The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-07-07

The Works Were Prepared for Siege and
the Locked Out Men Prepared to Lock
New Corners Out of the Town-The
Trouble Arose Over New Scale of
Wages Proposed by the Company.
PITTsBURe, July 6.-The present
trouble at the Carnegie Steel Company's
Works at Homestead began last Wednes-.
day, when the company stole a march on
their employees by serving notice of dis
charge on every man of them. This was
"a hours earlier than they expected, the
scale not expiring until Thursday at mid
night. The notice was posted at mid
night and directed the men to call for
their pay on Saturday. The shutdown
involves $500 men. The men have
worked under an agreement fixing
scale of prices which the company re-
fused to renew, intending to adopt low
Ell standard of wages. This the men re-
fused to accept and the conflict between
the employers and employees began with
the lockout as above stated.
Another grievance of the men was the
announcement that, if they re-engaged
with the company, they must do so as
individuals and not as members of la
Dor organization.
The intense feeling of the workmen,
which has been heretofore well con-
trolled, soon broke forth. There were
numerous hostile and exciting demon
STATIONS on their part. H. G. Frick,
William McBroom and several others
were hanged in efigy in the mill yard on
the electric light poles. When James
Dinkey, chief of the electrical depart
ment, climbed the poles to cut down the
effigy of Prick, the workmen turned one
of the hose that had been prepared as
defense of the plant upon him, and
caused the gentleman to beat hasty re-
treat.
Another figure was cut down by a
yardmaster. As he carried the figure
through the yard he was
=. Met with Hoots and Jeers
on every side. William McBroom, who
was also hung in efigy, is chief of the
steel works police. He has many friends
in Homestead and among the workmen.
The only grievance against him is his
position. He felt very badly about. the
affair; and tried to show the men that
they had treated him unjust1y.
The mill company had prepared for
trouble. The works were barricaded.
and the buildings connected with bridges.
Through the fences surrounding the
premises were made loop holes with
which an attacking party might be met
with a stream OF hot water or, perhaps,
a storm of bullets. Armed watchmen
moved about in the deserted buildings
and the place soon came to resemble
fortress prepared for siege. At the
same time, arrangements were made to
bring in men to take the places of those
who had been locked out. At Allegheny,
two large barges, the Monongahela and
the Iron Mountain, were loaded with
provisions, bedding and numerous boxes
and barrels, to be sent to Homestead for
the men who were to take the places of
the locked-out iron and steel workers.
large crowd gathered around, watch
ing the loading apparently with great in
terest, making many guesses in regard
to the contents of the boxes that were
being rolled up the gangway, and many
uncomplimentary remarks were passed
about the men doing the loading.
One man said: 'sThose large boxes
that they are handling so carefully are
full of
Guns and Ammunition.
They came here from Chicago. 1t was
not possible to find out how near that
statement came to the truth, as the boats
were closely guarded by men who had
strict orders to allow no strangers aboard.
The barges are each 210 feet long by 40
feet wide, and are covered. The Monon-
gahela is fitted up with 500 hunks, az
ranged in rows of three tiers, with mar
row aisles between the rows The Iron
Noun ain has two long tables made of
planed lumber, extending nearly the en-
tire length of the barge. On either side
of the tables are low benches, which
serve in place of chairs. One end of the
barge is fitted up as a kitchen, with
large stoves, mammoth pots, kettles and
pans and tin dishes.
The occupants of these barges would
evidently run no risk of starving, as hogs
head after hogshead of cured meats,
great barrels of crackers, large quaint
ties of canned goods and other proyis-
ions were taken aboard. The Iron
Mountain also had about 400 folding cots
piled upon her decks. These two barges
would accommodate about 1000 men, with
eating and sleeping quarters.
Meanwhile, the locked out men were
not idle. Their system of signals, as
completed, enables the leaders to bring
together l 800 men prepared for conflict
in five minutes. The line of pickets COW
ers the river, roads and railways so
tightly that no stranger can enter the
town without being known to the strik-
ers. About 20 men are at each of the
railroad stations at all times on the look
out for the regular and special trains.
Here and there will be member of the
advisory committee, distinguished by a
big red badge on the coat lapel On the
northern side of the Monongahela river
260 men are patrolling the railroad day
and night. They are relieved every
eight hours. The gates at the steel
works are watched by squads of strik-
ers.
This was the situation up to yesterday,
when the sheriff and ten deputies We're
driven out of town by the locked out
men and the sheriffs notice warning per-