The Portland daily press., 1892-07-07

her were the bargeS.
The moment the people on the bank
caught glimpse of the fiotilla they made
break down the road toward the works.
When the head of the line reached the
City Farm fence, which has been built
out several feet into the water, so men or
more used their shoulders as battering
rams, and almost in a twinkling had bat
tered down the barrier. Once through
the fence the crowd poured along the
stone embankment skirting the river
fence of the Carnegie Company, and, de-
spite the mud and the uneven character
of the ground, they made rapid headway.
1t was strangely silent crowd. Few
words were spoken, and those sprang
From the Lips of the Women,
who were apparently as anxious to par
ticipate in the conflict as their husbands,
brothers and sons.
From Homestead to the pump house it
is two miles. but, all things considered,
these half-dressed men and women
made the journey in record-break-
ing time. Once there they gathered
in one solid mass, the women, or at least
the most of them, on the outskits. The
front rank of this solid wall of humanity
stood at the waters edge, and every
moment the crowd grew in numbers and
determination.
Slowly the tug brought her silent con-
sort down the channel. Just below the
Pemicky bridge she partly turned her
PROV toward the shore and then, amid
he shrieks of steam whistles and the
angry groans and Kisses from those
gathered on the banks, the occupants of
the boats stripped for action. Each
one was armed with loaded Winchester
rifle. Slowly the boat edged towed the
landing, and when the keels of the barges
grated on the sand, the grim faces of the
invaders were within a few feet of their
opponents gathered on the shore.
There was one lonely instant of awful
silence, and then a bright flash and a
sharp report announced that the first
shot of the battle had been fred. 1t all
so proved that the detectives had deter
mined to take extreme measures and. if
necessary, fight their way to the mill.
Almost Immediately after the first shot
had been fired, the firing became general
on both sides. At first the strikers re-
treated, and for a moment it looked as
though they were completely routed, but
the men rallied, and although they re-
tired from the immediate vicinity Of the
boats, they held their own, and by the
sheer weight of numbers they compelled
the deputies to proceed with caution
Up to this time no one had attempted to
leave the boat, but suddenly fifty
or more of the invaders attempted to
jump ashore, The strikers
Responded with d Sharp yoIley,
and SO thick and fast came the bullets
that the deputies retired to the lower
deck. 1t was in this attempt to force
the fighting that the Pinkerton men sus-
tanned their most serious loss. Their
captain was carried tosthe pilot house of
the steamer badly wounded. Directly
after this episode both fsdes rested for a
few moments and then after another
sharp volley, which did little or no dam
age to either side, hostilities ceased. The
following workmen were wounded:
WILLIAM FREY, probably fatally injured
MICHAEL MURRAY, dangerously injured.
ANDREW SoURLER seriously wounded.
JOHN KANE, badly hurt.
HARRY HUGHES, slightly wounded.
MARTIN MERRY, seriously wounded.
TWO unknown men, badly wounded.
The news of the riot reached Pittsburg
as early as six in the morning. Thou
sands of mill workers, all now idle pend
ing the conference on the scale, congre-
gated in the streets, while hundreds of
others, armed with guns and revolvers
and well supplied with ammunition, took
up the line of march to reinforce the
strikers. AS soon as day broke, the
strikers secured a small brass 10-pounder
cannon and planted it within steel billet
embrasure to command the barges moor
ed at the bank of the river. At the same
time, a force of more than thousand
men took up position on the opposite side
of the river and planted cannon. which
they protected with breastwork of rails
road ties. The fire from both sides was
kept up, the barges having been pierced
along the sides. Shortly before 9 the
cannon were trained on the boats for
several hours and an
Awful Bombardment Was Kept Up.
Many of the strikers were expert marks
men and sent shot after shot into the
portfolios in the boats, inflicting terrible
injury on the imprisoned men.
When it was found that little impress
sion could be made on the boats by the
cannon, an effort was made to fire the
barges. A hose was procured and oil
spouted on the decks and sides of the
barges. While this was being done.
barrels of oil were emptied into the river
above the mooring place, the object being
to allow it to float against the boats and
then ignite it. This terrible deed was
attempted several times but the boats
did not burn. Then the mob became in
furiated and hurled dynamite bombs at
the vessels with great effect Three
times the men in the barges ran up flag
of truce and as many times it was strick,
en- down by bullets fired by the strikers.
Then it became evident that the ammuni
ton of the besieged detectives was
either exhausted or they were too much
worn out to continue the fight. For
nearly two hours before the end of the
struggle was reached, not a, shot
was fired. Toward dusk, efforts were
again made to burn the boats and thew
doubtless would have succeeded had it
not been for the interposition of the
leading officers of the Amalgamated As
sociation who went to the scene of war
in the afternoon. Through their efforts
it was agreed to allow the detectives to
surrender, but this was not secured
without the greatest objection onthe part
of the men, many of whom had lost
Fri oYI oiptonaoo