The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1892-07-08
BLOODSHED FOLLOWS THE STRIKE.
BATTLE BETWEEN PINKBRT0N DE-
TEOTIiES AND THE STRIKERS.


On Wednesday, Pittsburg he'd an.
other experience with labor riots. This
time, as during the fearful scenes which
were witnessed during the raill Dad riots
Of 1877, blood has been she'd, life jeo-
pardized and valuable property placed
in danger. This time there was no
destruction Of property, but the mob
was thoroughly organized, well discip-
lined and had efficient officers at the
head to conduct the operations.
The warfare, waged from four o'clock
in the morning until five o'clock in the
afternoon, and only ceased when ihe
force Of Pinkertons brought to the
| place to suppress the strike, uncondi-
tionally surrendered, leaving their arms
in the barge in which they had been
transported to the works.
BIG REDUCTION IN WAGES.
The riot was the elimination Of
troubles which have been brewing
at Homestead for the past month. The
Carnegie company submitted scale
to govern their workmen in the steel
plants and announced that it was their
ultimatum. The scale made sweep
ing reduction in wages of skilled men
and it was officially announced that
unless the teims were complied with
before July I, the places of the work
men would be filled by others.
This was followed by peremptory
refusal on the part of the company to
recognize the Amalgamated associa-
tion of steel and iron workers as such,
or to confer with any committee Of
workmen short of an acceptance of the
terms offered. The men stated that
they would never submit to the pro-
posed seduction, and announced their
determination to resist any effort on
the part of the Carnegies to start up
their plants with non-unon men. The
contest was precipitated by
THE woRKMEN AT HOMESTEAD
by hanging H. c. Frlck, president Of
the company in effigy, and in retalia-
ton the company ordered an imme.
diate shut down of the big works two
days before the time provided by the
f, contract, under which the men were
working. The employees at once pro-
/ ceeded to organize for the defensive
and the company erected high board
fence around the entire works, giving
them the appearance of an immense
stockade, the sides being pierced with
port holes.
The Carnegie Company had ordered
out the Pinkerton detectives to aid
them in keeping the non-union men
at work. The detectives had been in
rendezvous some five or six miles be-
low the city on the Ohio river, where
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 if in preparation
for the siege to which they were sub
jected, were lined with heavy
steel plates on the inside while the
whole back deck was prot cted in
similar manner 1t was the intention
that the men should reach the works
about three o'clock in the 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 a towboat, but long before the
Pinker on men reached Homestead
thousands of strikers had gathered on
the banks of the river ready to give
them hearty welcome. When the
boats attempted to land, the workmen
broke through the fence surrounding
the mill, and entrenching themselves
behind piles of steel billets, prepared
to resist the landing of the detectives.
A FIERCE BATTLE PRECIPIrArED.
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 exchanging heavy volley of
shots. The detectives were all armed
with Winchester rifles, but at the
point where the attempt to land was
made there was a 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 wildhre
and thousands of men, women and
children thronged to the river bank to
witness the fight in progress. The
Pinkerton men were determined to
land and they poured volley after
volley into the ranks of the strikers,
many OF whom were striken down by
the bullets some of than, ha;oo, f,t,ll,,