The morning call., 1893-11-01
HOW THEY FARED.
Treatment of Fishermen
in Alaska.
Narrative of One of Them Giving
His Experience During the
Season at Karluk.

One of the forty-fve fishermen who
went up to Karluk, Alaska, last April
from this city, John Jose Fonseca by
name. does not tell very fiattering tale
Of the treatment by Agent 81. c. Thomas
of the Hume Canning and Trading Com
pany, by whom they were employed. The
fishermen returned on the 22d inst. by the
bark Marguerite, having left Alaska on the
9th, and being favored with fair winds all
the way down. His story is as follows:
I'VE left here April 2, under an agree
ment with H. C. Thomas, representing the
Hume Canning and Trading Company. to
60 to Karluk and put up cannery. Under
our agreement we were to receive what
ever were the current wages, free medical
treatment in case of sickness and such ac-
commodatons as would be reasonable In
a cold and wild country like Alaska.
"On May 90 we arrived at karluk, and
on the afternoon of the fourth day there
we landed. The beach was very rough.
There were forty-five of us altogether
twenty-one Portuguese and the others
Italians.
"Our lighter, in which we were trying
to go ashore with our kitchen and cooks,
became swamped In the heavy surf and
everything got Wet-mattresses, blankets
and everything. The cook had a red hot
stove, preparing our supper for US. but the
accident spoiled our supper.
"It was very ycold-freeZlug-aId we had
to make the best of it and dry our blankets
as we'll as we could, for MIR. Thomas made
no shift for US whatever that day. He
did. however, put up very small tent for
US next day.
Owing to our great lack of accommoda-
tions and the state of the weather five of
N,r h1ao
Thomas for some medicine. His answer
was that he would give us sOmr as soon as
the medicine chest came ashore. Several
days we waited, but no medicine did we
get. Then we asked again, and Mr..
Thomas tod US the medicine chest was
broken. That was the excuse he gave. All
he had was some paiD-klller, and every
time we got dose Of that he charged us
25 cents for il. Every time after that when
we would ask him to provide US with medi-
cine he would tell US that some would ar
rive on the mail steamer from San Fran
cisco and that we would have to wait for
it. The mail steamer, however, never
came until the day we left Karuk.
seeing that we could get no medicine
from Mr.. Thomas we went TO Samuel
Matthews. the superintendent of the Kar-
lux Packing Company and Mr.. Matthews
let us have whatever we wanted freely.
ut was understood that we should do
all Kinds oil Work until ana alter the hSh-
ing season, which we did. We were to do
beach work. build the cannery and con-
struct a breakwater, all OF which we did,
and according to our agreement we were
to receive the same wages as were paid by
the Karluk Packing Company.
"a ter we had worked twenty days we
learned that the Karluk Packing Company
was paying S12 so a thousand fish and $40
a month for work other than fishing, 81 30
a day being paid for beach work. So we
went on a strike for the same wages. AS
a result he came to as and agreed by a
written contract to give US the same wages
as were paid by the other company. We
therefore went back to work.
''In about month some Of our gang be-
gan saving the contract was no good. We
went to Mr.. Thomas and he told US 1t was
Ill right.
However, when we were paid off here.
we did not receive within $40 each of
what we supposed we should get. We got
only S163, after waiting four days,
whereas we should have received accord
ing to our calculations S181 each. The
difference is accounted for in the fact that
Mr. Thomas allowed US only for every
day we worked, at 81 80 day. docking us
for every day we did not work. When we
submitted our contract to our lawyer, G.
sided-in Mr.. Tho as favor-and that
we could do nothing.
eve worked up to October g. Two
months we spent in the cannery. The
gag | belonged to, of twenty-One POrtu-
guese. caught $4,000 fish. The pack CT the
company for the season amounted 10 1900