The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1877-07-28

and totally destroyed. Atabout II o'clock
some cars at the Riverside Round house
were burned.
THE RIOT IN PITTSBURG, PA.
The crisis of the railway strike in Pits
burg. was reached on Saturday afternoon,
! about O'Clock, when the Philadelphia
troops who had been sent there to suppress
the strikers fired upon the crowd. The
| terrible fatal effects of the shots fired by
| the troops eXasperated citizens as well as
strikers, and in less than an hour thou
| sands Of workingmen from the rolling mills,
coal mines and various manufacturing es-
Establishments hurried to the scene of the
conflict, determined to have revenge of
the troops and railroad officials. 1t was
stated that General Pearson, Commander of
the Sixth Division of the State Guards,
had directed the troops to fire be-
fore any resistance had been made, and the
fact that many of those killed and wounded
had gathered on the hillside merely as
spectators served to increased the bitterness
of the crowd. BY eight O'Clock in the
evening mobs were moving about the city
in various directions, seeking stores to
secure arms, breaking into the armories Of
the military companies and preparing
themselves to execute the threats freely eX-
pressed of massacreing the entire Philadel-
phia command By this time the military
had Withdrawn from the railroad crossing
at Twenty-eight street, where the first con-
tlict took place, and we're ordered to one of
the round houses, where they would find
better protection. About 10 o clock in the
evening mob numbering several thousand
had con9regated about the round house.
They had previously captured the guns
belonging to Hutchinson's Battery, a local
organization, and planted them SO as to
command the round house. Several solid
shots were fired at the building, and a
breach made i'll 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 rumoIs that the Gatling guns of
the command were being brought into re-
QUESTION, caused a panic, and the mob fled
precpitately for several squares, the mill
tary meanwhile keeping up the fusilade.
The rioters however, were soon reaSurcd,
and, as thousands were tlocking to their
assistance, they returned to the attact.
Finding it difficult to dislodge the military
from the building they resolved to burn
them ont. An order to this effect was
issued, and it was carried into execution
with tieudish alacrity by the rioters. In
consequence of the blockade which had
existed for two days the sidings in the
outer depot yards, rs well as those extern
ding eastward some three or four miles,
were crowded with freight cars filled with
produce and merchandise of all kinds,
besides which number Of loaded 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 in d moment the
huge volumns of black smoke which rolled
upwards ont in every direction told that
the work of destruction had commenced.
The sight of the flames seemed to literally
craze the rioters, some of whom rushed
wildly about with flaming torches III their
hands applying them to the cars indiscrimi-
natey. An alarm was sounded, and the
department promptly responded, but the
rioters had complete control of the city,
and refused to permit them to go and make
any effort to extingush the flames. They
said they were determined to destroy the
railroad compauy's property, but to do no
injury to that belonging to private citizens.
They kept their word, too, and when
lumber pile belonging to 4 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 Infatuated crowd, but the
cars We're SO far distant from the round
house that the heat did not seriously affect
the military. although their position was
one of peril. Finally a large party of
strikers captured car filled with coke,
which they run from the Allegheny Valley
Railroad track to a siding connecting with
the Pennsylvania Railroad. They then
procured large quantities of petroleum oil,
and pouring it over the coke ignited the
materials. In very few moments the car
was a mass of fire, and it was pushed along
the track and forced against the round
house.
The building was soon ienited, and the
soldiers were now compelled 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 into the road and
and sent burning trains towards the
doomed buildings.
From midnight until five o'clock in the
morning 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 besieging the military from some
unex plained reason withdrew. This af-
forded the troops, who were in actual dan
ger of being roasted alive, an opportunity
to emerge from the building, and they sue
ceeded in reaching Liberty street in a very
few moments. They quickly formed in
line and marched up to Thirty third street,
and thence to Pennsylvania avenue and
Butler street. Their objective point was
the United States Arsenal on Butler street,
where they expected to obtain shelter.
While turning into Butler street, however,
the leaders discovered their retreat, and
fully one thousand men, fully armed and sup
piled with ammunition, followed in pur-
suit Some of the troops fired at citizens,
either accidentally or Intentionally, as they
were moving along, and this added fury to
the cry of revenge. When they reached
the arsenal the commander refused to ad
nit them. He said he had but ten men,
ard would be powerless to hold the place
if the mob should attack it. He consented
to take care of the wounded, and they were
accordingly carried into the hospitals
The main body of the 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 reached the arsenal, and nearly
OppoSilc li!c CthicteiJ SdIe, iuIIy d hile
above the arsenal, two others were killed
and were left lying on the sidewalk. They
continued their flight, crossed over to the
north side of the Allegheny river on Sharps-
burg bridge, the mob following them as
rapidly as possible. After reaching the
north side the troops scattered, and in this
way the mob was divided into very small
bodies. In the meantime the city was in
state of anarchy, thousands who had not
joined in the pursuit of the fleeing troops
gathered about the burning buildings and
trains, and assisted in spreading the flames
wherever they had not been applied. BY
7 o'clock the fire had extended from Mil
Vile Station to Twentieth street, and en-
veloped hundreds of cars, the extensive
machine shops, two round-houses, the de-
pot and office of the Union Transfer Com
pany, blacksmith shops, storehouses and
numerous other buildings making up the
terminal facilities of this mammoth cor
poration. In the roundhouse were one
hundred and twenty five first class loco
motives, which had been housed in conse-
qucnce of the strike. These were totally
destroyed, but even the immense loss which
will be sustained in this item is but 4 trite