The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-10-03
THE WAGE FARMERS.
Increased Activity in Nearly
All of the Trades.
WATER FRONT LINES ALL BUSY.
Peace in Musicians Union-Ship Carpen-
tiers Kept at Work RcmOdeling
Boats-Trade Notes.

A marked improvement has taken place
recently in many of the trades as far as
the opportunities for employment are con-
cerned. The building trades are probably
the principal exceptions, and in these the
tendency has rather been the other way of
late. The most notable improvement has
been in the various water front and ma
rine trades, such as Iongshoremen, deck
hands, marine firemen, engineers. etc.
The deckhands and firemen are now es-
pecially we'll employed owing to the in
creased number of boats running to move
the crop of farm produce. a short time ago
a number of men were ashore in both these
trades, but now every one of them is at
work. Several of the firemen left the city
at that time for San Francisco to go out on
long voyages, preferring this to the I'M
steady work they had on the Sound.
The sailors also report some improve
ment, two crews having been shipped from
here during the week on vessels which had
previously been lying up,the barks Vidette
and Canada. A large number Of the sea-
men ashore have been out working on the
railroads, but with the approach of winter
they will begin drifting back into the city
to await chance to go to sea again.
IL
way now. 1t is one of the strongest
unions in the city, having 140 members.
These are not all in the city. many of
them having gone away temporarily, but
they all keep up their membership. The
union has had no trouble since it absorbed
the Queen City band, and everything is
running smoothly. There is probably no
other trade or profession III existence in
which 1t is so hard to maintain an effect
i've labor organization as it is among mu-
sicians. The reason for this is the ex-
tremely diverse interests and degrees of
skill that have to be considered. Some of
the members are professional and some
amateur; some follow no other avocation
and some do. The different bands get
competing with each other and cutting
prices, and the result is generally split
in the union. So far the Seattle union
does not seem to have been seriously
affected by any of these disintegrating
forces, and with its present prestige it
will probably be able to maintain harmony
among the musicians of the city for some
time to come.
The ship carpenters had fair amount
of work for while back up to the middle
of last week. The schooner Allie |. Alger
was receiving an overhauling at the dry
dock; the steamer Mountaineer was I'M
dergoing material changes at Ballard, to
transform her into a tug; and in addition
to these there have been quite few odd
jobs that gave employment to number of
men. But now work has dropped off
again and there is scarcely a thing doing
in the trade. If the plan of lengthening
the steamer Alice blanchard be carried
out. it will give employment to several
men for a number of weeks and prove a
boon to them for the approaching winter.
Wharf builders and piedrivers are
another class of men who have been quite
we'll employed the past few months. This
is largely due to the railroad work which
has been going on, but the outlook at pres
ent is that when the railroad work has
been completed, there will be very little to
do in the trade.
The linemen report things as being es-
pecially active in their trade. Most of
them have been employed out of the city
the greater part of the time and have had
very steady work. There are thirty-tive
members in the I.inemen's Union and
every man is at work.