The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-07-22

New York. July 21,-Homicide,
rasting and arsen were the high
lixhts ON the Kaleidoscope events
that marked today In the strike of
the employees Of the Constable Hook
SLANT In Bayonne Of the Standard
OIL Company Of New Jersey. One
striker was killed and twenty
ave men. fseisding strikers, prf-
vste detectives and pelicemen. were
tn3ured m the ri0tinE that occurred
at various times throughout the
day.
A. a climax of the dramatic events
tof the day. four Ares were started
|about o'clock on property owned by
|fhe oil company. and within an hour
Ithose fres. having all united in one
|biw blaze, was threatening the big
standard oil plant, with it's 400 tanks
|of oil The entire Bayonne IRE depart
|ment was called out. and Fire Chief
Davis at one time was considering the
|advisabiiity OF asking aid from the fire
lighters in nearby cities
The spirit Of the strikers and OF
their sympathixers was extremely ugly.
III was apparent from their remarks
THAT they might do anything TO inture
1.-THE oil company's property. When IL
was reported that the state militia
|mirht be called out the strikers openly
|wonld follow.
Police CAME Cope with sftuatfon.
| II was clear from the many riofous
Iacta committed by she strikers In the
tcourse of the day that after the FIRST
brush between the strikers and the
IpoIicemen the Bayonne police depart
|ment was both unwilling and unable
Ito cope with the situation. Policemen
|gathered along East Twenty-second
Ga = L. Max At
|pickets established by the strikers
Istopping every man who passed TO as
|eertain his business The police saw
.ecoraa of strikers huri bricks. and
3mAde no move TO end the lawlessness.
| When inrendtaries openly set fre to
1.-The property OF the oil company. thew
|atood guard to prevent anyone extin-
|guiahing 1t. Firemen sat In their sta
Ition in East Twenty second street.
hooked calmly out on the blaze, and
when asked why they made no move to
put 1t out, they said that they were
waiting for a call from the Standard
|Oil Company. Them in an ofhand wav.
Ithey called attention TO the windows
Iof their station. riddled by bullets and
ibrtcks, and shrugged their shoulders.
|They were not eager to oppose the
vicious spirit of the strikers. II was
|fuily an hour before the entire ERE
department KOt Ehh Abat " SouhA
mot resist and started out to quench
1.-THE blaze
4 DisgracefuI Scene.
While the blaze. fed by oil that
|gushed from pipe that had been
tapped by the strikers or their
|friends, leaped scores OF feet In the
lair, lighting up the fats and send
Iinx, up, great. yolumes Of black smoke,
hundreds OF the strikers paraded East
|Twenty.second Street. iaughingiy OBJ
Iserved the smashed window panes'
|the broken doors and helpless auto
mobile ard other wreckage that they
had created earlier.
They laughed at hints that they
had tried to set a bomb under one
Iof the oil tanks on the previous night.
fThey jeered at the report that one OF
the guards hired by the oil company
Iha dbeen killed and buried In a huge
bank OF coal dust
Only q few minutes before the fire
was set to oil-soaked ties, to greasy
|shanty, to a box car that had carried
barrels of oil. and To pile OF rub
5bish near one of the pumping sta
tlons OF the OIL plant. the strikers.
with q vociferous mo- had rejected
Ithe offer made to them by onhcials OF
Sthe company to return to work ana
n submit their grievances in the regu-
lar way. They announced they would
|0rht their fight to finish, and they
khreatened bloodshed II the company
in having the militia order
led out.
violent Talk INDUCED In.
The Twenty-second street thorougn-
Are that led to the Standard Oh
NAM was more thronged tonight than
Iin the day. and the expressions OF the
E4rfkers were more violent than In the
hay time The excitement had start
IA almost at daybreak. and there was
|no let UP, something dramatic nap
|pentng every few minutes that. by the
Dlightest twist OF circumstances.
might have caused death or serious
Injury.
The strikers appeared to be in
furtated at the presence OF guards
htred by the Standard OH Company.
Who were armed with clubs ana re-
golvars and some OF whom were
mounted. They thought that these
|Inens were deputy sheriffs and their
Expressions showed they were think
|inr constantly OF the many who had
been killed In Roosevelt by such
men.
|rroached the main entrance set tho
MIMI shortly after I O'clock. They
wanted to see whether any scabs were
Seing hired BY the company, At the
slight Of those pickets the guards, who
Siready had been manhandled by
Essrsh 81 who had entered the yards
n the course Of the night. ran or
rr,de out to the avenue.
Instantly shouts Of rage went mp