ENGLISH AND FOREIGN.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 16, Issue 827, 28 September 1870, Page 3

ENGLISH AND FOREIGN.

SERIOUS RIOT IN NEW YORK.—SEVERAL PERSONS KILLED, AND UPWARDS OE A HUNDRED WOUNDED. The following special despatch to the Alta California gives the particulars of a riot in Elm Park, New York, on the 11th July, between the Irish laborers in the Park and the pionic party of Orangemen: New Yore, July ]£. An extensive bloody riot occurred yesterday afternoon in Elm Park, near Eighth Avenue and Ninetieth street, between the members of the American Protestant Association, or Orangemen, and a mob of Irish laborers from the Boulevard, the result being that three men were killed outright, several fatally, and over one hundred seriously wounded. Before two o'clock the Park presented a lively and interesting scene, as there were assembled inside the grounds fully 3,000 persons, men, women, and children. As soon as the attending mob saw the Orangemen enter the Park in safety and with whole bones, they proceeded to the Boulevard in the neighborhood, and there induced all of the workmen to stop labor and accompany them to Elm Park. These laborers were nearly. all Irishmen, and seemingly needed but little persuasion, and they increased the excited mob to fully 1,000 men. The foreman in charge of the workmen on tbe Boulevard endeavored to check the moveiments of his men, but he was threatened with violence if he persisted, and so escaped as best he could, and at once notified the police of the impending riot. The mob, meanwhile, proceeded to the scene of the assault. As soon as the rioters reached the corner of Ninetieth street and Eighth Avenue, they stopped on the line of the fences and began their assault by a shower of stones at a proup of people inside ; but as this failed to do any serious damage, they proceeded to greater extremities, and fired pistols in sharp volleys; the bullets, however, for awhile whistled harmlessly over the heads of the affrighted women and children.

The scene was now very exciting, and presented a terrible picture of confusion; men became excited and prepared to defend the women and children from any harm, and such of them as had come upon the ground armed with revolvers, returned the fire of their assailants, though they do not seem to have done any great damage, as the wounded were able to move away, or be carried off by their .companions. The battle lasted fully half an hour, and W*9 a fearful one. It is only wonderful that the list of casualties at that staye of the riot was not larger. The rioters were apparently not prepared for close quarters in their movements, so they remained at the fence line until the arrival of the police, but they fully occupied their time in sending into the Park such loose missiles as the broken nature of the ground afforded jbhem.

Fierce cries were constantly uttered by the jrioters while carrying on their scheme of hostilities. "Down with the Orangemen !" would elicit a savage yell, and tremendous showers of stones. "Down with the Irish .traitors," excited the rioters to madness and renewed activity ; while " Kill the hounds ; " ■". Remember the green flag, boys ; " " Avenge your wrongs j " and other similar cries were frequently heard amid the din of voices and volleys of horrid curses that rent the air. About three o'clock the police arrived, and made a desperate but brilliant charge into the very midst of the mob, using their locusts right and leit as they went through the crowd, and in some instances using their pistols. The rioters became demoralized at the sight of the uniformed body of men and fled ingloriously from the field. A portion of the mob rushed through Ninetieth street into Ninth Avenue, where they broke down the Elm Park fence and rushed Jieadlong into the midst of the affrighted picnic party. The men were hampered by the presence of the women, who helplessly clung to them and almost prevented them taking any measures for defence. The laborers came on in a disorderly mob, some,armed with impromptu clubs furnished by the dismantled fence; others had their shovels and crowbars, and the remainder were effectively armed with the handles of their pickaxes. As they made the charge they were heralded by a shower of stones, and the battle soon waged fast and furious. The remainder of the mob that had been dispersed at Ninetieth-street ran up Eighth Avenue, and finding that a portion of the picnic party were escaping fiorn the Park and taking refuge in the ca p, bound down town, they made an attack upon the cars and their passengers. Several cars were seriously damaged, and nearly all their glas3 windows were smashed. The horses plunged and kicked, and the drivers and conductors shared the reception of showers of stones and blows that were rained upon them and their passengers. Men and women were knocked down and beaten, many of them severely injured and nearly all who could keep their feet were compelled to rush into Central Park and seek refuge. The police, under Captain Helmn, was divided into frinall parlies at the lime of the attack at Ninetieth-street, and one of these parties, consisting of three men, followed the mob up Eighth Avenue, though on their arrival at the scene of this new battle, they found themselves helpless, through want of numbers, and they were compelled for a time to almost stand idle before the menaces of the mob, who carried on their assault with such determination that several persons were killed or severely wounded.

As soon as the importance of the situation Was understood. Superintendent Jordan sum-

moned the reserves in the northern wards who arrived on the ground soon after the second battle occurred in Ninth Avenue, and soon dispersed the rioters, whom they drove before them like sheep. The Orangemen and families remaining in the Park with the mob were pursued by a portion of the police, headed by Capt. Helmn and Sergt Pickett, and sd effectively harassed that they scattered into small companies and escaped, the police being compelled to desist from extended pursuit in consequence of the outbreak then in progress in Eighth Avenue. Leaving a portion of his command in the Park to protect the women and children, Captain Helmn sent the remainder across the grounds to the assistance of those endeavouring to reach the cars. The police again made a charge, and drove the rioters away, making some few arrests of those they detected in the commission of overt acts. While the Police reserves from the Sixth and Fourteenth Wards were pushing up town, they found tneir work already cut out for them, at Central Park, corner of Fifty-ninth street and Eighth Avenue, where they found another battle, making the fourth of the day in active progress. It appears that the rioters must have expected reinforcements that were behind hand, for as this new body of men reached Fiftyninth steet they noticed cars containing some of the picnic party, and accordingly made a rush on them. The scene further up the Avenue was here repeated on a smaller scale, the cars were smashed, and the occupants more or less wounded, and the result would have been more serious had not the police force, already alluded to, made its appearance so opportunely. This last affair closed the hostilities for the day, and the police employed their time in aiding the wounded, who were taken to the Station House in One Hundred and Eleventh street, where they were attended by su ; geons, and then removed to Bellevue Hospital in ambulances. The wounded were, however, not all found in the Park, or in the neighborhood, for many of them were assailed in Central Park, and such were taken charge of by the Park Police. The names of the killed are—Michael Brady, Patrick Brady, and another whose name is unknown. Those mortally wounded are — Patrick Kane, Frank Eagan, James Eeynolds, Robert Nutte, and five unknown. These man were taken to the Bellevue Hospitsl. The number of wounded seriously, but not fatally, will exceed one hundred.

Mr Hugh Mason has ju3fc presentod an extensive public park and gymnasium to the town of Aehtpn-under-Lyne.

The Ceylon Observer, of the 6th August, says the number of prisoners taken by the Prussians in the action with the French was seven thousand five hundred, instead of five hundred.

A country laird, who had lately been elevated to the office of a country magistrate, meeting the Rev Mr Thorn, of Grovan, on horseback, attempted jocularity by remarking that he was more ambitious than his Master, who was content to ride upon an ass. " They canna be gotten noo," said Mr Thorn, " for they're a' made justices o' the peace." A torpedo of extraordinary power, it is reported, has been invented by an Englishman, Mr Whitehead, of Fiume, who has received SIOO,OOO from the Austrian Government for his secret. The inventor offers to sell the exclusive right to use the torpedo to the British (3-overnment for §500,000, or will disclose the method of constitution for SIOO,OOO, to be paid after a report on the merits of the invention by a Board of Inquiry. James Tomlinson, messenger at the Registry of Designs Office, Whitehall, wa3 recently charged at Bow Street with embezzling £33. 12s. Mr Pollard prosecuted on behalf of the Treasury. The prisoner pleaded guilty, and made the following statement: —" On Saturday, June 4, I received the £3B 12s, but I was too late to bank it that day. I put the money in my pocket, and went to the West Drayton races. I lost some of the money by betting, and in trying to recover it I lost still more. Since then I have been to the manchester races, trying to win back the amount, but instead of succeeding in doing this I lost the whole of the remainder, and then gave myself up." Committed for trial. A United States paper, the Nation, writes ; —ln 1855 our mercantile marine exceeded England's a million tons, or nearly one-fourth, and we sold clipper ships to other nations At that time shipbuilding culminated in this country, and except a revival in 1859 and 1860, has, on the whole, been declining ever since. But the decline from 1861 to 1865 was but from 5,500,000 to 5,100,000, or seven per cent., while in the next two years of peace it fell to less than 4,000,000 tons, a decline of 23 per cent., so that it was not war nor the Alabama that destroyed ic. In fact we built but half as much new tonnage in 1869-—the last peace year—as in 1864', the last war year. The fact is, that the rapid growth of tonnage up to 1865 was in wooden ships, and was fairly divided between the foreign and coasting trade; that sitice that time iron screw steamers have been taking the place of wooden ships in ocean trade, but the wooden ships have still done our coasting business, and the building of them has been active when this business demanded them ; but the ocean trade belongs to the new screw steamers, and the tariff on iron prevents our building them, while the navigation laws forbid the importation of them. Hence shipbuilding can never again be so important an industry as it has been until the duty on iron is repealed j nor can American shipowners compete with foreigners on the ocean while the present tariff and navigation laws arc maintained.

The blacks at Port Darwin a*e becoming troublesome. The Europeans there are apprehensive of an attack. The Evening Star, September 24, says ■- By the Lord Ashley, to-day, the S American Glassblowers proceed to "Napier. The favorable impressions which this company has left behind them will, we are confident, be equalled among our Southern friends. The entertainment has been interesting and instruo ive.in the extreme, and Mr and Mrs Woodroffe and their indefatigable and popular agent, Mr Peachman, have the sincere wishes, for their welfare, of all those in this city who have come in contact with them. They will be gladly welcomed back, and meet with similar success and crowded houses, should they resolve to appear again in Auckland.