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This newspaper page contains 19 articles. Subscribers can read the full text of each article.
Newspaper
Pittsburgh Dispatch
Location
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Date
Aug 19, 1892
Page
1
The Buffalo strike spreads to Nickel Plate and threatens broader reach as thousands in state militia prepare for duty. Soldiers guard rations while railroad officials vow to replace workers with non union crews, risking wider disruption from New York to Chicago.
Striking crowds gather beyond a soldier camp in BurraLto. Sentinels report hot water sprayed from locomotive boilers by engineers of the D L and W as guards try to keep order near the Lackawanna Hotel on Queen street. Strikers also taunt passersby and monitor the sidewalk with their own sentinels while heavy drinking raises fear of further trouble.
Aug. 13 Bourrato reports the sixth day of the switchmen strike with rising complications as leaders observe troop movements and prepare counter measures while pressuring for higher wages.
An Associated Press report from Burrago describes harsh camp conditions with a cup of coffee a sandwich and a hardtack per meal, requests for blankets, and ongoing troop movements. Commanders report detachment deployments to protect trains and clashes with protesting crowds.
In Burrawo Aug 18 Grand Master Sweeny of the Switchmen Aid Association calls the idea of 10,000 troops for the strike absurd. He notes 300 switchmen remain, vows to protect property if paid, and says Erie County would spend 50 000 daily. He urges police action against vagrants entering the area and proposes a citizen committee to prevent bloodshed.
Special dispatch from Buffalo notes an editorial to print claiming General Doyle aided railroads and that 10 000 troops will be massed at East Buffalo by noon. It alleges sheriff and mayor act under railroad orders, with Governor Flower to deploy militia to quell strikers amid unrest.
A Buffalo editorial condemns sending 13 000 troops to police after riots. It argues New York State must quell mobs but notes militia are not patrolmen and would cost about 40 000 daily. The piece questions mayoral and sheriff motives and urges police to arrest loiterers instead of mobilizing more troops.
Burraro Aug 18 Two strikers are jailed at police HQ charged under penal code section 14.1 for a plan to derail the Buffalo Central 11 40 a m fast mail. Sergeant Burkhardt and two officers halted the men John Ball and Martin Bayer before they tampered with the main track near Fillmore Ave. The men, claiming to be laborers, were captured within 100 yards after attempting to throw the switch as the mail train sped by at 18 mph. Officials say the men were discharged Central employees and believed the switch needed repositioning.
In Chicago Aug 18 Assistant District Attorney Pagsen cites chapter 1063 of the Revised Statutes creating boards for settling interstate rail controversies. Each side selects a representative for the arbitration board and a third arbitrator, with a binding final decision.
Adjutant General Porter notified the Governor the Erie county sheriff requested the National Guard. The Governor authorized 3000 more militia to reach Buffalo by noon tomorrow, bringing total to 8000 near the city. General Porter will proceed once necessary forces are on site to maintain order.
Reading Company brings 300 officers including coal and iron police and Pinkertons to Sayre to protect trains and stations. Most workers refused to surrender to the strike, and guards manned stations along the line while police were sworn in and sent to Philadelphia with their force.
A rumor of a lockout by Pittsburg and Lake Erie Railroad switchmen in this city proved false after inquiries found no orders or likelihood of a strike. Union men were reported in the minority and yard activity remained normal at Chartlers.
Buffalo August 19 24 The engineers at a meeting tonight formed a committee to visit Chief Arthur in Toronto and obtain guidance on whether to take part in the trouble. Firemen and trainmen held discussions but neither acted. Switchmen debated leaving only as a last resort and would do so if ordered by Sweeny. Reports say Grand Trunk switchmen between Toronto and Montreal have struck while others remain at work.
Washington reports no official communications on New York and Tennessee labor troubles. The Army would only act on a presidential order after state authorities exhaust resources and request aid. If an application arrives, the President would decide and direct troops via General Schofield through the War Secretary.
The Coal and Iron Company seeks to surrender its convict labor contract as free miners in East Tennessee seize stockades and send prisoner miners to Nashville. President Thomas C. Platt denies wage cuts or friction with miners, says state refusal to relieve the company keeps 1,000 convicts costing $100,000 annually.
President McLeod Cartly of the Reading Railroad refuses to arbitrate, stating the company’s time to consider arbitration has passed after threats to murder employees. A. A. McLiron signs as president, with Webb of the Central also declining to arbitrate in a letter to the New York State Board of Mediation and Arbitration.
Aug 13 Fitch Hospital prepares for possible bloodshed. Over 20 cots with bedding and several field stretchers supplied. Night capacity for 40 wounded, more if needed. Doctors ready to assist. Fitch ambulances, two wagons, and headquarters at William Street cross are set. Depew refuses to discuss Buffalo railroad troubles in Hamtramck.
Reports from Chattanooga and Knoxville describe a three day assault by free miners on Fort Anderson at Coal Creek. Miners seize trains for dynamite while Gatling guns fire on the stockade. Colonel Anderson is captured then reportedly lynched, with reinforcements marching in as towns brace for further clashes.
A Valor filled message from Colonel Kellar Anderson to Adjutant General Norman at the Capitol expresses resolve to resist surrender. The surrounding stockade has endured two days under siege as rioters challenge authorities in Nashville.
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