The morning call., 1894-07-02
ON BAY AND RIVER.
Steamers Are Pressed Into Service
to Carry PASSENGERS.

to carry passengers.
The bones of the river-boat service of
California are being fattened by the
traffic that bad up to the time of the strike
been fed to the railroads. The steamboat
purser, the freight-handler and the ticket
seller are earning their salaries with
vengeance.
The river-boat service has demonstrated
that the State is not altogether In the
control OF the monopoly, but IN time OF
transportation peace the rivers had been
overlooked. They are pow suffering from
an insufliciency of carriers.
1t. will be useless for passengers who
desire to reach points on the San Joaquin
and Sacramento rivers to apply for berth
room any time before the morrow. for
every stateroom on every steamer that is
billed to depart from this city for the in
terror has been engaged in advance.
: <Deck-room is even at a premium, and the
lordly mosquito of the lowandS will be
given such opportunities to hum anti
railroad melodies into the ears of deck
. passengers" as he has never before been
: accorded since the days when the steam
: boat was the only means of commuuica-
tion between San Francisco and the
capital.
:. Three hundred tired souls, with baggage
:: enough TO turn a transfer company green
:, with envy, and several so-ealled 'scab"
firemen and engineers arrived early yester-
= day morning at the steamer Modoc. bound
for Sacramento. Waterfront sympathiz-
erSs with the strikers had not yet begun to
gather at the dock, but a delegation of
persons who hailed from Oakland boarded
:the vessel just before the cast-Off and at
tempted to convince her crew that it would
only be fair of them to uphold the cause
of labor by refusing to do duty.
All arguments were useless. The boat
men said that they could not afford 10 quit
work, and the ModOc got safely away with
her big load of freight and people.
Don't come back with her, Jimmy"
shouted tall man in checked shirt to
one of the deckhandS as the vessel cast off
from the wharf.
"All right" answered the man ad-
dressed. and this was the only demon
stratiou of the occasion.
At Washing gton-street wharf the Cap
tain Weber and Mary Garratt sailed at
O'Clock and 10 o'clock respectively. The
Dauntless was at hand ready to start off
at 5 o'clock on her regular trip. These
steamers all belong to the Stockton route.
Several hundred people who live in
towns near to Stockton and Sacramento
stated that they expected to get home by
telegraphing ahead for teams to meet and
convey them to their ranches.
Water front frult-Venders have been
buying fruit uptown cheaper than they
ever did before, and cherries, apricots and
peaches were offered at reduced rates.
Steamers had fetched down a quantity of
fruit that was packed for Eastern ship
ment. the growers despairing of ever get
ting it to its intended destination.
1--WE may send down several tons of
choice fruit by the river, transferring it to
ocean steamers for shipment to the
north" said a fruit-grower.
San Francisco will get the benefit of the
fruit glut, for there are tons OF it that will
the blockade continues.
Near Milton and around Davisville the
loss to frutmen will be serious and some
thing will nave to be done pretty soon to
relieve the situation.
'HOw DO the country folks view the
strikeP Well. We'll stand by the msD as
long as we can. but how long Will that be? ?
Just see what a cinch the railroads
have on US. The country will be ruined,
literally baukrupted, because the Southern
Pacific sees fit to help Mr.. Pullman out of
his difficulty"
The ferries to Oakland ran on the hour
throughout the day and the creek route
carried thousands who did not care to
take any chances of being TIED up at the
mole.
Sunday travel was not what it usually
is, and many Of the people who thronged
the ferry depot during the day were there
simply through curiosity.
Acouple of detectives in citizens clothes
invaded the waiting-rooms in the after
noon, but there was nothing in particular
for them to do except keep an eye open for
SUSPECTS.
The police officers on duty were not sub
jeeted to as many cross-examinatioas rel
ative to delayed trains as they had been
on previous days of the trouble. for the
public had commenced to be acquainted
with the mode of running boats to aud fro
from the mole and pier.
There was a breeze OF decided excite
ment created when stout politician from
Sacramento, who had been sleeping for
several days ard nights in the cozy apart
ments of Turkish bathhouse to get rid of
several Overdoses of whisky imbibed at a
recent quiet little dinner, came waddling
into the depot and demanded why it was
that trains were not running.
There's been a strike" said railroad
man, calmly.
"a wbat?" demanded the politician.
suddenly Impressed with the idea that he
had not kept posted On the news.
"Yes. strike. All the trains are tied
up; can't get to Sacramento except by
boat"
The "man of influence" heaved a sigh.
and turning to the railroad man remarked
loudly: "San Francisco liquor would
cause any man to forget he ever lived In
the nineteenth century"
By the steamer Sunol, from Vallejo.
came soldiers, sailors, farmers, merchants
and strikers. She got In a little after 10
o'clock and made things hum down at
Washlngton-street wharf.
II the strike continues, according TO Mr..
Prior of the firm that owns the craft, then
the Sunol will have all she can do carrying
merchandise and fruit.
The Sunol went back at o'clock with
the mails, making stops at Rodeo and
Selbvs.
Napa people can take advantage of the
steamer Zinfandel that leaves at 6 O'Clock
from Jackson-street wharf. Saturday
evening $50 people took passage on this