The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-11-29
ALL IN THE HOLD.
Packed With a Cargo of
+. Human Beings.
: :.
NEITHER LIGHT NOR AIR.
-.
:.
Sailors and Samoans Were
damned In.
ORDERED NOT TO LEAVE PORT.
The. Schooner Vine, Which Was to
: Take the Samoan Villagers Home
!; Not Allowed TO Sail.

When old sailors protest against being
damned into close quarters in a vessels
hold, where the Odor is almost I'm bearable,
and neither air nor light has possible
chance TO enter, there must be something
wrong Such a complaint was made by
The crew of the schooner Vine to the
United States Shipping Commissioner
.Gwinn. Deputy Commissioner News0m
made two trips of investigation yesterday
: morning. and found the state of affairs
almost indescribable.
:. - The Vine was originally pleasure yacht,
bur in course of time she was turned into
a trading schooner for commerce with the
Islands of the Pacific. She belongs to
:J0hn +. Burns, but is under charter to
HI q. Moore.
81 Der destination now is Apia, Samoa, and
she had ABOARD the erstwhiie inhabitants
:ofthe: Samoan village which, among other
::WoT1d's curlOsitles. has gTaced the Midway
=: Plaisance, in Chicago. With her crew.
consisting OF Captain Won Dalhern. mate
land FIVE men, and the aforesaid Samoan
:HlllagPrs, the little schooner was made to
souls. One veteran tar left, however, re-
IUcipg the number TO tbirty-three.
= The:rathe handsome dusky islanders
were crowded down into the hold, men,
W OlHeQ ana CUilUTeD, auu inSl6du OF their
customary hunks IN the tOrecaStIe the sail
oYs were thrust into the hold. too. There
were one or two cabin passengers VINO
were a little better off
'Ir was terrible" said Deputy Newsom.
. as The odoriterOus atmosphere of the un-
: ventilated and pitcb-dark hold still Of
Tended, reminiscently, his oifactory
nerves. He reported the facts to Mr..
GWinn, and the matter was at once turned
over TO the customs authorities.
. Now the Vine had already cleared, and
was TO sail at P. NJ. Surveyor Kilburn
at once dispatched Ship Measurer St.
John 10 take the dimension of the Vine.
TIE schooner is of ODD tons net. That
official found her at the Howard-street
wharf
He saw a space about six feet wide and
"a little over twenty feet long. extending
from the forward part Of the main hatch
10 the forward part of the hold. and in
that were huddled together the unfortu-
nate Sam0ans. This is what he reported
20 MIR. kilbuTn:
: s'Her compartments for the accOmmo-
Dalton OF steerage passengers during her
voyage TO Apia are constructed in viola
tton of the passenger act of 1882. On the
Star board side amidship running forward
from the main hatch in" the vessels hold
are two tiers of berths. This compart-
=. ment has no ventilation or provision for
affording light and air. | found that the
:;01ly-will os9y accommodate eleven pas
seng6TS. The captain intends to have
~. sventeen sfeeraee passengers and two Of
rte vessefs crew to occupy il. The crew
=. on ;fIe vessel nave not their proper accom-
modations."
> This communication being al once sent
.hfstaiTs to Collector Wise an epistle was
Imm adiately penned by Chief Clerk Jerome
ordering Captain Won Dalhern not to leave
port. and conveying TO him the informa-
ton That section u of the passenger act of
1882 made the law applicable TO vessels
leaving United States ports for foreign
countries as well as to those coming from
.0ther countries to this one. The messen-
ger was Instructed to give the captain to
=un derstand that if he attempted to leave
'the revenue cutter Hartley would chase
him down.
= The penalty for disobeying such an order
is a fne'of $1,000 or one years imprisOn-
n1ent and the seizure and forfeiture of the
vessel. At last reports the schooner was
lying in the stream.
Messrs. Moore and Won Dahern will
now have TO so alter the Vine as to pro-
vide proper accommodations. 1t is sup
posed that the intention was to compel the
crew and the SamOans TO sleep on deck
after the schooner had put to sea. The
crew have been instructed by Shipping
Commissioner Gwinn to notify the meri-
can Consul at Honolulu. where the Vine is
To touch, II they are not properly treated
after she does start. ITO confne persons
Ike that" observed Mr.. Gwinn, would
Cause almost any kind of disease. and we
Con propose TO allow it,"
:. The Com missioner of immigration, Mr.
: s5tradley. also took a hand in the m after,
and attempted to get hold of Mr. Moore.
but the latter was not to be found at the
time.