Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1892-07-07


provided by the contract under which
the men were working.
The employees at once proceeded TO
organize for the defensive, and the
company erected a high board fence
around the entire works, giving them
the appearance Of an immense stockade,
the sides being pierced with port holes.
Yesterday the Carnegie Company an
nounced their intention TO proceed TO
get ready TO make repairs, and the
officials asked the Sheriff TO appoint
deputies to protect their property. The
Sheriff sent q small squad Of men up to
the works, but the strikers assembled
in force and notified them to get out OF
town, assuring them no disorder was in
tended and no damage would be done
to any property.
MAKING A COVER.
They even offered TO be sworn in as
deputies and to give bonds for the faith
ful performance Of their duties as con-
servatOrs Of the peace. When this offer
was declined, the Advisory Committee,
which had been directing the action OF
the workmen, aud which had held the
turbulent spirits among the workmen in
check, was Immediately dissolved and
all the records of the committee
promptly destroyed.
The developments to-day showed that
the applications made for the assistance
of the sheriff was merely for the pur-
pose OF covering what was intended to
be a coup de main on the part OF the
Carnegie company, the intention being
TO inclandestinely introduce body OF
Pinkerton detectives into the mill en-
closure. The detectives had been rem
dezvoused some five or six miles below
this city on the Ohio river, at which
two model barges had been prepared
for them.
The barges were OF the best build and
were used in shipping iron rails down
the river from the Carnegie mills at
Braddock. The holds were filled up
with hunks, cooking arrangements and
other accommodations, and as an extra
precautiOn, as il in preparation for the
siege 10 which they were subjected to-
day, were lined with heavy steel plates
on the inside, while the whaleback
decks were protected in similar man
ner.
Ii was the intention that the men
should reach the works about o'clock
this morning, but the guards which
were on duty along the river got word
Of the threatened invasion Of the hated
Pinkerton men and prepared TO receive
them. The barges were towed up the
river by tow boat, but long before the
Hnnnnetnan
thousands Of strikers had gathered on
the banks of the river ready to give them
a warm welcome. When the boats at
tempted TO land the workmen broke
through the fence surrounding the mill
and entrenc ching themselves behind
piles of steel billets, prepared to resist
the landing of the detectives.
AN EFFORT TO LAND.
BY four o'clock in the morning an
effort was made TO land the detectives,
but the strikers met them and a fierce
battle was precipitated, both sides ex-
changing a heavy volley of shots. The
detectives were all armed with Win
chester rifles, but at the point where
the attempt to land was made, there
was steep embankment, and they
were compelled to go in single file, and
were soon driven back to the boats by
the steady fire from the shore.
The noise Of the battle spread about
the borough like wild-fire and thousands
OF men, women and children thronged
to the river bank to witness the fight in
progress. The PinkertOn men were de-
termined to land and they poured volley
after volley into the ranks Of the strik-
ers, many of whom were stricken down
by the bullets, some OF them being
fatally injured and others killed out
right.
As the battle progressed, the strikers
took up position behind breastworkS
hastily constructed of steel rails and
billets and from this place of safe
refuge were able to pick of the detect
ives as soon as they appeared on the
deck of their boats.
In the meantime Captain Heind and
Superintendent Kline, Of the Pinkerton
men, were disabled and the fire became
so fierce that the crew of the tow boat
hastily cut loose from the barges and
steamed up the river, carrying as many
OF the wounded as they could reach, TO
Braddock, from which point they were
sent down TO the hospitals for treat
ment at PittSburg.
Seven Of the force were thus cared for,
while the strikers that fell wounded
were carried to their homes at Home
stead, the dead being taken to the
mOrgue and undertaking rooms in the
,F IN rio nA
PittSburg as early as six o'clock in the
morning, and thousands of mill workers,
all OF whom are idle, pending the con-
ference i'm the scale, COngregSted in the
streets, while hundreds Of others, armed
with guns and revolverS, and well sup
piled with ammunition, took up the
line Of march to reinforce the strikers.
A BRASS CANNON.
As soon as day broke, the strikers Sc
cured a small brass n-pounder can
non and planted it within steel en-
brazure, so as to command the barCes
which were moored at the bank OF the
river. At the same time force gilmore
than g thousand men took up a position
on the opposite side Of the river, and
also planted a cannon which they pro-
tected with a bresstwOrk Of railroad
ties. The fire from both sides was kept
up, the bargeS having been pierced with
port holes along the sides. Shortly be-
fore o'clock the cannon were trained
on the boats, and for several hours an
awful bombardment was kept up.
The stout oxen timbers forming the
sides of the boat were Splintered but
the heavy steel plates on the inside pre-
vented the balls from penetrating the
interior. Many Of the strikers, how
ever, were expert marksmen and they
sent shot after shot into the portfolios
in the boats aud inflicted terrible in