626 



PENNSYLVANIA. 



of mercantile appraisers was taken into the crim- 

 inal courts, indicted, and dismissed in disgrace." 

 In the suits, the Commonwealth claims the re- 

 covery of $50,000 rebates paid by the newspaper 

 publishers. A saving of $60,000 a year to the 

 State is effected by the reforms instituted in the 

 practices of the mercantile appraiser's office. 



As to the cases growing out of the Bardsley 

 defalcation, the report of the Attorney-General 

 says judgment for unpaid license taxes has been 

 obtained against Bardsley to the amount of $394,- 

 010.40. From his bondsmen $120,000 has been 

 recovered, and from his depositories, into which 

 State moneys were traced, $37,230.25. Of $1,- 

 004,640 judgment recovered by Bardsley's as- 

 signee against the Keystone National Bank, over 

 one fourth has been transferred to the Common- 

 wealth. 



Fire and Flood. The oil regions were visited, 

 on June 5, by a disaster only surpassed in the 

 history of the State by the flood at Johnstown, in 

 1889. For nearly a month the rains had been 

 almost incessant in western and northwestern 

 Pennsylvania. The small streams were turned 

 into torrents. A cloud-burst a mile above Titus- 

 ville on the morning of the 5th brought on a 

 flood and turned the creeks into rivers. An im- 

 mense body of water swept down Oil Creek to 

 Titusville, which is 18 miles south of its source. 

 The lower part of the town was soon flooded. 

 During the confusion a covering of oil appeared 

 on the water, and then three explosions occurred 

 in quick succession, followed by a flood of burn- 

 ing oil. This was caused by three tanks of gas- 

 oline, which were probably fired by lightning. 

 The flames communicated to the citv, and scores 

 of buildings were soon on fire. T'he burning 

 flood swept down the creek to Oil City, damag- 

 ing more or less all the small towns along the 

 distance of 18 miles. Hundreds of people were 

 swept away by the flood or burned in the fire. 

 If they left the burning buildings, they could 

 only plunge into the surrounding water. Res- 

 cuing parties went out in boats as soon as the 

 circumstances permitted and saved many lives. 

 The number of the dead has been estimated at 

 196, but an accurate count was impossible. The 

 damage to property was placed from $1,000,000 

 to $2,000,000. Bridges were swept away by the 

 flood or burned, and the fire consumed dwell- 

 ings, factories, refineries, cars, warehouses all 

 kinds of business buildings that are naturally 

 placed about the water ways and railroads. About 

 one third of Titusville, which is a town of 10,000 

 inhabitants, was destroyed. Oil City has a popu- 

 lation of about 12,000. 



The Homestead Strike. The most serious 

 labor disturbance ever known in the country 

 broke out in the Carnegie Company's mills at 

 Homestead, 8 miles east of Pittsburg, on July 

 6. The riot, which began on that day, was in 

 consequence of disagreements between the man- 

 agement and the workmen, which had been 

 going on for a month or more. Notice had been 

 given that certain apparent reductions of wages 

 would be made in the steel works ; the time of 

 signing the agreement on wages was changed 

 from the summer to January ; and the company 

 had refused to recognize the "Amalgamated As- 

 sociation of Steel and Iron Workers " as an or- 

 ganization, or to hold any conference with the 



workmen for discussing the terms offered. The 

 men, on their part, refused to work at the re- 

 duced rate, and at the same time announced 

 their determination to resist all attempts on the 

 part of the company to fill their places with 

 nonunion workmen. The contest was precipi- 

 tated by the workmen at Homestead hanging H. 

 C. Frick, president of the company, in effigy, 

 after which the company ordered an immediate 

 shut-down of the works two days before the time 

 provided by the contract under which the men 

 were working. The employees at once proceeded 

 to organize for the defensive. On July 5 the 

 company announced its intention to make re- 

 pairs, and the officials asked the sheriff to ap- 

 point deputies to protect their property. The 

 sheriff sent a small squad of men to the works, 

 but the strikers assembled in force and notified 

 them to get out of town, as no disorder was in- 

 tended and no damage would be done to any 

 property. They even offered to be sworn in as 

 deputies and to give bonds for the faithful per- 

 formance of their duties as conservators of the 

 peace. When this offer was declined, the ad- 

 visory committee, which had been directing the 

 action of the workmen, and which had held the 

 turbulent spirits in check, was immediately dis- 

 solved, and all the records of the committee 

 were destroyed. 



Meanwhile the company had secured the serv- 

 ices of a body of Pinkerton detectives, who 

 were gathered in two barges on the Ohio river, 

 some miles below. This became known to the 

 workmen, and they assembled on the banks in 

 great numbers to watch for the barges. When 

 they arrived the workmen broke through the 

 fence surrounding the mill, and, intrenching 

 themselves behind piled-up steel billets, pre- 

 pared to resist the landing. By 4 o'clock in the 

 morning an effort was made to land the detec- 

 tives, but the strikers met them, and a fierce 

 battle was precipitated by a heavy volley of 

 shots. The detectives were all armed with Win- 

 chester rifles, but at the point where the attempt 

 to land was made there was a steep embank- 

 ment and they were compelled to go in single 

 file, and were soon driven back to the boats by 

 the steady fire from the shore. They made con- 

 tinued efforts to land, but the strikers took a 

 position behind a breastwork of steel rails and 

 billets, and from this place of safe refuge were 

 able to pick off the detectives as soon as they 

 appeared on the decks of the boats. The great 

 preponderance of evidence goes to show that the 

 firing was begun by the strikers. 



The fight was renewed the following day. The 

 strikers secured a brass 10-pounder cannon and 

 planted it within the steel-built embrasure, so as 

 to command the barges moored at the river 

 bank. At the same time the force of 1,000 men 

 took up a position on the opposite side of the 

 river, and planted a cannon, which they pro- 

 tected with a breastwork of railroad ties. Short- 

 ly before 9 o'clock the cannon were turned on 

 the boats, and a bombardment was kept up for 

 several hours. The stout oaken timbers forming 

 the sides of the boat were splintered, but the 

 heavy steel plates on the inside prevented the 

 balls from penetrating the interior. When it 

 was found that little impression could be made 

 by the cannon on the boats, an effort was made 



