The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1922-08-23

thetic strike of train service en-
! ployees is Intended to brins about
| the complete PARALYSIS Of railroad
| transportation. On the Atlantic
side new disorders occurred at
Columbia. S. c.. where eleven
! workers were attacked by strike
sympathiZers.&
Spencer. n. c.. Aug. 20.-De-
velopm enrs in the railroad shop
strike situation here today included
the blowing up Of the 10 inch wa
ter main, which supplies the South
ern railway shops and the hundreds
Of locomotives that are used out
OF Spencer, the burning of one or
| more bad order box cars near The
yard limits while the water supply
was cut Off and the arrival of 25 re-
cruits for the working force at the
shops.
The water main apparently was
blown UP by dynamite. The exp,o-
sion occurred at point inside the
shop yards. between the fence sur
rounding the property and row
| Of box cars and at point about IS
feet from a picket stand The lives
| Of several pickets. it is said, We're
endangered by the explosion. which
awakened many of the citizens Of
Spencer. entirely blew out a section
of the pipe and tore hole in the
ground the size of a small house.
A stream Of water flooded that sec
ton Of the property until the water
could be cut of.
The cutting Off of the water sup
ply resulted in several hours delay
10 main line trains between Wash
ington and Atlanta and also to
Eranch.Gne trains. as engines could
not be provided to take these
trains OUT Of the terminal here.
Through the day Sheriff J. H.
Krider and Southern officials have
| made vigorous efforts to fix respon-
sibility for the explosion but said
early tonight they had obtained
no clue. No charge has been pre-
ferred against anyone. Strikers are
reported to have told the officials
that the work was done from the
inside" and that none of their men
had anything to do with it.
The explosion. which occurred
about midnight or shortly thereaf-
ter. stirred Spencer as no other in
cident since the strike began.
Promiscuous firing near the
picket lines on the East Spencer
side just before daylight startled
numbers of citizens as far away as
Salisbury and caused nurses at the
hospitals there to make ready to
receive injured persons, they and
Others in Salisbury believing riot
had occurred. Authorities have
been unable TO determine who did
the shooting.
AS result Of the developments
of the last q hours. with the in
creased tenseness, 1t was expected
that Colonel Don Scott. in COM.
men encamped three miles from
Spencer. would place troops on
guard duty around the shops. but
this had not been done early to-
night. Master Mechanic Mcbride.
in charge of the shops. said early
tonight that while the occurrences
Of the last day and night would
justify him in asking that troops be
placed on guard duty the matter
would he determined by Sabse-.
quent developments Colonel Scott
said that his. men were ready for
instant service when called upon
by the sheriff. Governor Morrison
or Southern railway officials.
Salisbury, y. c.. Aug. 20.-The
blowing up OF section OF the II
inch main which supplied water to
the Southern railway shops at
Spencer and the living quarters Of
the now workers employed TO take
the strikers places. combined with
the very tense general situation. led
Col Don Scott. in command OF the
eight companies Of the national
guardsmen encanlped near here, to
consider today the advisabi!ity OF
placing troops on guard duty at the
shops and elsewhere at s,rarass;c
points. Late this afternoon. how
e,er. it was understood th:,- this
action would not be taken tonisE!
until there was an outbre Ak. actual
or imminent. Meanwhile the 100
troops are kept in readiness Tor
instant action. with transportation
facilities ready TO move them with
out delay.
Salisbury people We're excited
about 4 o'clock this morning when
reports of many shots wera hea:l
from the direction of Spencer. and
this is believed to have given Gr1-
sin to reports widely circulated
during the day that a riot had oe-
Cured However. so far as can be
learned here. the authorities have
rot been able to ascertain where
the shooting was or by whom.
These incidents constituted the
only disorders reported UP TO an
early hour tonight. No casualties
have been reported and no arrests
have been made during the day.
Nothing makes a crouch mad
der than having nothing TO kick