The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1892-08-18
swITcHMEN

Employed by the Eric aud Lehigh Valley
Road strike---Property Belonging to the
Company Destroyed by TposntIary Fires
BUFFALO, n. Y, Aug. 15-There is
no further Disgusting tho fact that the
strike of the Erie and L.ehigh Valley
switchmen is G serious matter.
Property belonging to the railroad
company has been destroyed by incen-
diary firess men engaged in tbc peace
full performance OF their duties in the
conpany's service have been assaulted
and sent 10 tho hospitals; the movement
of trains has been seriously inter
fered with and the lives Of innocent
persons who.were in no way connected
with the strike and had not even heard
Of il, have been endangered by the de-
railmcnt OF passenger train on one of
the roads Such is tho indictment up
to the hour Of writing. There had been.
more or less i'll feeling Saturday be-
tween the striiScys and their sympath-
iDers and the men who were doing the
strikers work, and few desultory as
saults had occurred
Things began to put on more serious
aspect at 9 o'clock Sunday morning,
when series Of incendiary fres broke
out simultaneously in the Lehigh Val
ley yards Eighteen or twenty freight
cars flled with wool, cotton. hay and
various other merchandise, two passen.
ger cars, two watchmen houses were
burnt The fires occurred at places
where the f1remen could not successful
ly stay the flames on account of an alb
sence Of water, besides the difficulty OF
accession to the fires.
The water tank adjacent 10 the coal
trestles was smashed and an engine that
was taking water there wrecked by a
string of ten runaway coal cars that
had been turned loose from the trestle.
Fire was first discovered in the east
bound yards east OF Dingens street
Here little Office building and two or
three freight cars were destroyed At
this time Yardmastar Mead discovered
flames IN two passenger coaches, used
for the conveyance of workmen and
turned in an alarm from William and
Dingens streets
In the yards east OF Dingens street
fire ragged among the cars OF merchan-
disc. II took hose from three carts to
reach the flames from the nearest
hydrant. The firemen however, pre-
vented the destruction Of great num-
Der of cars, and the loss OF perhaps
hundreds of thousands of dollars worth
of property. The cars destroyed were
In the midst OF greet number OF other
cars
The fremen uncoup}ed q number of
cars and removed them from danger.
A dozen or so Of cars were thrown from
the Lehich tracks and a similar mum Der
from the Erie by misplaced switches
The first intiniasion of any thing
wrong was when tho coal GERS were set
loose and demolished the water tank.
Capt. Wurtz, of the eleventh precinct
put force OF a dozen officers in the
the yard as soon as the alarm was given.
The officers were. unable to find any
suspicious characters. That briefly,
IS what had happened up to day.
light Sunday morning. But that
was only the beginning. The strlk-
ers or their sympathizers, have pulled
pins, turned switches und driven off
crews Three men are at the hospital
badly hurt. One was assaulted at
o'clock Sunday morning, two others at
II and another at 8 in the afternoon.
The man who was assaulted at the
Western New York and Pennsylvania
crossing was on his way for the wreck.
er at the time and was turning a switch
The strikers had turned switches and
thrown six cars from his train before
that
They say the Erie is thoroughly de-
on account Of the strike, and
that every side. track on the Buffalo
division is completely blocked Two
trains of freight cars standing on sid
lngs al Cheektowaga, the railroad sub
arb Of Buffalo, were burned Sunday
night
The Lehigh has called on the sheriff
Cor protection. He sent six deputies to |
The scene and will swear In Atty more
Monday morning. The police have
yards in seven out of eleven precincts |
n the city to guard and all the reserves
Ire called out The man arrested Sum
lay for assault has been charged with |
-ioting.