The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-01-29
THEY WANT A VALET.
Firemen ON the Whaleback
Strike for a Messboy.
THEIR DEMANDS CONCEDED.
Captain Hastings Tells the Story Of His
Quarrel With the Union-Ffremen
and Sailors Fight.

The fremen and coal passers on the
whaleback Wetmore struck last night, on
the ground that the captain refused to
give them messboy to keep the forecastle
clean and carry them their meals. Cap
tain Hastings finally decided 10 concede
the demand. so it is probable the men viii
return to work this morning.
Following is Captain Hastings state
ment of the difficulty:
can not understand what those unions mean.
While We were at Everett we sent up here and
got those union men, three dremen and thre9
coal passers That was ten days ago. They found
no fault with the foreeastle until the vessel ar
rived here. The 6rss time knew OF any dissatis-
faction was yesterday, when the secretary of the
union came down here and said the hunks in
the iorecastle were not liz for men 70 sleeo in,
and asked me TO go below with him and inspect
them | called one OF the dremen 20 go down
with me and look az them, as wanted to settle
any dissatisfaction that might exist with my
men themselves and not with an outsider. But
this fellow would not have il that way. He
said he the man TO settle with. so went
down. We examined the hunks. and allowed
that they might De fixed up SO as 70
De more comfortable. and Immediately
arranged for more bedding 70 fix them up good
But no sooner was this question disposed OF
than they sprung demand for a messbGy on
me. II is customary for sesmen the world over
to keep the foFecas;ie clean themselves, and the
sailors on board here find no fault with doing
SO, but they are II the same forecastie with the
fremeu, and. as the fremen refuse 70 keep the
place Clean the sailors will not do ali the clean
ing. and the result Is that it is the most filthy
hole ever saw sboard ship. Sailors are gen
orally clean and would keep their forecastle
clean il they were by themselves, but do not
ike To put in q partition, because il viii inter
fere with the ventilation.
When the fremen demanded the messboy.
felt indignant and thought that if things were
70 60 on in such way il would be just as well
70 lay the vessel up first "a last. BESIDES, the
management hiss made certain regulations and
Iwant 70 conhne myself to them as nearly as
possible; so / refused at first 10 make the con-
cession. | afterward consulted the chief engi-
neer. as it was in his department the men
worked, and he agreed with me that il was an
injustice. went up town this afternoon aud
when I came back this evening I was told that
the men had gone ashore. cannot understand
why they should act SO hastily in the matter, as
the demand had been practically conceded for
the reason that did not want any trouble
Those unions are necessity az times TO
enable workingmen TO maintain their rights,
but really they sometimes do things which look
absurd to any man with common sense. When
came here | had four sailors, three OF whom
them all 10 go ashore, so had TO send I'D to the
agent of the union for men in their stead. The
men at first claimed they had been intirnidated,
but this they afterward denied in the presence
ofthe agent. l want TO treat my men with re-
spect and 10 everything can for their comfort,
but there is limit to this thing of driving
man. / have been before the mast and know
how 10 treat men deeeutly.
There has been some feeling between the
hremen and sailors on the vessel the past
two or three days over the condition in
which the forecastle has been kept and
especially over the question as to which
hunks each should occupy. There are
three good-sized hunks on each side and
four short hunks across. and one of the
sailors being of more than ordinary
stature could not adjust himself to the
short hunks. which the firemen insisted on
the sailor occupying. When the long
sailor took his dunnage aboard he
piled it up in one of the side
hunks, but fireman came In little later
and threw II out, putting his own personal
effects up in the bunk. The long sailor
would not be bluffed ont in this manner.
and he dumped the tireman's stuff out and
put his own back and took possession.
The result came near being fistie en-
counter. When the iremen made the
demand for messboy they wanted the
sailors to stand by them, but the latter re-
fused and requested the captain to put a
partition in the forecastle so they would
have no connection with the firemen at all.
Captain Hastings expects to finish load
ing and get 10 sea today.