Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1894-07-12
STRIKE CONFLICTS.
Six Dead and a Number Injured at
Chicago.
ROLLING STOCK Goes UP IN SMOKE.



alarm has followed in quick succession
all day and last night at II o'clock the
glare reflected from the heavens shows
that the dastardly pastime continues
unabated From early morning until
midnight reports Of fresh fires followed
each other with startling rapidity, be-
ing confined, however, principally to
railroad rolling stock and buildings,
against which thus far the greater part
Of the mob's fury has been directed.
Early yesterday morning blaze
started among some overturned cars at
Kensington, quickly communicating to
other tracks filled with long lines Of
cars, many containing valuable mer-
chandise, were soon blazing furiously.
Famed by strong winds, there were
at this point a total Of eighty oars
wiped out. At the stock yards one
blaze after another was reported, and
from the outlying districts came
urgent calls for engines and police
protection, increasing in frequency.
But with the falling shades Of night
came the climax Of the fiery festival.
The Panhandle yards from Fifty.Aftk
to Sixty-third streets, eight blocks, are
a mass Of fire. Ten tracks, containing
from 1000 to 1000 cars. hall Of them
loaded, will be total loss No water
being at hand, the fire must barn itself
out
The Panhandle station at Sisty-third
street was also fired and destroyed.
The Grand Trunk yards at Elston Is
sea Of fame. Five hundred box cars
are supposed to have been burned, and
efforts to check the flames have been
futile.
Az midnight all the cars in the yards
had been destroyed. The mob showed
much method in its incendiarism and
hundreds Of cars were rifed and their
contents carried away before the torch
was applied. The loss in this yard to-
night Is estimated at 100000.
The flag shanties and other railroad
property is also burning, andn water,
except one stream from plug at Fifty
first street, can be obtained. While
directing the movement of the Elev-
enth battalion at this point Fire Mar
shall Fitzpatrick was seized by the
thoroughly frenzied mob Of fre-bugs
and thrown into a pond, from which he
was rescued more dead than alive.
Everything at this point will probably
be total loss.
At Hyde Park, near the worlds fair
grounds, the ashes of forty cars are
now smouldering and word has just
come in that after numerous efforts the
mob has succeeded in firing the Illinois
Central shops at Burnside.
At the stock yards last night about |
500 toughs, few of whom were railroad
men, are skulling from point to point
and have set a large number Of fires.
Troops are hurryng south; company
after company in heavy marching order
are moving to the turbulent district |
from the center of the city. The ag
gregate of the losses to the railroads
will be enormous, Miles of their tracks |
have been ruined by the fierce heat;
hundreds of switch and signal towers
with their expensive mechanism are
utterly ruined.
Thousands of cars and untold guam
titles of merchandise of every imagin-
able description have fed the flames
and gorged the larders Of thieves; valu-
able locomotives have been wrecked
and disabled; miles of tangled wires :
and PROSTATE poles litter the ground.
Telephone, telegraph electric light
and fire alarm wires are now the espe-
cial object of attack.
Two strikers were killed outright
and several others seriously injured, in
riot in the Illinois Central yards at
Kensington. The strikers began col
lecting on the tracks early, and at 10
o'clock, 800 men were rushing up and
down the yards, overturning freight
cars and destroying the tracks
in every manner possible. A force Of
about i50 United States deputy mar
shals and Cook county deputies were
in the vicinity, and charged the mob
at various places, driving small squads
of men from the yards. The strikers
forces were rapidly recruited, and by
1890 1000 frantic men were bowling
and throwing stones over stretch Of
track mile in length.
At that time the Illinois Central milk
train came steaming slowly up from
the south, attempting toreach the city.
The mob Immediately charged on it
and in trice the engine was detached
and the ears overturned. The crew
had already fled, and the strikers
mounting the engine carried 1t back 4
of a mile, when, opening the throttle
they jumped from the cab and the
locomotive, rushing forward at full
speed dashed into the wreck and tore
through the derailed cars until 1t was
thrown on its side.
The crowd mounted the wreck with
exultant cheers and held high carnival
until the force Of deputies prepared to
charge. As they came on the run they
were met with shower Of stones and
pins and halting, opened fire.
For moment the mob wavered as the
bullets cut through their ranks, and
then with howl they charged the lit
tie force Of deputies, which retreated
to safe distance TO await reinforce
ments. Police details were hurried to
the scene and the rioters continued the
Of cars while waiting for the
expected attack, carefully concealing
the dead and injured men. Al
Eighty empty freight cars were
burned on the Illinois Central tracks
at Burnside yesterday morning and
last night at 10 o'clock flames were yet
but no further spread Of
tho FIRE ut this place was feared. !