The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-08-15
THE SWITCHMEN'S STRIKE
A Wild Night On the Lehigh Valley
Road.
INCENDIARY FIRES, BLOCKADED
TRAINS AND TURNED SWITCHES.

The Police Reserves Turned Out-Grave
Fears of the Future Entertained-The
Strikers Growing in Strength - An
Anxious Wait for the Morrow.
BUFFALO, N. Y, August 1S.-The
strike of the Erie and Lehigh Valley
switchmen has become serious matter,
involving riot, incendiarism and other
wrong doings. There was more or less
trouble Saturday between strikers and
sympathizers and men who are doing
strikers work, and a few desultory as
saults occurred, At two this morning a
series of incendiary fires broke out stimuli
taneously in the Lehigh Valley yards.
Eighteen or. twenty freight cars filled
with wool, cotton, hay and other mer-
chandize were burned. Two watchmen's
houses were also burned. Fires occurred
at places where firemen could not stay
the flames on account of the absence of
water and difficulty of access to the fires.
The water tank adjacent to the coal
trestles was smashed and the engine
taking water there wrecked by string
of ten runaway coal cars turned loose
from Trestly The fire was first discov-
cred in the east bound yards east Of Din
ems street. Here al little Office building
and two or three freight cars
were destroyed. AT this time
flames were discovered in two passenger
coaches used for conveyance. The work
men turned in an alarm. In the yard
east of Dinens street fire ragged among
cars of merchandise. It took hose from
three carts to reach the flames from the
nearest hydrant. The cars destroyed
were in midst of a great number of other
cars. The fremen uncoupled several
cars and removed them from danger. A
dozen or more cars were thrown from
the Lehigh tracks, and similar num-
Der from Erie by misplaced switch.
Capt. Wertz put a force of a dozen officers
in the yard as soon as the alarm was
given. The officers are unable to find
any suspicious characters.
The strikers or sympathizers have
pulled pins, turned switches and driven
off crews. Three men are at the hospital
badly hurt. A man assaulted at the
Western New York and Penn crossing,
taken for wrecker at the time, was turn
ing back switches to the right position.
One of the most cowardly things done
was throwing of switches under the
passenger train at William street at 1.30
tonight Two passenger coaches were
thrown from the track. The conductor
does not think anybody was hurt, though
many were badly frightened. Fifty men
boarded the passenger train No. 3 at IL
this morning, and molested employees,
driving them off. The crew finally sue
ceeded in getting the train to the station.
The mob took possession of the Seneca
street switches three OF four times dur
ing the day and some times drove off
signal men. In the Lehigh yards at
Cheektowaga tonight the scenes of last
night were repeated.
1t is plainly intimated by Erie officials
that workmen from the east are engaged
to take the places of the strikers. Three
policemen are stationed at the landing
and in the hallway leading to the offices
of Superintendent Brunn and his asso-.
ciates today. Strikers say taey are de-
termined to win the fight and assert the
roads are losing heavily by not having
men to perform the work of the strikers.
They say Erie is thoroughly demoralized
on account of the strike. Every
side track on the Buffalo divis-
ion is completely blocked. Two
trains of freight cars on sidlngs in Cheek
towaga railroad, suburb of Buffalo,
were burned tonight. Lehigh has called
on the sheriff for protection. He sent
six deputies to the scene and will swear
in so more tomorrow morning. The po-
lice have yards in of the II precincts in
the city to guard. All the reserves are
called out. The man arrested today
for assault is charged with rioting.
At a. m. fire broke out in three places
in the Lehigh yards Simultaneously. The
fire department seem unable to quench
it.