Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1892-08-18
RIOTS AT BUFFALO.7
Trains Wrecked and Cars Burned nv
Striking Switchmen.

Trains Wrecked ana cars Burned by
Striking Switchmen.
BUFFALO, n. Y, Aug. 14.-There is no
further Disgusting the fact that the
strike of the Erie and Lehigh Valley
switchmen is a serious matter. Riot
and incendiarism mark its tidal wave.
There had been more or less trouble
SATURDAY. between the strikers and their
svmpatnizers, and the men who were
doing the strikers work, and few des-
ultory assaults had occurred. Things
began to put on more serious aspect
at 2 O'Clock this morning, when q series
of incendiary fires broke out stimuli,
taneously in the Lehigh Valley
wards. Eighteen or twenty freight
cars filed with wool, cotton, hay
and various other merchandise, two
passenger coaches and two watchmens
houses we're burned. Among the carsof
merchandise it took the hose from three
carts to reach the flames from the near
est bydrant. The fremen, however,
prevented the destruction of great
mum Der of cars, and the loss of perhaps
hundreds of thousands of dollars
worth of property. The cars destroyed
we're in the middle Of a great number
of others. The fremen uncoulpled
number of cars and removed them
from danger. A dozen or SO of cars
were thrown from the Lehigh tracks
and similar number from the Erie by
misplaced switches.
The discrimination of anything wrong
was when the coal cars were set loose
and demolished the water tank. Then
the fires broke out simultaneously.
Capt. Wurtz, of the Eleventh Precinct,
nut a force of a dozen officers in the
ward as soon as the alarm was given.
The officers were unable to find any
suspicious characters.
That, briefly, is what happened up to
daylight this morning. But that was,
only the beginning. The strikers and
their sympathlzers have pulled pins.
turned switches and driven Oft cars
Three men are at the hospital badly
hurt. One was assaulted at 3 O'Clock
this morning, two others at II ana an
other at this afternoon. One of the
men was assaulted at the passenger sta
ton and two at William Street.
One of the most cowardly things done
was the throwing OF switches under
passenger train No. IL at William Street
at 7:3O this evening. Two passenger
trains were derailed, but nobody was
hurt though many were badly fright
ened. Fifty men boarded passenger
train No. SO at II O'Clock this morning,
driving the employees off. The crew
finally succeeded in getting the train
to the station. The mob took posses
sion of the Seneca switches three or
four times during the day and drove Oft
the signal men.
In the Lehigh yards at Cheektowaga
tonight the scenes Of last night were
repeated. It is plainly intimated by
the Erie officials that workmen from the
70 fob 40
places of the strikers. Two trains of
freight cars on sidings in Cheektowaga,
the railroad suburb of Buffalo, were
burned tonight. The Lehigh Valley
has called on the sheriff for protection,
and he sent six deputies to the scene.
He will swear in fifty more tomorrow
morning.
Att o'clock A. NJ. fire has broken out
in three places in the Lehigh yards
again simultaneously, The fire depart
ment seems unable to quench it. The
Erie's New York Express No. is held
two miles out because it cannot pass.
The New York Express No. 4 has not
been sent for the same reason.
2 A. M.-Word has just been received
that train of forty-two cars on the.
Erie road, filled with fine merchandise,
mile east of William Street, is now
burning fercely with no protection. At
the same time the switch lights of the
Erie, between Smith Street and the.
Western New York q Pennsylvania
target. We're stolen. 1t is impossible to
tell how the switch is set.
At 2:45 o'clock the passengers on the
two trains on the Lehigh and Erie
roads, which had been ditched at Will
lam Street, near the city line, were
brought to the station by Supt. Brunn's,
special train. Nobody was injured.
New YORK, Aug. 1.-THE strike of
the switchmen and train hands on the
Lehigh Valley and Erie railroads at.
Buffalo may extend to the yards of the
various roads in Jersey City. The men
there receive the same pay and are
worked just as many hours as the
switchmen in Buffalo. A meeting will
be held some day this week by mem
pers of the Switchmen's Mutual Aid
Association of North America, in Jersey
City, to consider the question Of order
ing general strike in all the railroad
yards in the vicinity Of Jersey City.
This organization is made UP of freight
conductors, switchmen, night helpers
aud day helpers.