The Portland daily press., 1892-07-07
ROAR Oh BATTLE.
Rifles Ratified and Cannon
Doomed at Homestead.
ALL THE LONG, HOT DAY
THE FIGHT RACED.
Pinkerton Men Attempted to Land
From River Barges.
THEY WERE KILLED BY BULLETS
AND HARRASSED BY FIRE.
THEY WERE KILLED BY BULLETS
AND HARRASSED BY FIRE.

The Trouble at the Carnegie Steel Works
eliminated in Battle Seldom Ex-
ceeded in Deadly Results in Actual
Warfare-The Pinkerton Forces Driven
Back by the Strikers and Forced to
Surrender After Many Had Been
Kil1ed-Then They Were BrutalIy
Maltreated.
PITTsBURG, Pa, July 6.-Pittsburg g. has
had another experience with labor riots.
This time, as during the fearful scenes
witnessed duriug the railroad riots of
1877, blood has been shed, life leopard
lied and valuable property placed in
danger. This time there was no destruc-
ton Of property but the mob was
thoroughly well organized, well dis
ciplined and had efficient officers at it's
head to conduct it's operation. The
force embraced all the men employed
in the extensive plants of the Carnegie
Iron and Steel Company at Homestead,
eight miles east of Pittsburg. The bat
tie, which for blood thirstiness and bold
ness of execution, has not been excelled
in actual warfare, ragged from four o.
clock in the morning until five this after
noo, opd o,,Jxy ooocod xrLon +bo eouo, &c
Pinkertons brought to the place to sup
press the strike Internationally sur
rendered, leaving their arms in the
barges in which they were transported to
the works.
Yesterday the Carnegie Company an
nounced its intention to proceed to get
ready to make repairs. The officials
asked the sheriff to appoint deputies to
protect their property. The sheriff sent
small squad of men to the works but
the strikers assembled in force and mott
fed them to get out of town, as u :
order was intended and no d. o
would be done to any property. The
men even offered to be sworn in as de-
puties and give bonds for the faithful
performance of their duties as conserva-
tors of the peace. When this offer was
declined, the advisory committee, which
had been directing the action of the
workmen and had held the turbulent
spirits among them in check. Immediate
ly dissolved and all the records of the
committee were promptly destroyed.
The developments today showed that the
application made for the assistance of
the sheriff was merely for the purpose
of covering what was intended to be a
coup-de-main on the part of the Carnegie
Company in clandestinely introducing a
body of Pinkerton detectives into the
mill enclosure.
At an early hour this morning
300 Pinkerton detectives arrived
in Pittsburg from the East. They
were quietly marched to the Mo
nongahela river, where they were loaded
on barges and shipped to Homestead.
The news of their arrival spread rapidly,
and when the steam tug Tide, towing
the barges, arrived at Homestead, there
were 5000 people waiting to meet them.
AS soon as the Pinkertons attempted to
land they were met by firm resistance
from the men, and battle followed.
Both sides opened fire, and at the first
volley two workmen fell. This fired the
crowd, and they bore down upon the
Pinkertons with resisless force. Nobody
stopped to inquire whether the new
corners were deputy sheriffs, Pinkerton
detectives or non-union laborers.
After the exchange of several shots
the crewd fell back and rushed toward
the big trestle leading to the Pemicky
railroad bridge. The first man to fall in
the engagement was Martin Merry. a
heater in one OF the mills. He was shot
in the left side and fell face downward.
Close beside Merry stood a big Hunga-
rian, who stopped over Merry's PROSTATE
body, and, as he was in the act of raising
him, he staggered, and an instant later
fell by the side of his comrade. This
bloody spectacle reused the dropping
spirits of the crowd, and with hoarse
cheer half a dozen men rushed to the
place where Merry and the Hungarian
lay. They picked up the bodies and
carried them behind the trestle. One of
the rescuers, a Welshman, was shot in
the left leg just as he raised Merry's
head from the ground. Five more of the
Strikers Were Wounded,
and two of them very seriously.
1t was exactly 4 o'clock when the
steamer and barges were sighted by the
watchers gathered on the river bank
mile below the town. Directly the fleet
was sighted three messengers, each
mounted ON a horse, started for Home
stead, shouting as they went in advance
of the dreaded barges. Some one noti-
fled the engineer at the electric light
works, and the harsh-voiced whistle
sounded the general alarm. The people
responded with wonderful alacrity there
were old men, young men, and any num-
ber of children. The throng headed
toward the river. The day was lust