The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-08-15

W ocApcCtttiOiiS, as ~ Is tue utSigH Vi tic
management to hold off and reserve all
available eclat for the grand opening of
the entire line from here To the Coast,
when ceremonies similar to those which
signalized the completion of the Northern
Pacific will probably be ind ulged in. At
Spokane. however, it is likely to be made
the occasion of considerable jubilation,
and l.. c. Dillman, an enterprising mil
lionaire of that place, who is in this city.
will accompany the train on its journey.
BUFFALO swITCHMEN's STRIKE.
Houses, Cars and Merchandise Burned
and Trains Wrecked by Strikers.
BUFFALO, Aug. 14.-There is no further
Disgusting the fact that the strike of the
Erie and Lehigh Valley switchmen is \
serious matter. There was more or less
trouble on Saturday between the strikers
and their sympathizers and the
men who are doing the strik-
ers' work, and few desultory assaults had
occurred. Things began to put on more
serious aspect at O'Clock this morning,
when a series of incendlary fires broke out
simultaneously in tine Lehigh Valley
yards. Eighteen or twenty freight cars
filled with fuel. cotton. hay and
various other merchandise, two passenger
coaches and two watchmen's houses were
burned. The water tank adjacent to the
coal trestles had been slashed, and an en-
gine taking water there was wrecked by
string of ten runaway coal cars that had
been turned loose from the trestle.
A little Office building and two or three
freight cars were first destroyed in the
South yards. Flames were next discovered
in two passenger coaches used for the con-
venience of workmen. In the yards east
of Dingen street fire RACED among cars OF
merchandise. The firemen, however, pre-
vented the destruction of great num-
ber of cars and the loss Of property.
A dozen or so of cars were thrown from
the Lehigh tracks and a similar number
from the Erie tracks by misplaced
switches. Officers are unable to find any
suspicious characters. The strikers or
their sympathizers have pulled the pins,
turned switches and driven off crews.
Three men are at the hospital badly hurt.
One of the most cowardly things done
was the throwing of switches under pas
senger train No. IL, at Williams street, at
7:30 O'Clock tonight. Two passenger
coaches were thrown from the track,
but the conductor does not think any
body was hurt, though many were badly
frightened. Fifty men boarded pas
senger train No. 8, at IL o'clock this morn
ing, and molestcd the employees, finally
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 or four times during
the day and drove off the signal men. In
the Lehigh yards at Cheettowaga tonight,
A. e l.. .otx< T.
is plainly intimated by the Erie officials
that workmen from the East will be en-
gagged to take the place of the strikers.
The strikers assert that the road is losing
heavy by not having men to perform the
work of the strikers. Two trains of
freight cars, standing on the siding i'll
Cheektowaga, railway suburb Of Buffalo,
were burned tonight. The Lehigh valley
pool has called on the sheriff for protec-
ton. He sent six deputies to the scene,
and will swear in fifty more tomorrow.
BUFFALO, Aug 15.--At o'clock the fire
broke out in three places in the Lehigh
yards again simultaneously. The fire de-
partment has been unable to 0uench it.
New York express, No. 1, of the Erie, was
held two miles out because it cannot pass.
New York express, No. 4, has not been
"a. m.-Word has jugt been received
that train of forty-two cars filled with
merchandise on the Erie road, mile east
of William street, is now burning fercely,
with no protection.
At the same time the switch lights on
the Erie, between Smith street and West.
ern. and the New York and Penn
sylvania target were stolen. At 2:45
| a. m. the passengers on the two
trains on the Lehigh and Erie,
which were ditched at Williams street
| were brought into the station. Nobody
was injured, but they had an unpleasant
| time. Superintendent Brunn reports that
the fire is still raging among the cars of
| merchandise in the yards at Cheektowaga
and says the sheriff seems powerless to in
| terfere, though called upon to protect rail-
road property.
| The strikers deny that any of their num-
| Der had anything to do with the fires or
| the running of the coal train down the
trestle. A significant incident in connec-
| ton with the work of the firemen is that
| when they arrived at the yard and began
| to couple the hose to hydrants they were
| approached by a number of men
| who told them not to hurry that
| to have been concerted, for the engineers
| of the steamers were told by other men to
| take it easy as the hose men had trouble
| with the hydrants and they might az well
| shut off steam. Just what the exact
| damage will amount to is not
| known as yet, and cannot be
| learned until all the bills have been re-
| ceived The loss to the company in the
| destruction of its cars and building by
| fire, and the smashing of the water tank
and coal cars. which let down the
trestle, will amount to more than
$4,000 at least, as near as
the men in charge here can estimate. All
the burned cars were loaded. so the loss to
| their contents must be large. The con.
tents of the cars which were not burned
were soaked with water, and the fruits
and meats in the refrigerator cars were al.
| most baked by the intense heat and. oi
| course, win be loss.
| PHILADELPHIA, Aug. f4-Fifty men
from points along the Reading road were
brought here today and left for Buffalo