The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-24
RIOTING AT THE NEW DAM.
DEPUTIES ON GUARD ARMED WITH
SHoTG UNs AND RIFLES.

where their rounded tops come close together
ana their feet touch under the bright thread OF
the Croton River, the city Of New York is hay.
ing n monster wall of rock built to create
a reservoir of potable water for its millions OF
inhabitants. For Eve years hundreds OF men
have been at work there preparing foundations
for this important structure.
On Thursday morning these were all driven
from their labor by other hundreds employed by
the same contractors in tho qunrries n couple OF
miles further I'M tho valley, and last night tho
works at both tho dam and quarry
were considered to be In q state OF siege,
with scores of armed deputy sherifs guarding
them from possible destruction.
Whether the men have any real cause OF
grievance or not no one can tell except the con-
tractors themselves, and these deny it, but
that the men believe they have, no one
can doubt, nor is there any misconception
on either side as to what they believe
the trouble Is. In plain words. they
believe that an organized attempt has been
made by the contractors to rob the men through
the instrum ntality of one Joe Secord, an 1tal-
ian boarding-house keeper. labor contractor and
store keeper.
Tho contractors declare that this is q miscon-
ception. and that SO far from their having any
such design, they would send Joe Secord pack
ing before they would permit him to do an in.
justice to even the poorest or most ignorant of
their workmen.
Joe Secord came to tho Croton Valley five
years ago. when the work Of building the new
Croton dam was begun. He was one of several
Italians who furnished men for the job and kept
boarders, and he occupied q shanty which the
contractors put up for HIM In the valley about
half II mile above the site of the dam. Here he
thrived, but in u modest way. Others OF the
Italian padrones bought bits of land along
the narrow valley where the road from
and stream, and here there grew up II ram
bling settlement half "A mile long. composed of
cheap frame buildings. II ID known as the Bow
cry. Almost every house 10 also a saloon and q
boarding house.
on "a hilltop. there grew up another settlement
called Little Italy. Here the workmcn bought
for themselves bits of land and built a vi
there are a large number of saloons in
the village, it is AN orderly and quiet commu-
nifty. These two settlements contain a popula-
tion OF perhaps 500 or 800 persons, all OF whom
work about the site of the new dam or cater to
those who do work there.
Two miles further up the valley, near the old
dam, is a quarry from which the stone is being
taken for building the new, dam. Here about
$50 men are enployed, and these men have,
many of them, bought lots and built houses, and
brought their wives and families to live
the rest Hungarians. In between the quarry
and the new dam site are sand pits, where
out masons' sand Tor the dam work, and a
sprawl dump, where boulders from the dam site
are disposed of.
While these villages about the valley have
been growing up the men with pick and shovel,
drill and dynamite, have been delyinS down
into the valley. seeking for solid impervious
rock upon which to start the big wall OF the
dam.
Instead OF finding such rock near the surface,
as was expected. they found rotten rock full OF
seams. water-worn cavities big enough to
drive q horse and wagon into. each
i hiiea sea M1sn 60 'et SSeg we a9a deeper wptSF'0s snd
deeper until . great pit was opened, whose bot.
tom was 1855 feet below the level of the stream
above and 200 feet or more below the top OF the
first terrace of the SCARED mountain side
a loDs ca AiSnE had The Been n9 BLASTED s'd INTO OF the .h bii,,E !s
and walled off into q canal, making an artificial
valley through which the, Croton - carried out
OF its old bed and around the work. Through
seams in the rock water trickles down into the
pit. and big pumps are at work keeping the pit
dry while course after course, OF rough-cut ma
sonry is put into place to refill the pit and start
the dam.
stand. a smoke-blackened engine and boiler
hops and shaulies in which are kept materials
and the contractors commissary store.
1t was well understood that the contractors
would protect the commiss.ry store and the
the mems earnings any sums which they
might owe at these places, but as all
other conditions of work. there was no COM
plant or trouble until about a month ago, when
the contractors began, to put up a big addition
TO Joe Secord's barracks.
Then II was whispered around that il men
wanted to keep their jobs they would be OK.
pected to move In from the village outlying the
quarry, whether they were single men or mar
led. and take quarters with Joe seCord.
weeks ago and then loads OF cots were sent up.
There were enough cots sent to accommodate
$50 or l75 men, and his older building would
hold perhaps fifty men more than the twenty.
five or thirty boarders who were already there.
st re goods also went there by loads.
men declare, they were told by the bosses to
move into his house or at least to buy their
The contractors deny that they sent out any
such order, but declare that the idea was
s sois tns men by th PiT4l' of ,hs s'o0f Gia T noe
ssSo ,S. would iaI Set n mg r. Or the : Job bd in Their elses;
sharss ss%' and .Sas this Started a s! TSnp %Ss' f fIs'
the harsa sRsF those ' as wot f'' In t i%a qps MRsr hsa Ga
threw dow their tools, caught up clubs and
stones, and started for the lam. Such men
as would not join them hey drove out Of
down, the valley; Thcifr: shouts We're heard
At the sand. pits they drove the men ont
and strengthened by a large number Of
aIoas;. p ERH ' 9p saint s9s%i 1se again hn1 at the
from their villages. When they appeared at
ton for the dam they numbered fully $50, and
an American flag had been added to the red flag
for their colors.
Shouting and gesticuleting t ey advanced. and
with hardly a warning began 10 roll great
boulders down the sides of the pit upon the men
who were working below. There were, perhaps,
like Old Puts duel with the English officer, and
and the men below fed without IHt even stopping
willing victims, for a great part of their
number Joined the strikers. Then the
whole lot advanced toward the power house
a d commissary store. Shouting Liberty J."
were not complimentary. they met the
representatives OF the contractors and
demanded that Sccord should be driven
off the place. No words could persuade
them that they were wrong. and. although they
did not then offer to destroy the works or do
harm to the people in charge. they retired utter
ing threats to burn Secord's house If he were al.
lowed to stay.
All day on Thursday they kept watch and
ward at quarry and pit and no ono went to
work. On Thursday night Sheriff Johnson was