The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1894-07-12
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zaeehcs--1suln wroashs ny asosa. Fed
afnstiy BY FSreisness.
CHICAGO, July Two hundred and
twenty-five freight cars on the Pam
handle tracks. between Forty-fiffh and
Forty-ninth streets, assistance of about
one mile, were totally destroyed by
fire between the hours OF 6 and o'clock
Friday night.
Shortly after O'Clock immense
crowds Of men. women ana boys were
seen coming from the stockyards to-
wnrd the net work Of tracks at the
crossing Of Forty-sevcnth street The
mob was augmented every minute by q
seemingly nevcr-ending string at strik-
ers and their sympathizers, and about
o'clock fully 1900 people were massed
along the tracks from Forty-fifth
street. They were the stoekyards
crowd and intent on a repetition OF
Thursday nights destruction, and the
few police who remained on duty were
utterly powerless.
They were not even noticed by the
strikers, who went to work ct once.
ssDown the tracks" was the cry, and
/ with a rush the mob started south
ward. lunches Of waste were stolen
from switchmen's shantics and soaked
with ''dope" used in oiling the cars.
made an excellent torch. AZ forty
seventh street fivc cars Standing on
the Grand Trunk tracks were. the
first to meet destruction. Some OF
them were loaded. This did not deter
the frenzied crowd from their work,
and the seals were broken and the
doors slid back. A bunch Of burning
waste thrown inside quickly ignited
the contents, and In less than three
minutes the Eve cars were blazing
fercely.
Without waiting to see that their
work was complete the crowd surged
on. They kept to the Panhandle
tracks, and Mt Forty-ninth street came
upon six more cars. These were fired
in q twinkling, and on went the crowd.
In the Garfield boulevard yards OF the
Panhandle four tracks were full OF
freight cars, more than half Of which
were loaded. At this crossing is locateda
switchman's tower, and this WINS first
6red. Then the mob turned It's attcn-
tion to the cars on the sidings, but for
some reason fired but one of Them
car OF dressed beef which had been
started eastward several days ago.
They suddenly stopped their .incen-
diarism and turned their attention to
tearing upswitches. After q number
had been rendered useless the mob con-
tinued on It's way southwark.
AZ Fifty-eighth street is situated tho
station house Of the combined roads.
This was fired and quickly destroyed.
A strong wind was blowing, and che
flames were quickly spread across
three or four tracks which were filled
with cars. The railroad people say
that there were fifty ears there, forty
Of which were loaded. All were soon
q mass of flames About thirty of the
cars were filled with coal, and
the heat WINS intense. Fifteen
Of the cars contained meat
from the big packing houses OF Armour.
Swift and Nelson Morris. By this time
the fire department had been advised
of the fires further north on the tracks
and had sent their forces there; but on.
learning of the seriousness OF the stu
alton at Fifty-eigllth street they aban--
doned their fight further northward.
and came to the scene Of the conflagra-.
ton, which promised to be serious.
Upon the approach of the fire and
police departments the mob turned
about and started for the city. On
their way TO Forty-.eventh street they
set fire to ali cars that they had missed
in their hurried trip southwark. No
water could be obtained near the Gar
field boulevard yards. and the cars
slowly burned. 1t was noticed that
the leaders of the mob were mostly
foreigners, and, rs they rctraced their
steps, few of the leaders started off
in the direction of the stockyards. A
number of hoodlums were in the gang.
and they seemed especially proficient
in the use of the torch.
The mob continued it's work Of de-
struction on its march to the stock
yards. Both gangs again met mt Forty
ninth and Halstead and continued
their march to the yards. The $50 cars
in the yards were completely de-
stroyed, and when the mobs reached
the stockyards they divided up into
small gangs and separated among the
big packing houses. 1t is feared that
the worst is to come, and that the
crazed mob will destroy the big pack
ing houses during the night.
The ovcrworked horses were SO ex-
hausted that it was with difficulty tina
they could be forced to walk. The
firemen in this district had responded
to nearly sixty calls during the past
twenty-four hours. and as they reached
the scene they were received with jcers
and curses by mob OF .sohemians.
Poles and Italians.
The fireman succeeded in quenching
the flames before the cars were COM
pletely destroyed, but had hardly
reached the engine house again when
they were called out from the
same box. The mob had set fire to
cars again. This time the wornout
firemen+ made but feeble efforts to ex-
tinguish the blaze. At 0 o'clock the
cars had been reduced to ashes.
After destroying these cars the mob
disbanded into small gangs and started
into the stockyards in half dozen diff
ferent directions.
F LArER-At O'Clock Saturday morn
ing Il was estimated Mp to midnight
n 81 4Hay