Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1894-07-26
Seventeen Years Ago.

The present strike is not yet SO ex-
tensive and disastrous as the one of
1877.
The great strike of that year spread
from the Atlantic to the Pacific, aud
lasted from the middle of July until
the middle of August. Hundreds of
lives were lost and the damage by fire
and otherwise amounted to many mil
lions of dollars.
The Baltimore and Ohio railroad re-
fused to comply with the demands of
the striking brakeman and conductors
for their restoration of their former
wages, and on the 18th of July freight
train On that road was thrown from the
tracks, damaging the engine and some
of the cars and injuring the engineer
and fireman. On the 18th President
Hayes issue i proclamation command
ing the rioters to dispense before noon
OF the following day or take the conse-
quences. He also ordered 500 artillery
men to go to Martinsburg, where there
was danger of mob violence. On the
10Th of July the brakemen and conduc-
tors on outgoing freight trains at Pitts
burg struck, and gave notice that new
men should not take their places. On
the 21st the situation was serious at
Pittsburg, Baltimore and other places
along the Baltimore and Ohio. The
governor of Maryland called out the
militia. A mob fired on the state troops
in Baltimore and the fire was returned.
killing four men and wounding several.
The mob increased in number and fired
on the troops again and chased them
down the street. More than dozen
people were killed during the night.
At Pittsburg a reign of terror pre-
vailed. Mods several thousand strong
stopped trains and INSTRUCTED the track.
Two thousand troops were attacked in
the streets by the mob, and when the
soldiers opened fire fourteen persons
were killed, three of the slain and sew
eral of the wounded being women. The
mob then attacked the roundhouse,
which contained /, 800 soldiers. They
fired a cannon at the imprisoned troops.
and an oil train was set on fire. The
flames spread. the union depot was
burned. and the fire destroyed 1000
cars, most of them containing merchan-
disc. Before the fire was subdued So
900, 900 worth of property was Destroy
ed and more than 100 persons were
killed. At Baltimore an oil train was
set on fire, causing great destruction of
property.
In Pittsburg the rioting continued for
days. Buildings were burned and cars
were robbed. and the citizens were
forced to organize vigilance commit
tee. The strike reached Chicago on
the oath. and the lumbermen and other
workingmen joined the railroad strik-
ers. The state troops were called out
and Federal soldiers were sent to the
city. Several pitched battles occurred
between the mob and the troops and
police, and many persons were killed
and wounded.
In St. Louis the strikers controlled
the city, and set fire to cars, buildings
and large lumber yard.
Early in August the strike began to
weaken, and by the middle of the month
all the roads had resumed traffic. De-
spite the fearful loss of life and prop
erty, in few weeks the affair was
practically forgotten, and the business
of the country moved along as before.
This was the greatest strike in our
history, and the one now in progress
falls far short of it in magnitude and
results. Constitution.