The morning call., 1894-10-17
OTWORDS AND HARD BLOWS
The Police Are Called Upon to
Interfere.
MRS. WILSON AND HER PISTOL.
Sea Captains Willing to Take Cheap
Men-BuSy Times at the Brit.
ish COnsul's Office.


the tug of war;" said certain reputable
poet once upon time. and ever since then
it has been popularly supposed that dire
indeed is the struggle which follows the
coming together OF two natives of Hellas.
But in the light of the developments of
the past few days on the water front. the
tug of war would pale into lnsgnihcance
in comparison with the desperate melees
which follow the meeting of non-union
and union sailors and rival boarding house
masters.
Broken heads, rainbow lined eyes and
battered countenances are more numerous
now along the bilgy byways of the docks
than ever before. In fact one of the fra
ternity who does not sport c0untenance
that bears some sign of melee or an arm
supported in sling is looked upon as one
who takes but little interest in his busi-
ness.
The trouble is all about sailors wages,
not only those of the deep-water men, but
those of the seamen who sail in the coast
ing vessels.
Among the coasters the union men want
$50 month, and the Snp-owners' Asso-
citation will not give more than $25. Dur
ing the past six or eight days several
vessels have gone out with non-union
crews on board, notwithstanding the union
men have tried their very best TO prevent
them from being shipped.
The harbor police force has had its
hands full to prevent bloody riots at the
sailing of these vessels, so high did feeling
run between the men. The union men
felt that they were getting the worst of
the deal in the shipments, and were natu-
rally indignant at seeing their places sup
piled by outside men.
One of these rows occurred Yesterday
morning i'll front Of AZ Steuart street.
where the ShiD-owners' ssociation was
trying 10 put crew On board the steamer
Elwell at the reduced rate.
Every effort was being made by the union
men to induce the non-uuiOn men to re-
main on shore HO: words and some blows
were eXchang ed. and theu detachment OF
officers arrived from the North Harbor
station and affairs became more qui ct.
At the request of Captain Ryder of the
Elwell. which is living atthe seawall, Cap
tain Dunleavy sent a couple of officers to
guard tie vessel until she sailed. At other
points along the front rows are of every
day occurrence.
around the water front now, engaged, ac-
| cording TO the police. in shipping men at
low rates on deep-water vessels whenever
they can. As some of the outgoing YES
sells are chartered very low it Is quite an
Object with the captains to get men as
! eheaply as possible. 1t is on this account
| that the boariing-masters engaged in that
| line meet with considerable success.
4 9TH hn ic
Tommy" Lyons. an old-time character.
WHO has Just completed a term in San
! Quentin. Three years ago Lyons with three
other men was caught on the Barbary Coast
| endeavoring 10 folce their way into lodg-
! ing-house room, where a sailor who had
money was known to be sleeping off the
effect of debauch. Lyons companion
was "sent up" for ten years and Tommy
got three years. He is now around trying
10 ship men at the old rate. and it was
reported yesterday that he had secured the
contract for supplying the large British
ship Somali with a crew-
The enterprsiuE Lyons is supposed to be
the man who caused a row in Wilson's S
boarding house at Sansome and Pacific
street on Saturday night At this place
many sailors who are shipped at the con-
sulate office are found. About forty drunk
en- seam en- presum ably led by Lyons visited
the place last Saturday night, and vowed
all m amer of threats against the place
Mrs. Wilson, who was in charge, is not a
woman to be easily intimated though,
and dra wing out pistol sh e faced the men,
| and threatened the first one that en- cred
the place. Cowed by the sight of the
weapon and the flash of the desperate
woman's eyes the crowd withdrew.
Mrs. Wilson recognized several of the
men 10 the crowd and yesterday SwOre out
warrants for their arrest. Three were
taken into custody.
At the office of the British Consul tie ex.
element over the shipment of men con
tinues. ThrangS of boarding-masters and
deep water sailors are around the place
from morning until late in the afternoon
A crew for the British ship Mcmillan
was secured yesterday from the Ship
owners Association. Several more ship,
are expecting to get crews from the asso
citation.
Meanwhile the merry war goes on. an(
brawls and fights are numerous. 1t is Il
the credit of the barbor police that thu
toughest of the masters are suppressed
summarily whenever they are found usinl
bulldoZng methods.