The sun., 1891-07-03
aAvASSA STRIKERS LET GO.
TRs INLAND GUARDED F1FrT-THREr
DAYS BY A MAN-oF-wAR

Just 0ns BLADE OF Grass Grow On ths
Le.eiy Reek. sss ice A~eriea. Negroes
Get Tired or Diggi.g Phosphate There
-O.s Conpiaiaea TO the President sss
he Sent the Kearsarxe 60 SEQ About Ht.
The United States man -of-war KeerserEs ar
rived here yesterday AMI went TO the navy
yard She is In charge OF Commander Horace
Elmer. and n attached to the North Atlantic
squadron. Her last service was at NavassA
whore, for The eight weeks prior to June 20. she
maintained . sort Of peace between the rep.
resentatives OF the Nsvassa Phosphate Com
psny and about 1870 Of the oompany's laborers.
who were on strike.
The Phosphate Company is chartered under
the laws OF New York. but It docs business In
baltimore It is engaged In mining phosphates
on the Island OF Navassa.s Navassa 10 rock
loss than two miles long and not mile wide.
According to Lieut. shipley OF tho kearsarce
there is Just one blade Of grass growing In
front Of the srintendent's quarters. and no
other vegetable lie on tho island. The COM
pany contracts with its iaborsrs for period
Of fifteen montha 1t finds most OF them
In Baltimore and they nre. as rule.
negroes picked up along the wharves.
The agrees to take these men to Ma
ior their labor. ana to feed them. II they do
not remain Tor their full term they forfeit all
sSsess to sssrn the% to rss u
Charge il the company fails. to keep any, part
o r hss II Of
day is to MI enc or fWo or possibly Soh ahsse se
poe pocksta. 8 a And nd Il may hsppsn that man can
man doss ni.h bis task before the day Is
&Ss,o 80 .Ss
iss Iss th'f Il. os.rs ahs sHs;FS 81 ss
ss;s a Sas ss
neariy lSs iyi 10 We'll We'll Q! BIS suSordinaIss 10
In April last the Kearsarge was ordered to
s AZ ms ,rs ws. that sna b he IL ss sc%pans ns
would not send him, homo: that no was
sss and food nSs' wss pUor sns nsa a
Nsyssss is9 Of she la6prerS hs smb.sHsd braces the
oi CONGRESS has declared, sha. i Navassa shalt -
iniendent is the captain; His word is law
%sSs ns 4as. Is sqp Il Rs Is
i%prisonsd hisy cents a DAY. p CHARGED
against him fol-, M sMpbsistense. and II hs M is sick
pens that when mans term Of service is fin
deed he is not In debt to the com mphny.
strikers sent to Comm ander Elmer to make all
ina their officers with Violence and declaring
that they would repeat the uprising OF 1889.
when five white mon were XII ed. This state
Of things com PEELED Commander Elmer to lie
at Navassa until the strikers could be sent
home By the company. The laborels refused
to do any work for the company. but they
oheyed the sanitary regulations established BY
Commander Elmer. Lieut. Bates landed with
tho marine guard to preserve order The
Kearsarge was kept at Navassa for flity.three
days before the phosphate, company was
ready TO send the mon lack TO Baltimore.
The company owns the bark Albemarle. which
it employs TO transport its laborers and stores.
The bark was expected to arrive at Navassa
with stores carly in June. but Ii did not reach
there until Juno Is. In the mean timo the
company had been obliged to support tho idle
men. The food had grown poor and scarce. |
and the mon were RrowliuR go d deal.
As soon as the Albenarle had discharged
her cargo the men embarked. and on June 20
the Albemarlo and the Kearsarge both sailed. |
bout seventy Of the laborers did not strike. |
They were all bahama negroes and were sat-
isi1ed with tho work.
Commander Elmer said yesterday that he |
thought the Government Of Navassa should be |
modelled after our Territorial Government. |
Then. in case Of trouble between the company |
and tho laborers. there would be chance to |
appeal to- competent authority for the settle. |
ment OF the dispute.