The Portland daily press., 1886-04-12
THE INcENDIARY's TORCH
Follows the Crack of the Rifle at
East st. Louis.
Five Serious Fires Occur In the Rail-
road Yards There.
Large Amount of Rolling Stock and
Other Property Burnt.
Firemen intimidated and Driven
Away by the Strikers.
The Knights Declare Jay Could Re-
sponsibIe for Fridays Shooting.

The Knights Declare Jay Could Re-
sponsibIe for Fridays Shooting.
Mr.. Gould Denies Any Responsibility
for the Sad Occurrence.
Three Of the Victims of fridays
Tragedy Buried Yesterday.
Sunday Passes Quietly in the
City
No Trains Run Yesterday, but Work
will Begin Again Today.
EAST ST. LOUIS H., April 10.-AbOut $50
o'clock last night people passing on the bridge
near the Louisville & Nashville depot discovered
smoke curling up from the yards. A few mo
ments later small fame conld be seen issuing
from box car located only short distance from
the Louisville g. Nashville depot, and in the cen
tire of train with cars on the track on each side
Some of the bystanders ran to the bridge office
and procured the hose. They Lad just fastened
it upon the hydrant when the night superintend-
ent of the bridge arrived on the scene and in
structed the men to pay no attention to the burn
ing cars, but merely to protect the bridge. BY
this time the flames from the burning car were
shooting up into the air and were visible all over
the entire city. Company H, Fifth Regiment,
from Decatur, quartered in the Young Mems
Christian Association rooms, was ordered to the
scene OF the confagration. They Immediately
marched down the track, double quick time. They
surrounded the burning ears and allowed no out
siders around them By this time quite crowd
had collected on the bridge, mostly composed of
strikers, but they took things rather coolly and
were very quiet Mayor Joyce arrived on the
scene at about the same time and sent in an alarm
calling out three engines of the fire department of
this city, which quickly responded and prevented
the fire from consuming more than the car in
which it originated, but not before their hose had
beeu cut by some one of the crowd. just as the
above fire had got under good headWay big
blaze was discovered in the direction of the round
house Of the Cairo Short Line, about a mile and
half to the southeast. 1t was found that three
box cars and one caboose On the Cairo Short Line
tracks were enyeloped In flames. The cars were
surrounded by crowd numbering about zoo
people, but they were orderly and made no dis
turbance. The cars were all totally destroyed.
AT IL. 10 o'clock the watchman at the yards of
oil sheds, which Immediately burst forth and en-
veloped the building in flames. The fire, fed by
barrels of oil, swept westward, and in few mo-
ments one of a long train of freight cars on the
nearest track caught fire. The fire crept along to
the main buildings and spread to another of the
cars which separated it from the shops. Only
few moments elapsed before the flames leaI ed to
the next parallel track and in short time the
entire train of about 25 cars was consumed. The
fire in the round house and machine shops in the
meantime had not been put out, despite the eff
forts of the firemen. The latter worked under
great difficulties, for no sooner would they get
line of hose in position and have stream OF water
playing on the fire than some one would quickly
dart out from the crowd and cut the hose. The
flames therefore made rapid headway, and in a
short time the rouna house and machine shops
were nearly destroyed. A fourth fire started
in the Cairo Short Line lumber yards, where lot
piled, also number OF ears standing in close
proximity, and fifteen Of the cars were soon de-
stroyed Another blaze shot up in the vicinity of
the southern end OF the Cairo yards, where were
about twelve cars belonging to different railroads,
and these, too, were burned to the ground. The
St Louis fire Was near ar at hand and t
crowd would have permitted them to do So
About 12 15 9. M, Assistant Chief Gross was
to stay the flames, when he was approached by a
striker. who said he represented committee
which had been instructed to inform the fire de-
partment that they were not wanted III Easiest
Louis. The Assistant Chief explained that he
had responded to the call of duty. 'Did you
come here by, the authority of Mayor Joyce?'
asked the mouthpiece of the committee Yes"
"Take my advice; you had better go back to your
own city; it amt healthy for you here" Assist
there any longer, and he withdrew his men and
prepared to return to st. Louis. When they left
Mr. Gross said it was useless for the them to attempt
engineers, cut uthe hose and had told him that
they would not be allowed to do anything.
Although no one was actually caught in the act
of starting any of these fires, it is generally be-
lieyed that they were caused by the strikers or
their sympahzers, and this belief is at least prac
renee and by the interference by the crowd with
the efforts of the fremen to extinguish the flames
The total loss to the different companies so far is
estimated at $4,000.
AT O'Clock this morning, the fires started last
night were under control. Fifty-eight cars, with
scale houses and lumber yard, were completely
destroyed. The round house and shops were
partially saved.
Large crowds of strikers and citizens were col
lected in groups all over the city this mornings and
were still determined to have revenge for yester-
days massacre. Public sentiment is running
high.
The superintendent of the Bridge Company
stated today that had Gov. Oglesby sent small
body of troops there when first requested, none of
the men would have been tRei and they
road officials have remained at East st. Louis on
duty, but in the confusion and alarm occasiOned
by the fire last night, there were very few people
in authority who could even guide the troops to
the scene of the burning cars.
The entire work of vandalism indicated knowl-
edge and Dremeditation, with no one to lend
staying hand to stop the destruction until small
detachments of troops put in an appearance, and
" narrow limits. The general manager Of one of
the roads who witnessed the scenes of last night,
declares:the property of all the railroad compa-
MES would positively have been wiped out before
morning but for the soldiers.
The hotels of the city and all proprietors of
shops have been warned not to entertain or har
Dor any of the soldiers, which is The occasion In
part for the closing of all hotels, except the Mar
tel House, which has been taken as the head
quarters for officers commanding the troops. AS
an illustration of the predominant feeling, the
Cairo Shore Line Company will be compelled to
send its yard workmen 40 miles from the city to
escape the boycott with which the hotels and
boarding houses are threatened for harboring any
non-strikers.
Freight trains over the Cleveland Columbus,
Chicago Alton and Vandalia roads have arrived
this afternoon. Three coal trains have crossed
the bridge into East st. Louis The Cairo Short
the fire last night has not been enabled to resume
operations in its yards thus far today.
The body OF 7. E. Thompson; who was shot by
the East st. Louis deputy sherifs yesterday after
noon on the bridge and died last evening, was
taken to the st. Louis morgue today. DR.. Dean,
asked Thompson to make statement of the oc-
curTence so that it could be used In case OF his
death, but the wounded man would not make
and has lived in st. Louis but six months. This
afternoon A. B. Stone, general manager OF the
Chicago, Burlington 8 Quincy road, called at the
leader in the strike He said: 81 recognize him
as the man stopped in our yards last Wednesday
leading gang of 200 strikers"
and Mr.. George Gould refused to see members of
the press this morning Reporters were referred
to Mr.. Somerville VINO handed out dispatches
from MI. Hoxie relative to the movement OF trains
on the Southwestern System yesterday. Accord
ing to these 2S9 trains were moved yesterday,
containing 495 cars, an increase of % trains and
456 cars over the same day last year.
ST. LOUIS, Mo-, April 10-The Executive Board
of the Knights of Labor, when the news of the
shooting reached them, proceeded ct once to
East st. Louis and there conferred with number
of citizens and got the general opinion as to the
affair. After advising every one against violence,
the board returned to this side and prepared the
following telegram and sent 1t out as an express
sion of the boards opinion of the affair:
ST. LOUIS, Mo-, April 10.
To Jay Gould, NeaU York:
The following advertisement appeared in many
OF the leading papers of the seventh instant:
LOUISVILLE & NASHVILLE RAILROAD Co.,
OFFICE OF AGENT, I
april 6, 1886.
Ten good men from here are wanted as deputy
marshals at East st. Louis to protect Louisville
Nashville employees. Five dollars per day and
board will be paid. Also number of platform
men can be given employment. Only men aolho
hare plenty Of grit and mean business need apply.
Apply at once,
7. S. GENUNG, Agent.
How well this advertisement has been answered
is seen by their work of today in East ST. Louis.
Six men and one woman were murdered by those
who chad D1entY of prit and meant husineSSn