The morning call., 1891-08-11

the Cape and finds be has dead-head pas
senger instead Of an active feliow-worker.
In case Of fraudulent substitution, it is the
exception fox the substitute to be az efficient
man. Peterson and Nelson, the men pre-
posed to be substituted on the Stetson last
week, were, however, undoubtedly good
able-boded seamen.
The whole trouble with the manning of
deep-water ships at this port arises out of
the rapacty Of those who make business
of plundering seamen under the pretense of
boarding them and supplying them with
jobs. The land shark and the sailors
boarding-hOuse runner are sufficiently IA
mllar IN all The ports OF the civilized world,
but there are few places in which less check
is placed OF the work of fraud and spolia-
ton than in San Francisco.
The methods employed in this nefarious
business are so audaeious and SO successful
that ii seems really wonderful that no legiS-
latiOn has been invoked to suppress the en-
tire system. just as soon rs Il deep water
ship arrives she is beset by set of fellows
OF the worst kind, whose special business 1t
is to induce the seamen to desert the ship,
or at all events Leave 1t as soon as pOSS be.
The sailor who accepts the suggestion is
delighted to find that lac is presented with
a So gold piece right off by his new friend,
who is, however, very careful not to lose
sight OF his man thereafter. Jack is taken
till lie can be safely left, which does not
take long, as the liquor supplied is as often
drugged as not. In the meantime Jacks
friend has kindly volunteered to get his kit
ashore and to see that he (.Jack) gets his
wages, but it is not often that the poor fell
low touches a cent of the money.
The sailors KIT, which is mostly contained
IN a long sack looking like gigantic bolster
or n we'll stuffed mail sack, is brought
ashore and promptly impouuded by the
U-n1 nS or
jacks indebtedness. The latter rises at a
phenomenal rate, and at the end of a few
days, when Jack has begun to sober up,
the poor wretch realizes that he IS as much a
chattel as redemptionist or negro slave in
the 'tgood old days" of Maryland aud Viz
ginia.
He probably owes $50 by the end of the
week; his wages have been ''bloWn i'm or
attached by the clearinghouse keeper, and
his kit is lying with scores OF others on the
shelves of dark chamber, opened only
when he is shipped" He must sell him
self to be free
The object of the clearinghouse keeper
in inducing Jack to leave his ship is two
fold. In the first place. it creates vacancy
in that ship. which the boarding master can
rely on SO to fiji. The sum-whieh is very
appropriately called blood MONEYS paid
by the ship, and is very different thing
from the sailors advance or allotment
money, of which more hereafter. The SO
-
made to Jack on landing; but there is also
another $40 worth of blood money coming
to the clearinghouse keeper when Jack
himself is shipped" on some otter vessel.
so that profit of SIS is Melted on this ac-
count alone.
The average boardng-house master re-
CARDS the average deep-water sailor as
worth anything from SIS to $50 to him.
| Hence the paternal interest which is
| evinced in the fate of poor Jack during the
nF an IF lie ram rot inn on
| shore after four months of toll. This is
| why these waterfront philanthroplsts are
| so concerned AT the existence OF any organ
izati0n professedly intended to take care of
| the poor fellow while he is flush OF money
and exposed to the temptations of a great
city. The clearinghouse masters give
| are not spared in return. Meanwhile, Jack
| blades don't seem to cut each other to hurt
| but he 'kind of feels hurt himself"
In many European countries the pay
| any guise or preteuse has been stopped,
| families, if they have any. 1t is no longer
! possible for fraudulent board bills to be
| scored UP against Jack, for there is no Sc
| curity for the payment, aud even the prop
| erty of the sailor cannot be retained
| But in San Francisco. as in many other
| American ports, the seaman may obtain as
much as $40 advance money for a deep
water trip, being equal to two months pay.
money remains in his possession after he