The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1893-11-28
STRIKERS INDISNAYED
Though the Lehigh Valley Road
Is Gaining on Them.
HOoDLUMs CAUSE DISTURBANCES.

high Valley railroad is now on, and the
chances of a settlement either amicahly
or otherwise are AS far off as ever. The
feeling between the contending parties is
growing in bitterness, and while the
strikers themselves are not taking part in
the many acts of violence reported, their
friends are doing the work for them, and
the strikers are getting the blame. Tho
men realize that any assaults made on
Don-uniOn men or the company must re-
act on them. They have therefore issued
a circular to the public repudiating tho
acts of violence committed in their name.
The strikers also claim that many of the
outrages reported are greatly exaggerated.
Tie following incident is quoted: A train
was passing through the upper part of
this city, when little boy not over years
old placed penny on the track To have
the wheels tiattcn it, Immediately a ru-
NOR spread that an attempt had been
made To wreck passenger train by plac-
ing distractions ON the track. A Brother
hood engineer said: ...
",rhe company is working the stories for
all they are worth The officials realze
now that they cannot get the road in
working order with the men employed, so
they are struiuing every nerve TO create an
impression that lawlessness is general. In
thlH way tHtN ilbIIt W llt Slitt du-
thorities to order out the militia"
An Associated Press reporter made
trip over the road from White Haven to
Tunkhannock. He found very few trains
running, but the sidings and yards were
filled with cars. The impression he formed
was that the company was not handling
as many trains as it did any day last
week. The company is hampered very
much by incompetent men. Unless appli-
cants can produce good references now
they will not be put on the roll The COM
pany has come to the conclusion that it is
better not to place trains in the hands OF
incompetent crews, as the amount of dam
age they do in collisions in no way COM
pensates for the amount of money re-
ccived from shippers.
Five engineers, who had been working
on the l.ehigh Valley pnrt of last week in
place of the strikers, told Superintendent
Esser yesterday that they could not 20 on
their engines from CoYton to Mauch
Chunk without taking their lives in their
hands. The engineers asser% hat several
of their trains have been boarded and cut
and the coupling pins thrown away, and
that they themselves have been injured by
rocks thrown by men along the line.
At Port Bowkley yesterday afternoon,
which is an important junction on the
road, a mob surrounded the telegraph
office and threatened the life of the tele-
graph operator The latter held his as
sailants at bay with a revolver and tcle-
graphed to the city for assistance. De-
tective o. Brien and ten picked men went
to the operators assistance. When the
mob saw them coming they He'd, but the
officers succeeded in capturing Frank
Shovlin, James Calvin, Joe Fraley and
Frank llaggerty. None of them were rail-
roaders. They were mostly young men of
II and II years of age and employed rs
driver boys in the coal mines, Three of
the rioters were let go, and four of the
rinRleaders brought TO this city and ar
raEned before magistrate. They gave
bail for trial at court. The telegraph
Office was nearly demolished with stones.
AS the switches at Port Bowkley had been
tampered with and several collisions mar
rowly averted the place is now guarded
by deputy sheriifs.
The messages that pass between Super
intendent Wilbur and others do not bear
out the theory that the strikers are any
nearer winning sympathy in this quarter
than they were last week. The men, In
the meantime, are very confident that
they will succeed and are not losing hope
by any means. They hint that something
will transpire this week which must BEN
eft them, and are encouraged accord
ingly. There is hint here and there that
some action may he taken in sympa-
thctic way by the men on the Jersey Cen
tral, the Delaware, Lackawanna and
Western and the Pennsylvania railroads.
This is looked for, and some of the rail
roaders intimate that if it comes it will
be in the nature of an attempt to tic
up all the coal carrying lines. However,
fbi- IL Ault 10 tyit f,r bnt
it is worth. Superintendent Esser reports
progress all along the line
At PittstOn Junction mob surrounded
an engine that had stopped to take water
Several men attempted to board the en-
gine, when the engineer, Elrath, pulled
out his revolver and dared any one in
the crowd to come near the engine. The
invitation was not accepted and the loco
motive proceeded on its journey amidst
the jeers of the assembled mob.
The thorough Incompetence of many of
the new telegraph operators is causing
much trouble.
/ louisville, Pa, Nov. 2S.-Fifteen of
the ninety engines stationed on tho
Schuylkill coal branch of the Lchigh Val
leg railroad We're at work yesterday, to-
gcthcr with those of the passenger service
Two freight and one coal train were last
evening sent east TO Packerton, and a like
number went west to Shamokin. Other
engines were busy distributing empty
coal cars TO the collieries and bringing in
loaded ones. The regular local freight
trains on the Muhanoy division were not
running. The strikers are quiet and keep
away from the companys property There
Is no violence.
OwEGo, y. y, Nov 2s-A wreck oc-
Cured III the Lehigh Valley yards at Sayre
yesterday afternoon, An engine had been
accidentally dcrailed near the depot and
while the track was thus blocked Il freight
pulled into the yards running about thirty
miles an hour, struck the derailed engine,
tore the tender loose and drove The engine
down the tracks about forty rods to point
near the freight Office, where il struck an
other engine. The freight engine, with its
valve open, ran wild down the yard, " here
it was finally stopped. The damage was
confined to q few freight ears.
SHAMoKIN, Pa, Nov. 2s,-'rhe Empire
freight passed through this city, bound
east yesterday for the first time since the
Iehgh Valley strike was inaugurated.
During the past eight days this freight
has been run over the Pennsylvania rail
road via Harrisburg. Near Centralia
gang of boys cIt the train and stoned the
crew. Upon their return they found that
the boys had CREASED the rails near the
same point on heavy grade.
MAuCH CHUNK, Pa, Nov 2S-There is
no change in the strike situation here The
men are firm. Coal and freight trains are
moving irregularly, new men being in
charge. The passenger service is again
suffering, as trains are irregular and hours
behind time
TowANDA, Pa, Nov. 2s.-The force of the
strike is weakening fast ut this end of the
rond. A committee representing the thir-
ty.four employees of the Lehigh Valley liv-
ing at this place went to Sayre to inform
the officers of the Brotherhoods that if tho
strike was not declared OF before tonight
they would ask for their old places. Mem
bers of the Brotherhoods are deserving and
going to work