The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-07-11
UTTERLY PowERLEss

| that he was unable TO give the protectlou
desired.
/ In the meantime the strikers had be-
come thoroughly organized, and the IA
nous advisory committee" had become
very potent influence in Homestead.
Signs reading ''All discussion of the
wage question is forbidden in this room.
By order of the advisory committee, -.
were posted in saloons and other public
places, demonstrating very forcibly that
that body had taken matters decidedly
into their own hands. Every approach
to the town was closely guarded day ana
night. Groups of strikers were at both
of the railroad stations, and men who
came to the town were closely scruti-
nized, and. il their appearance was sus-
picious, were approached and required to
give an account of themselves. In sever
nj cases strangers who failed or refused
presence were warned TO leave the town
at once, and in few instances such
men were actually escorted to the out
skirts of the village and sternly COM
manded to be gone.
This was the conditions of affairs
when the Carnegie officials closed negoti-
ations for Pinkerton men to guard the
mill. 1t is quite clear that this transact
tion was entirely without warrant from
either legal or moral standpoints. 1t is
true that the Sheriff was unable to cope
with the resistance which it was shown
mid hn off hvv ha bon nd
Gov. Pattison had said he was not con-
WINGED that State troops were necessary.
But these facts did not excuse the COM
pany for importing into the State body
of mon armed for the purpose of pcote CT
| ing private property, and enforcing pub
lie law. In this particular the course Of
| the company was entirely unJustifiable.
| But what, on the other hand, must be
said Of the attitude of the strikers, as it
found expression in the ''battle of the
Monongahsla, and the horrible scenes
with which it WAS brought to close? 1t
was before daylight on the morning of
July that the steamer bearing in tow
the two barges filed with Pink err
ton men, appeared in the river Opposite
Homestead. The steamer was sighted
when still far below the town by the
guards, who were stationed along the
river bank and the alarm was quickly
sounded. Before the craft had reached
a point opposite the works, crowd of
fully thousand men, many of them
armed, had broken through the fence
around the works and were awaiting the
attempt to land. The crowd was thor
oughly desperate and because it was
made up so largely Of foreigners-Poles
Hungarians and Italians-was practical
ly irresponsible. AS soon as The steam
er drew near the bank. the men in the
crowd who had guns, opened fire. The
barges containing the Pinkertons were
pushed up to the land, and then the fire
became SO heavy that the steamer was
forced to withdraw, leaving the guards
to their fate. In the attempt of the
Pinkertons to land their captain was
shot dead, several of their number were
| wounded, aud the men were driven to
their barges. A second attempt to land
resulted even more seriously for the in
Vdu6rS, WHO Vef6 again uElV0n DaCk Dy
the fire from the shore.
1t was thon that the battle began in
dead earnest. The Pinkertons, moro or
less protected in the barges. whose roofs
were covered with sheet iron produced
their Winchesters and inaugurated sharp
picket work. The strikers, who had alb
solutely bullet proof breastworks in the
numerous piles of steel beams or pig
iron, were no less watohful for some
thing to shoot at on the barges. Attempts
were made
TO BLOW UP THE BARGES
by mears of dynamite cartridges, but
these missiles could not be thrown with
accuracy without exposure of the body
of the thrower, which meant almost GER
tain death. The strikers also got pos
session of cannon which they planted
on the hank of the river opposite the
mill, and from which was poured volley
after volley of bolts and sorap-iron at the
barges. Later in the day the cannon was
moved to the mill-yard, and was trained
On the barges at short range. But the
pl0c6 eAplOtlelk dlGeF Ou6 OE TWO more u.s.
charges, and before any great damage
had been done to the refuge of the Pink
ertons.
Then the plan of ORIGINATING the men
on the barges was conceived and steps
were at once taken toward it's execution
The first attempt to pump oil on to the
barges was failure, bepause ofthe small
nsss of the pump. The Pinkertons saw
what was in store for them and hung out
q flag of truce before the larger pump
was put into use. Terms of surrender
were quickly agreed upon. The Pinker-
tons were to surrender their arms, leave
the barges and be marched under guard
to an old skating rink in the town. and
about a half q mile distant Hugh
O'Donnell and others of the strikers,
who met the men from the barges under
the flag OF truce, assured them that they
would be protected, and after some hest
tation the Pinkertons accepted terms and
marched up through the works to the
street.
Than thara xuac apaohad Dcono u,baca