Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1892-08-16
SOLDIERS GUARD
The BUFFALO YARDS
Two Regiments Ordered to
the Scene Early This
Morning.
CENTRAL AND WEST SHORE SWITCH
MEN MAY ALSO STRIKE.

The DesertiOns OF Deputies So Disguised
the Sheriff That He Decided to Call Out
the Militia--Assau1ts Upon Nom Union
Men--Many Fires Started in the Lehigh
Valley Yards Yesterday--Great Damage
Done--Demands of the BIen--Trouble at
Other Points.
BUFFALO, N. Y, Aug 16.-This morn
ing everything is quiet at the East Buffalo
yards. Both battalions ofnthe 74thI and
Goth regiments are on duty in the yards,
and it is unlikely that any more trouble
will occur at present.
| Several small fires were started in the
Lehigh Valley yards last night, but they
were easily extinguished.
The strikers were in session until a.
m. in Gammells Hall, but no more
strikes were ordered, as had been antici-
| pated.
At late hour last night Sheriff Beck
was notified by officials of the New York
Central and West Shore roads that they
| would expect him to protect their prop
| erty in the event of a strike on their
lines.
There is not the slightest doubt in the
| minds of those posted in railway matters
Shore switchmen at this point will quit
work unless the difficulty between the
men now on strike and their employers
are adjusted
Sheriff Beck seems to have met with
ill-success in answer to his call for depu-
ties at So day. All they did was to de-
sert as fast as they reached East Buffalo.
The assertions SO Disguised the official
that he decided to call out the militia
Yesterday morning the striking switch
men renewed their destruction of railroad
property.
One hundred and fifty cars were set ON
fire on the tracks outside the city line be-
tween 10 and o'clock and burned
fiercely. The purpose of this latest out
rage was to block the tracks so that trains
cannot be sent through.
The fire being outside of the city limits
the Fire Department could not 60 there
and 1t ragged unfought. 1t was thought
that the engines might remain inside the
city and run out long lines of hose for
the railroad men to handle, but that was
found to be impracticable after water
had been spread on a few cars which were
near the line. Over 1000 feet of hose
were run out in one case.
There were probably 300 cars between
Buffalo and Lancaster and as nothing
was done to stay the progress Of the
flames they were destroyed.
When the Lehigh freight No. Sc at
tempted to get out of the yards it was
held up by the strikers.
The train had moved slowly as far as
Bailey avenue, when suddenly a mob of
strikers darted out from among the cars
on side tracks and other places of con-
cealment and commanded the engineer
and fireman to get down and give the
train into their hands. They were com
PEELED to do it.
At O'Clock message from the opera
tor at William street station said that
the fire had broken out at three different
places in the yards and indications were
that serious damage would be done as the
fire was burning fiercely.
Nothing could be done by the engines
attached to the trains as the crews were
driven from their engines and threats
were made if the men attempted to move
them.
The Fire Department was unable to do
anything on account of the absence of
hydrants in the neighborhood.
One road had the stock trains ready to
leave for the east at o'clock but they
were not moved as the strikers threatened
to kill the crew If they left the yards
At a. m. a train of coal cars on the
Lehigh Valley caught fire at each end and
burned flercely.
Here and there, at intervals of a few
minutes, fires broke out all along the
line and as many as dozen different
blazes were seen at one time, the sky being
lurid with the reflection of the flames.
At about this time all the switch lights
between Smith street and the Western
New York & Pennsylvania target were
in the darkness.
A wrecking train left the city at a. m.
to bring in the passengers from train No.
l on the other side of the fire and Lehigh
train No. 20 from Philadelphia.
The trains were both late as thew an,
preached the city and were thrown from
the rails by the turning of switches
At 2:45 o'clock train No. rs passengers
were brought into the city tired and dis
gusted. They were not molested by the
strikers, but the ladies and children were
considerably frightened by the rioting and
the bonfires of freight cars.
Lehigh Valley train No. 25 arrived at
the station at a. III. II had been lying
at William street since 10 o'clock at night |
The strikers had the impression that the
extra train, which was filled with actors
from the Hands Across the Sea- COM
pany, was a car of non-union men to fill
the place of strikers.
The strikers searched it, but failing to |
find any non-union men they withdrew
without injuring anybody.
Members of the theatrical company
sIaleu tnHC Cne COMMISSION ana nr0 Just
beyond William street was appalling. |
Around the burning cars strikers and |
their sympathizers were enjoying the |
result of their lawless work. Perched |
high on box cars they Knocked and jeered |
at the railroad men working at the blazing
wrecks.
About n dozen men were assaulted and |
injured by the strikers
Grand Master Sweeney said this morn
ing that he regretted the outbreak of /
lawlessness and condemned it, but he |
thought much of it had been committed |
by outsiders.
The trouble has been brewing, of course,
for long time, and the tactics of the /
strikers in starting their fires outside of /
the city limits aud their cunningness in /
making the fires shows a carefully pre- /
pared plan of campaign.
The switchmen sent the following inef-
fcctual deman to Supt. Brunn: al
''SIR-The undersigned committee, rep |
he ITCH nY1lo xyodh INV