Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-07-16
RAILWAY LOSSES SUSTAINED
The Strike Has Not Been as Costly as First
Believed.
Actual Destruction of Property and
Previous Contests.

History will set down the strike which
has just ended at Chicago as the cheapest
and best that has occurred in the country
since the celebrated occasion when rioters
threw British tea overheard in Boston har-
Dor. says a Chicago special Exaggerated
tales of riot, pilla3e and bloodshed have led
to equally exaggerated estimates of loss
and damage from the strike. The excite
ment being over. intelligent computation OF
the actual damage sustained has been he
gun.
From violence arising indirectly from the
strike eight persons have been killed in and
near Chicago, ana probably forty wounded.
In actual conflict between rioters and the
law five men have been killed. four In Chi
cago proper and one in Hammond. None of
them were in arms against the authorities
and only one or two of them were strikers.
One other striker was killed as he was
on his way to fish with his rod over lis
shoulder. He was killed by the wife of a
fireman with whom he was quarreiing. One
woman was killed by a stray shot from a
policeman's revolver.
Besides the deaths and injuries arising
| directly from the strike there has been
more than the usual number of collisions
and similar accidents, due to the employ
ment of green men, In these three or four
| persons have been killed and several in
jured.
No policemen, soldiers or deputy marshals
have received serious injuries at the hands
| Of the mobs but two soldiers and deputies
have been killed by the cars and many have
been accidentally shot by themselves or
| their comrades.
| In the northern Illinois coal field three
or four persons, innocent spectators, have
| been killed and several injured in fights
indirectly connected with the railroad
| strike.
In proportion to the extent of the strike
and the strength Of the force brought out
to suppress II, the loss and injury to life
have been trifiing. Nearly many were
| killed and wounded In the Homestead strike,
| which was confined to a single town. In
| the last general railroad strike of 1877
more than 100 were killed. This lack of
| bioodshed has been due partly to The mod
Grafton of the real strikers. who gave little
encouragement to the mcbs. and largely to
the forbearance of the forces called on to
| suppress violence. The soldiers at the crit
ical time Of the strike were frequently in
a position where they could have killed
| scores without making themselves guilty
| of murder
| The Property Losses.
| OF the damage to property the record is
| equally short Only railroad property has
suffered and that to but small degree IN
| comparison with the vast amount of such
property open 10 damage. AS soon as
viole nee began the railroads sent out m m
to cover every foot of track and yard. and
note every least particle of damage done 10
cars or other property.
| This was with the idea Of presenting TO
the city after the trouble was over a fully
| itemiZed bill. Untold millions could not
| have bought these claims against the city
during the excitement of the FIRST few days.
| Now they are scratching bravely 10 find
10 - g..
they could settle the bill for S50a0co they
would have s2o,VoO or S,}D,O,9 TO put on the
right side of the profit and loss account
This includes tsra Of course only damage
that resulting from collisions and other
| accidents due to Incompetent employees
the city cannot be held liable. BY inclul-
! ing i'm their losses the total value Of every
/ car that was upset or had the paint blister
| ed by fire the railway managers figure
| about 40 cars destroyed" The value of
them are said to have been loaded But as
the freight was mostly coal the loss is not
\ heavy.
The Pennsylvania company. on whose
| lines mostly this destruction occurred. esti-
mates its loss at S53ooo0. Its experience
| in collecting damages from Pittsburg after
| the 1871 riots probably encourages it TO
| aim high. The Illinois Central comes next
with $4,000. The Burlington wants s73-
| 90 for cars burned The Grand Trunk
claims $14.bO for station house and cars
| burned ana the other roads estimate losses
follows: Great Western. Sii.@9: Lake
| Shore, $1,000; Rock Island. 5000; Nickel
| Plate, 5000; Sante Fe $3.50: Monon. S2.voo:
Eastern Illinois. 5000: Wisconsin Central.
$1,000: Baltimore and Ohio, Sl.eUD. and
/ Western Indiana, 500
| Tke Indirect Losses.
The indirect loss includes that on freight
and passenger traffic. There is lutte offset
to this total loss in saving of wages. for
while many~<housand strikers will not have
to be paid. many thousand other men have
been employed deputy marshals watch
men and guards at the expense of the rail-
roads, and exorbitant wages and expenses
| have been paid TO new men 10 take the
place of strikers.
| The strikers themselves will lose from
| five to fifteen days pay as individuals. but
/ the labcring people mass will lose
/ practically nothing. There were only about
1000 actual strikers and at least la.OoO Of
1 these formerly employed have been at work
| as deputy marshals and guards at higher
| ed. Probably the most of the actual ret
! loss to the working classes through the
strike will come from the increased cost of
| living.
| The only concern that will suffer any
really serious and permanent loss from the
strike is the Pullman Palace Car Company.
| The damage to its property has beea ter
rible, but the injury TO Its popularity is in
| calculable. The difference that the exist
| ence of this sentiment will make when the
Pullman company comes to renew its con-
| tracts with the railroads is obvious, but
even regardless of this the direct loss will
| be very great.
BIG STORIES, NOT WINNINGS.