The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-08-16
APPLYING THE TORCH.
Strikers Burn Hundreds of
Cars Near Buffalo.
ATTEMPTS TO WRECK TRAINS.
Switch Lights Stolen and Switches
Thrown Open.

meut- Inc Sncrt ~ Nh WI W
MMiin ana Two Regiments Arc nt Th-,,
Armories Awaiting Orders - Invent,
Moro Cars Set On Fire Inst Nixht-Pns
seneer Trains Searched for Nom Cnior
Men-Two Hundred Policemen aud -
Deputy sacr,n. Guarding the Rnilront
Prorerty-Grand Master Sweeney he
piores the destruction or Property. mn.
Says II Was Not Done ny tho strlk ers-
All Quiet ut the East HuHalo Yards II,
midnight, hut Troop. Were Under Arms
BUFFALO. Aug. 15.-At midnight everything
Ia quiet. and not a striker has been seen abou,
tho East Buffalo yards since carly In the even
ing. Two hundred policemen under Capt
Iatrick Kilroy ARC keeping q viRilant watch,
and the Sixty-ntth Regiment. under command
OF Brig Gen. Doyle. is uuartered at tho Ar.
senal on Broadway. ready to move ut n mo.
ment's notice. Its services will probably not
DO required.
A party Of strikers set fire to twenty empty
cars on the Erie tracks Mt ChoektowaEa. n
mile beyond the city line. at II 80 tonight.
In all about $50 cars have been burned. The
strikers held n meeting In Gamiel Hall to-
night behind closed doors. No Information
was given out. Grand Master Sweeney was
present. and 1t ia reported that he ensured
the men for their recklessness In destroying
property.
Sheriff Beck met with poor success in
answer to his call for deputies at 81 n day.
They deserted as fast as thsy reached East
n,rol. .nJ Tim Oh a - ~ dooido,J 20 onl, onA tl,a
militia. At midnight to.niGht the Sixty fifth
anG Seventeen Regiments were at their ar
uories awaiting orders. The Sheriff and
Chiof Of Police Morgenstern visited the scene
OF tho strike late tonight and gave instruc-
lions to their men.
There is no possible doubt now that tho
strike Is a serious one. and that the strikers
will stop OF nothing to compass their
ends. The policy o; the strikers seems to
be to stall traics by aid stacking them. do.
possible. BY letting them rnn into opon
switches. The strikers arc said to he ready
to adopt any mothods Of attack calculated to
delay or stop trains and block tho traffic
OF the road. Last night the strik-
ers went even further in their lawlessness
when an attempt WINS mado to wreck an Eric
passenger train. The Hornellsville accommo.
dation train. No. II. reached the William
street station at S:46 o'clock. where it was to
back up to take the west-bound track to make
the remainder OF the run to tho city. Before
tho train could be brought to stop. and while
running at the rate Of three or four miles an
hour. the switch opposite the operating stu
ton was thrown back and the train sent side
wise over tho tracks. Little damage was done.
however, and no one was hurt.
The excitement over the wrecking Of the
train had not yet died down when the strikers
had q new sensation ready. At midnight the
heavens were suddenly lighted by the flames
Of o fire started among 4 number OF Lehigh
Valley empty freight cars standing inst across
from the Erie tracks. and almost half a milo
from tho city limits. A large crowd OF strikers
gathered around tho fire and watched the
progress OF the flames with evident ~satisfac.
ton. At 2 o'clock an Erie freight car. loaded
will lumber. was fred. but little damage was
done. At the same time all the switch lights
on the Erie tracks between Smith street and
tho Western New York and Pennsylvania tar
~ ~ . "NSsSh 81 hshS ~ Neo ~
tell how tho switches were placed. At this
time. also. it was discovered that an Erie
freight train OF forty-two cars. loaded with
valuable merchandise. which was sidetracked
a mile east OF the William street crossing. was
ablaze. Over so cars filled with merchandise
woro destroyed. entai.lng O loss Of not loss
than $4,000
The situation at the Erie yards tonight Is
worse II anything than yesterday and the day
Al A.. f-A-- l--
gone out. and only Mr.. Barrett. the general
y~ardmaster. remains on duty. "Thore Is
not u wheel moving In any of tho yards"
said one man. But this can hardly be taken
literally. as many passenger trains are NOV
ing. What was meant by tho expression
is that no freight trains were being moved.
and that all the switch engines were tied up.
That seems to be the fact, for there are at
least twenty 1--we switch engines In the
yards that cannot be tirsrcd. Every now
now and then ono Of them is moved back
and forth along The track to show that
the switchmcn do not hold complete sway. At
least sOO men. sNitchmen. assistant yardmas-
tors. and others are out. These are confined
entirely 10 tho three roads on which the strike
originated. but it Is more than likely that mon
on tho other roads will Join in the strike.
A quarter OF u million dollars worth Of prop
orty II spoiilug in tho thousand or more cars
which cannot DO moved. The cutting OF the
wires and poles last night has seriously affect
Cd the train dcspatcher's business. and he now
has linemen ut work repairing the work done
by the strikers. All the wires which ran into
the Erie depot, Of which there were at least n
dozen. are down. and it will 10 several hours
before communication can be established
again between the disconnected points.
There are fity freight cars now ablazo be-
tween Lancaster and Cheektowaaa. and moth
Ing can be done to save them or stop tho
progress Of the flames In any way. Being out
side o! the city limits the Fire Department
cannot 20 there, and the fires age unfought.
1t was thought that the engines might remain
inside tho city and run out long lines Of hose
for the railroad men to handle. but that was
found to DO impracticable after water had
been turned on a few cars that were near the
line. Over 1000 feet Of hose were run out In
one case.
There are probably loo cars between Buff
falo and Lancaster. and unless something Is
dono to stay the progress Of tho flames they