Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-04-13
A CHASE ON THE RAIL.
EXCITING SCENE IN THE RAILWAY
DISTRICT AT CHICAGO.

A 90 Locomotive Crew Replies to Stones
Enemy Flies with the 20" Men In Pur-
suit-Chairman Hogo's Statement as to
| the Burlington Busines rs.
| CHICAGO, April 10 There was rafting
| race between two locomotives on the Bur-
| lington tracks Thursday, and it almost cul-
minated in bloodshed. Volleys of stones were
thrown, and "A pistol-shot was fired, but no
one was very badly hurt. The trouble began
at the Chicago 81 Alton crossing at Brighton
| park. burlington engine lS6 was pulling
train of freight cars from the stock yards 20
Western avenue, and engine $50, of the st.
Paul, was hauling light train in the same
direction. At the crossing both crews
claimed the right of way, and, in something
lest than minute, stones and pins were fly
ing in all directions, and the air was blue
with the ihprecations of the conbatants At
last Switchman Benton on the "Qn train was
struck in the face with lump of
coal He Immediately drew his revolver
and fired into the cab of the St Paul engine,
which was slightly in the lead. Nobody was
shot, but when the bullet whistled by the St
Paul engineer he pat on full steam and made
for home. The 20" engineer tried to over
take the flying foe, but on account of the up
grade between the Chicago Il Alton crossing
and the bridge he lost considerable ground.
At last the crew, determined not he beaten,
cut their engine loose from the train and
went laundering up the track, The race was
Il mad one, and neither engine seemed to he
gaining ground until the bridge was reached.
At that point the 20" engine made n squirt,
and it ran down tho "Y" into the Western
avenue yards, some distance ahead of lbs
rival
As it passed the st. Paul engine the en-
gineer and fireman We're pretty badly scared.
They expected to he fired at. But the 90
crew had made mp their minds not to shoot,
but if possible TO head off the st. Paul gang
at the Western avenue crossing, and after
stopping it by the target, TO have the men
arrested. They failed to do So however, for
although Benton reached the signal-box be-
fore the engine passed, the target was not
placed against it until it had struck the cross
ing. 1t disappeared up the track in a minute
or 80, going ut over thirty miles an hour.
In the meantime the 20" train, left alone
on the grade near the bridge, started to run
down hill and, as nobody was on board, it
went right across the Chicago & Alton cross
ing, The signals We're against the train NOV
ing in that direction, bus fortunately no Al |
ton trains were running there at the time,
and it shot safely down the tracks for u few
more blocks, stopping finally at IA street |
crossing and blocking the way. An engine |
from Western avenue was sent after the |
train, and it was taken away within half an |
hour.
At the strikers quarters at Fourteenth and |
Jefferson streets the greatest indignation was |
expressed over the affair, and the men de- |
clared that the 20" gang must have cut the |
train loose with the intention of letting it run
ba fL..
Chicago & Alton crossing"
Chairman Hoge, of the strikers grievance
committee, was asked Thursday why he did
not call Off the strike, and said it would be
called off when the 20" was doing its bust
ness without the aid of the strikers, some
thing he was very positive it was not yet do
ing: Said he
nowhere on the line is the Q road do
ing half its business and in many cases it is
not doing more than "A quarter Take, for
the Mendoza, Fulton and Clinton
branch One of our men there says that
where, before the strike, they were handling
on that branch an average of 100 cars day.
now they are handling not to exceed twenty
five cars day. The passenger train on that
branch, hover, is running regularly, / I'M
ierstand. Then take their business from
to Savannah. There they used to
run six freights day, that would average
about sixty cars to n train, or a daily aver
age of 800 cars. Now the business on that
run does not exceed 127 ears n day, or just
about third of their regular business. Here
is a letter from Lincoln, Neb., dated April .,
which gives the business out of the yards
there in twenty-four hours as five trains,
one of them full train, two
Of them very light, and two
without any cars at ALL and that during
.he same period forty-two cars were received
from the west Another of our men has just
come in from Iowa. He says that at.Ot
'umwa, where the capacity of the yards is
about 900 cars, the tracks are all crowded
to their full capacity, and but little freight is
moving, They are making no attempt, he
says, to move anything but stock and perisha- ,
Dles. He estimates that they are not trans
acting more than 20 per cent. of their bust
less at that point" 5
Mr.. Hoge quoted similar reports from Bur
ington, la. The railway officials, however,
insist that the road is doing a good business S
or the season, and say they are perfectly sat
SIZED with the way things are running. $