Show p HAND TO HAND CONFLlCTS I Desperate Battle Between Strikers Strik-ers and Officers in Belgium TIlE MILITIA CALLED OUT In Antwerp Barricades Are Erected in the Streets I A Dynamite Explosion at Mon Emboldens Embol-dens tho Mob to Attempt to Take Possession of the Town > The Crisis Acnte BRUSSELS April 17 The Industrial revolution against the chamber of deputies depu-ties is in full progress Today ovqr one thousand dock laborers in Antwerp joined the movement The strikers cutoff cut-off communication with the vessels at the quays by throwing the gangways into the river They indulged in other serious demonstrations and became so threatening threaten-ing that the military had to be called out to preserve order No conflicts have yet occurred but the attitude of the strikers is very threatening Trouble is expected any moment The streets and open places in the vicinity of the wharves are filled with strikers their ranks beings being-s elled hourly The strikers at Mons have resorted to the use of dynamite A bomb which had been placed close to Petit Wasines church exploded this morning with great violence shattering the stained glass windows of the church and doing other damage There is no clue to the perpetrators It is generally ascribed to the socialists Many men employed at Antwerp loading load-ing and unloading vessels and other work did not quit and the strikers made an attack at-tack on them The gen d armes took a hand a number of strikers were wounded and a number of ringleaders among the strikers captured There is no denying the fact that the crisis is acute Excited meetings in favor of universal suffrage are being held throughout the country Everywhere impassioned appeals are made to those who live by toil to join thereat the-reat demonstration In the Charlevois district where thousands of miners are employed work in the mines is at a standstill Most of theso miners are miserably poor and they and their families are bound to suffer The cotton yarn lace linen and woolen mills and factories are affected by the movement of a large number of operatives having joined the strike Some hot blooded strikers at Qrammont assembled in the Cafe Holland and held an impromptu meeting at which speeches were made by leaders Gen darmes attempted at-tempted to break up the meeting but met a stout resistance two gen darmes and a large number of rioters being seriously seri-ously wounded The cowardly assault on Mayor Bale yesterday gave rise to an excited ex-cited discussion at a meeting of the municipal muni-cipal council today A majority of the councilmen expressed deep indignation and proposed that a delegation be appointed ap-pointed to wait upon Bnls and express the councils sympathy Also that the police measures ordered by the mayor be approved by the council These proposals propos-als were objected to by a minority of the council however and after a violent debate de-bate the proposals were adopted The dynamite explosion at Mons today seems to have acted as an incentive to the strikers to commit further outrages The strikers indulge in all manner of threats against the government and are determined deter-mined to take possession of the town lora lor-a labor procession A desperate hand to hand conflict with the guard ensued The battle was long and bitterly contested but finally the guard was victorious Four of the miners were killed and many wounded This affray has added greatly to the excitement in town and there is danger of more serious seri-ous outbreaks The governor has called out all the militia mi-litia of the state This means the mobilization mo-bilization of some 4000 troops against the wqrkingmen In a fight between workingmen work-ingmen and the civic guard in a street of Mons today fourteen soldiers were wounded three fatally There are dispatches dis-patches from Antwerp this evenin show is threaten ing that the situation more ing since noon Strikers gathered repeatedly re-peatedly in large crowds throughout the northern district At3 oclook a squadron of police riding with drawn swords against workingmen were overwhelmed with showers of stones and sticks and the police retired in confusion con-fusion The police threw up barricades in the side streets and women and children hastened from their houses with firearms When another squadron of police supported by a detachment of civic guards tried half an hour later to drive back the mob they were met with volleys from the rifles of men behind the barricades Many soldiers were wounded and moved to the hospital More troops were summoned and carried the barricades barri-cades The crowd is still gathering in the northern district this evening and more fighting is expec xi Extraordinary military measures will be adopted tomorrow k preserve order in th s city Strong reinforcements of Chasseuers and Carbineers are arriving with every train this evening All the officers have received a city map on which is marked the neutral zone from which crowds are to be excluded It is reported that the Dernier proposed to the king that parliament be dissolved and a general gen-eral election be held < j Jamson a radical leader in the chamber is said lto have demanded an audience with the king Anxiety Anx-iety as to events tomorrow are intense in-tense Reports from Mons and Antwerp have stricken the more prosperous classes with a panic There is a general tendency to urge deputies to decide speedily the question of suffrage and not be too sparing spar-ing of concessions to the popular demand |