush into the building
the military were ordered to fire. The
volley of musketry which followed and
the rumor that the Gatling guns of the
command were being brought into requi-
sition, caused panic, and the mob fled
precipitately Tor several squares, the
military meanwhile keeping up the
fusilade. The rioters, however, were
soon reassured, and as thousands were
to the attack. Finding it difficult to
dislodge the military from the building,
they resolved 10 burn them out. An
order to this eject was issued, and it
was carried into execution with a fiend-
ish alacrity by the rioters. AS a con-
sequence of the blockade which had ex-
listed for two days, siding in the outer
depot yards as we'll as those extending
eastward some three or four miles
were crowded with freight cars, filled
with grain, proc ducts and merchandise OF
all kinds, besides which number of cars
! loaded with oil cake and coal cars were
piled up in the mass. While a portion
of the mob surrounded the building in
which the military had taken refuge
large bodies proceeded to set fire to the
oil cars, and ina moment the huge vo
umes of black smoke which rolled up
wards, followed by the lurid flames
reaching out il every direction, told
that the work OF destruction had com
menced. The sht of the flames seemed
to literally crazt the rioters, some OF
whom rushed wildly about with flaming
the cars Unfortunately. An alarm
was sounded, and the fire department
promptly responded, but the rioters, who
had complete controlof the city, refused
to permit them to make any effort to ex.
tinguish the flames. They said they
were determined to destroy the railroad
company's property but would do no in
jury to that belonging to private citizens
They kept their word, too, and when g
lumber pile belonging to a citizen took
fire the rioters themselves turned
in and helped to extinguish the flames
and removed the lumber to a safe place
Train after train was fired by the infuri
ated crowd, but the cars were so far dis
tant from the round houses that the heat
did not seriously affect the military, al
though their position was one of peril
Finally a large party of strikers cap
tured a car filled with coke, which they
run from the Allegheny valley railway
track to siding connecting with the
Pennsylvania railroad. They then pro
cured large quantities of petroleum oil
and pouring it over the coke, ignited the
materials. In a very few moments the
car was mass of fire, and it was ther
pushed along the tracks and forced against
the round house. The building was soor
ignited, and the soldiers were now com
PEELED to prepare to fight their way out
through the frenzied mass of humanity
clamoring for their blood. The building
did not burn as rapidly as was desired
and the mob bent on revenge, rushed out
the road and sent the burning train to.
wards the doomed building.
From midnight until o'clock this
afternoon, the main Efforts of the crowd
were directed to firing the buildings and
cars, but about half an hour later the
mob, which had been beseiging the mil.
itary, left for some unexplained reason.
| This afforded the troops, who were in
actual danger of being roasted alive an
opportunity TO emerge from the building,
and they succeeded in reaching Liberty
street in very few moments. While
| turning into Butler street, however, the
leaders of the mob had discovered their
retreat, and fully one thousand men,
fully armed and supplied with ammuni-
ton, followed in pursuit Some of the
troops fired at the citizens, either acct
| dentally or Intentionally, as they were
moved along, and this added fury to the
cry for revenge. When they reached
the arsenal the commandant refused to
admit them. He said he had only ten
men, and would be powerless to hold
the place if the mob should at
tack it. He consented to take
care of the wounded, and they were ac-
cording carried into the hospitals The
main body of troops continued their
march out Butler street, fusilade being
kept up on them by the mob as they
moved forward. The shots fired killed
one of the soldiers before they left the
arsenal and nearly opposite the cemetery
gate, fully mile above the arsenal. two
others were killed, and were left wing
on the sidewalk. They continued their
flight and crossed over to the north side
of the Allegheny on the Sharpsburg
bridge, the mob following them as rapidly
as possible. After reaching the north