The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-08-13
PITCHED BATTLE
WITH STRIKING
DOCKMEN
Fort William, Ont, Is Under
Martial Law.
THREE OF INJURED WILL DIE
Heavily Armed Mob Drove Police In
to Bunk House-SeVeral
VoIleys Exchanged
THREE OF INJURED WILL DIE

Fort William, Ont, Aug. 13-Fort
William for the first time in its his
tory is under martial law A thous-
and dock laborers, principally Greeks,
Hungarians and Italians who have
been on strike for week, enraged
by the arrival of special Canadian Pa
cific police from Winnipeg, were in
cited to riot and 800 of them engaged
in pitched battle with the police at
noon yesterday around the Canadian
Pacific freight sheds on McTavish
street. twenty-five men were injur
ed, three at least fatally, including
Cnief Ball of the railway company's
police fopce and two Greeks.
Five of the wounded are Canadian
Pacific special policemen, three are
Greeks, one is reporter, George
Dickinson. Others are Sergt. Taylor,
Of the city police force, and John
Lane a butcher. Constable Carpenter
Of the Canadian Pacific force had
leg shattered and Chief Ball was shot
in the stomach. The 9Th regiment of
militia was called out tnis afternoon
after Mayor Peltier had read the riot
act.
The strikers had 90 railway con
stables penned up in the Canadian
Pacific railroad bunk house all after
noon. Soldiers are guarding the dis
trict under the command OF Col.
Steele, head OF the Canadian perman-
ent force in western Canada
The permanent force in Winnipeg
will arrive by special train today. The
city police department is absolutely
unable TO cope with the situation.
1t was about the noon hour when
he first bullet was fired, whether by
the strikers or by the Canadian pol
ice constables is not positively know
out possibly it was feared by one of
the impost constables, 80 of whom ar
rived from Winnipeg and were sworn
IN as specials. 1t is evident that The
eonstables disregarded orders of their
chief. After being sworn in, the men
were taken through the yards to the
Canadian Pacific railway boarding
house. The sight of them had the
iame effect or the strikers that a red
rag has on an enraged bull In
Wrinkle firearms OF every description
we're flashed by the strikers. There
we're snotguns, rides and scores of re-
volvers.
At the city hall the mayor was do
ng what be could to arrange a settle
nent Canadian Pacific railway Off
'ials had agreed to grant the demands
IF the-men and put them to work nm
Ter an Increased scale. Chief An
lrews was telephoning to his men to
tay in the boarding house and not
incite the strikers, pending a con
irmation OF the report that the COM
)any had yielded when the first shot
rang out.
An agreement had just been APPROX
ID at the city hall when the report
vas telephoned that rioting was in
progress. The officials promptly no
ified the mayor that they would now
ignt the strike out to the bitter enc.
For an hour volleys and shots foi-
lowed each other in quick succession
The strikers massed and drove the
police back into fhe bunk house
where they are undergoing a siege.
All the windows in the bunk house
md of the Canadian Pacific railway
Yard buildings were smashed vita
bullets. The strikers it is said threa-
tened tonight to burn the Canadian
Pacific grain elevators.