Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1899-05-05
NIyERSUSE DYNAMITE.
Bunker Hill & Sullivan Mill
Blown Up.
|wARDNER SHAKEN BY THE BLAST
p.onertv Worth From $25O,OOO to
S3OO,OOO Shattered by the
Explosion.

snokane, May "A Wardner spo.
ial TO the Spokesman Review SAYS:
Wardner today has been the scene of
tbe worst riots since the eaIy labor war
of 1899. One man is dead, another is
tbought to be mortally wounded. and
nroperty valued at $3.50, 600 has been
bestowed by giant powder and fire. The
damage was done by union men and
svmpathizers from Canyon creek,
about 20 miles from Wardner.
This morning a mob of from 500 to
900 men, all of them armed and
many of them masked, seized train
at Burke, at TIE head of Canyon creek
There were nine box cars and passen-
ger coach, and they were black with
the mob. The visitors brought with
them 5000 pounds of giant powder.
After a parlev of two hours, 140
masked men armed with Winchesters,
Burke in the lead and Wardner follow
ing, started with yells for the Bunker
/ Hill & Sullivan mill and other build
jpgs, third of mile from the depot.
Tbev sent pickets ahead, and one of
these pickets fired shot as a signal
that the mill was abandoned.
This was misunderstood by the main
body of the mob, who imagined that
nOn-union miners in the mills had
opened fire on them, and they began
firing on their own pickets. About
1000 shots were thus exchanged be-
tween the rioters and their pickets, and
Jack Smith, one of the pickets, for
merly of British Columbia, and a
noted figure in drill contests, was shot
dead The fatal error was discovered
after few seconds firing and Smiths
body brought down from the hillside.
BY this time the strikers had taken
possession of the Bunker Hill & Sulli-
van mill, which they found deserted,
the manager having directed his en-
ployes not to risk their lives by battl-
ing with the mob
Powder was called for, and 60 so
pound boxes were carried from the
depot to the mill. The heaviest
charge was placed among the machinery
of the mill. Another charge was
placed under the brick office building.
Other charges were placed around the
mill. Then the boaiding-house,
frame structure, was fired. Fuses lead
ing to the charges were lighted, and
the strikers carrying the dead body of
the picket, retired to safe distance.
AT 1886 P. M. the first blast went
off. 1t shook the ground for miles,
and buildings in Wardner, two miles
away, trembled At intervals of about
~ seconds four other charges went off,
the fifth being the largest and COM
pIetely demolishlng the mill. The
loss to the Bunker Hill e. Sullivan
Company is estimated from $3.50, 900
to $4,000
IN few minutes the strikers went
oack to the station, the whistle was
Oiown for stragglers, the mob soor
climbed aboard and at o'clock, Just
uiee hours after its arrival, the train
pulled out for Canyon creek.
During the fusillade from the guns
u the mob, Jim Chayne, a Bunker
NH q Sullivan millman, was severely
shot through the hips. 1t is reported
'nat he was carried off by the strikers,
ana MS wound is probably fatal. ].
q; Rogers. stenographer in the en-
ploy OF the company, was shot through
the llp, but his wound 10 tr;,,;,1