Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1892-08-16
SUNDAYS SERIOUS WORK.

yesterday morning, when "A series of incen-
diary fires broke out simultaneously in the
LehIgh- Valley yards. Eighteen or twenty
freight cars filed with wool, cotton, hay.
and various other merchandise, two pas
senger coaches and two watchmen's houses
were burned.
The fires occurred at places where the
firemen could not successfully stay the
flames on account OF an absence OF water,
besides the difficulty of access TO the fires.
The water-tank adjacent TO the coal tres
tie was smashed. and an engine that was
taxing water there was wrecked BY
string of ten runaway cOal-cars that had
been turned loose from the trestle
FIGHTING TIE FLAMES.
At this time the yardmaster discovered
flames IN two passenger coaches used for
the conveyance Of workmen and turned
in an alarm. II took the hose from three
carts to reach the flames from the nearest
hydrant. The fremen, however, prevented
the destruction of great number Of cars
and the loss of perhaps hundreds ot
thousands of dollars worth Of property.
The cars DESTROYED were in the midst OF
great number of other cars. The tirelnen
uncOuped a number of cars and removed
them from danger. A dozen or so cars
were thrown from the Lehlgh tracks and
similar number from the Erie by misplaced
switches. The first intimatiOn of anything
.
loose and demolished the water tank. Then
the fires broke out simultaneously.
ONLY THE BEGINNING.
Captain Wurtz, of the Eleventh Precinct.
/ put a force of dozen officers IN the yard
/ as soon as the alarm was given. The officers
/ were unable TO find any suspicious charac-
! tiers. That briefly is what had happened up
! 10 daylight yesterday morning, but that
was only the beginning.
The strikers or heir sympathiZers pulled
pins, turned switches, and drove on
crews. Three men were sent to the hos
pital badly hurt. One man was assaulted
at o'clock yesterday morning, two others
Mt II, and another at 3 yesterday after
noon.
PAssENGER4cARs DEEAnED.
One of the most serious things done
was the throwing Of switches under Pas
songer Tram No. II at William street at
1880 o'clock yesterday. Two passenger
coaches were thrown from the track, but
nobody was hurt, though many were
badly frightened.
Fifty men boarded Passenger Train No. 8
at II o'clock yesterday morning and mo-
Tested the employees driving them of.
The crew finally succeeded in getting the
train to the station. The mob took pos
session of the Scneca-street switch three
or tour times during the day and drove off
the signal men. In the Lehigh yards at
Cheetowaga last night the scenes OF Satur-
day night we're repeated.
MORE FIRES.
At l o'clock Yesterday afternoon fire
broke ont in three places in the Lehigh
yards again simultaneously.
Fortv-seven special deputy sheriffs left
for CheetOwaga at 1890, and more Will be
sent out during the afternoon. II the
Sheriff finds he cannot preserve order he
will appeal to the Governor for military
and.
Many sensational rumors have been in
circulation. in winch the extent of the III
cendlary work was greatly exaggerated,
hut the above can be accepted as reliable
and correct.
DIrCHED PAssEYGLRs' EXPERIENCE.
The passengers on the Erie and LehIgh-
Valley trains that were ditched did not
reach Erie until 2:45 A. NJ. They stated
that the strikers went through the
coaches, detached the engines, and broke
the brake connections. II. Dickerman,
q drummer who was on board one OF the
trains. said that no oviolence was attempted
with any Of the passengers. He continued:
Three strikers boarded our train. They
were all apparently sober aud met with no
resistance. They politely Informed the
passengers that the tram would 90 no
further. The spokesman was tall fellow,
OF light complexion, and with sandy hair.
He simply stated that he was q striker;
that he had o wife and family TO maintain,
and that the road would not do the square /
thing 10y the men,
party of actors in the " Hands-AcrOss- +.
the-Sean Company were mistaken for
non-union men and were closely inspected
by the strikers, but were found to be I
actors and were not molested.
THE STRIKERS GRIEVANCE.
TrcrI AToa4o- of fha GVC,tE
mems Union, is quoted as saying that he I
did not believe that the strike would eX- |
tend to other roads besides the Lehigh- I.
Valley and Erie, whose roads, he said,
had not treated the swtchmen properly IN
the matter of wages and hours. and had ]
attempted to bulldoze the men and re- |
fused 10 listen TO their grievances.
GREAT EXCITEMENT. I
E1MBA, N. Y, August 15.-Great excite /
ment prevails az Waverly, n. y. Fifty /
one Lehigh men are out. Only four OF tho /
Erie switchmen at Wayerly are union men, +
aud these had not been ordered out this
morning. Two Lehgh freightir slipped
out, the trainmen doing their own switch i
ing but with these exceptions no trains {
have gone through Sayre since Saturday !
night Between $500 and 5000 cars are /
tied up at Sayre. Sheriff Geer, of lioga
county, n. y, Is at Waverly with twenty
of Bradford county. Pa, Is at Sayro with /
q large force OF deputies.
ALMOST CONFLICT.
Great excitement resulted from tho at-
tempt to run an engine and cabOOse out /
OF Sayre tins morning. A collision be-
tween the strikers and the Sherif's forces
seemed likely at every minute. The men
surrounded the engine and refused TO let .
il proceed. Sheriff Powell turned tho
switch himself, but IL was Immediately
turned back by the strikers. A start was
made, but the strikers pulled the coupling
pin between the engine and the caboose
and caused another delay. The Sheriff
tried TO arrest some of the men, but they
were immediately rescued by their COM
rades. Superintendent Stephenson and
the Sheriff mounted the pilot, but could
not keep the men away from the engine.
THE srRIKERs IN COMMAND.
At noon the engine had gone about 200
yards, and the strikers were IN command
of the situation.
No trouble has occurred at Elmira or
Hornellsyllle
A special from Sayre says sixty men wero
ordered to report TO Superintendent
Stephenson this morning 10 take the
places Of the strikers. They reported, but
refused 10 90 TO work. meeting Of union
trainmen was held this afternoon az Sayra,
and 1t was decided that the trainmen
would not do switchmen's work north OF
Sayre.
MORE TROUBLE THREATENED.
The trouble subsidized this afternoon. tho
Sheriff admitting bis powerlessness, but
more trouble IS threatened when he under
takes to make tho promised arrests with
larger force One striker was hurt IN one
of the melees with the Sherih's forces.
THE MILITARY ORDERED OUT.
BUFFALO, N. Y, August l5.-The mill
tary have been ordered out.
OFFICIAL READING ACTION.