The farmers' union., 1892-08-25


Desperate tactics are being pursued
In the switchmen's strike on the New
York. Lake Erie & Western and tho Le-
high Valley Railroads at Buffalo, N. Y.
The Sheriff has found himself unable to
comply with the demands of the compa-
MES for protection, his deputies DESERT
ing him as fast as sworn in. and he has
appealed for aid. The appeal has been
granted; the militia has been ordered
out and the State troops are being
massed at the armory.
During the day, says a Buffalo tele-
gram, incendiarism and violence were
resorted 10 and individual attacks on
the so-called "scab' workmen made.
The outlook is melancholy and no one
can predict the end. More than 200
cars have been burned, and a trainload
OF passengers had miraculous escape
with their lives. Freight trains have
been boarded and trainmen compelled
to desert their posts. Switches have
been turned and cars thrown into tho
ditch. GondOlas were released from
coal trestles and allowed to crash down
into the yards. wreckiny locomotives
and cars and creating general havoc
with railroad property, and tonight the
strikers are on top. There is no doubt
about it, and more trouble of tho sort
that marked the early hours of the
morning is expected. All the deputies
that the Sheriff has called out to COM
ply with the demand of the company for
protection deserted him, and Sheriff
Beck came into town to demand that
the militia be called out. This demand
was acceded TO. The Erie Road is
blocked now. The fires of Sunday night
and the wrecks block one end and
standing trains block the other Tho
strikers are busy disclaiming RESPONSE
bility for that nights events, but they
do not try to cover their delight at tho
result.
Entirc Trains on Fire.
It was about o'clock Monday morn
Ing that the strikers put in their best
work at the LchiSh yards, having at
that time managed to blockade the
Erie tracks and wreck several trains.
1t was very easy to set fire to the cars
"A lighted match in the oil box of tho
wheel did the business. So about the
hour named fire appeared Simultaneous
ly in tho Lehigh yards adjoining the
Erie, but SO far east that the city fire
department could not reach 1t. At BIS
a. m. $50 cars were burning and the fires
were still breaking out among the freight
cars. The fire spread away down the
Lehigh and Erie. Long strings of cars
were fired at both ends and are burning
toward the center. There is no possi-
bllity OF saving them as no water is near
enough to be of any use. Many Erie
men, among them several officials, are
on the ground and are making every
effort to save what they can, but their
efforts are almost unaaviling. BY drag
ging cars apart by hand few are being
saved, but it Is hardly one In twenty.
No engines are here, and every car has
to be moved by hand. Around the burn
ing cars strikers and their sympa.hizers
crowd and enjoy the result of their
work. Porched high on box cars they
mock and jeer at the railroad men who
work at the blazing wrecks.
They have not relaxed their exertione
to keep "scab" labor from entering the
city. Every one who walks along the
tracks is s.questioned as to his business
and destination. When each train ar
rived it was stopped by strikers and
thoroughly overhauled, to be sure no
help was struggling in to the companies.
The passengers were indignant, and
asked how long they were going to be
kept there. The only satisfaction they
received was in the reply that when the
strikers got through with them they
might go on. and not till then.
The Seventy-fourth Regiment has
been called ont to protect the Central
and West Shore property, 1t being
feared that the switchmen on these
roads may go out. The Sixty-fifth Regi-
ment has been sent to Cheektowaga to
guard the Lehigh Valley and the Erie
yards. The Central officers have made
. demand on tho Sheriff for protection.