RAILWAY HELD UP BY SCOTTISH MINERS. SIGNALMEN THREATENED.

PROMPT MILITARY ACTION.

FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT. COWDENBEATH, WEDNESDAY. A remarkable affair reported from Fifeshire, the stronghold of the extremists in Scotland.

About 8.45 on Tuesday night a large contingent of miners from West Fife arrived in Thornton, near Kirkcaldy, accompanied by a pipe band, and commenced to demonstrate, evidently with the intention of bringing out the railwaymen. The demonstrators eventually got out of hand, and riotous scenes were witnessed in the streets of the village. Several shop windows were broken, and there was stone-throwing. The demonstrators had visited Markinch previously and entered a jeweller’s shop, from which a considerable number of articles were taken. The local police took prompt steps to deal with the outbreak, and in addition, mounted and foot police were hastily summoned. A strong contingent of marines, fully armed, were called to the district, and it is stated that twenty-one persons have been apprehended. Several baton charges took place during the riot.

These disorders were apparently followed by a mass meeting of about 2,000 miners, who subsequently proceeded to visit nine signal boxes at Thornton Junction, on the North British Railway main line, between Edinburgh and Dundee. The men working the signals were threatened that if they did not cease work action would be taken, and as a result of the intimidation the signalmen left their posts and went home. No passenger trains pass through the junction late at night, but there is a heavy goods traffic, and this was delayed, in some cases by three hours. The junction is now in the possession of police and naval ratings, who were rushed to the spot early yesterday morning. The mob did considerable damage to rolling stock, and during the night goods trains in the district were looted, and it was deemed advisable to summon Marines and naval ratings from Rosyth to take charge of the situation. The normal train service was resumed yesterday morning.

Another attempt to intimidate the railway workers was made yesterday morning, when pickets not connected with any railway organisation, but declaring themselves to be Communist and Sinn Fein sympathisers, sought to prevent the Hamilton and District railwaymen from taking duty. They, however, met with no success.