The morning news., 1894-07-13
TO FIGHT THE ORDINANCE,
ShipmaSterS Object TO Their Crews
Sleeping Ashore.

DAAN pms h0nDANs
A Test Case to Be Made of the Charges
Against the Captains Now on the
Police Docket-A Move to Take the
Matter to the United States Court.
The Shipmasters Charge That the
Ordinance Is Enforced in the In
terest of the Sailor Boarding
Houses.
The docketing OF the three vessels men
toned in yesterdays MORNING NEWS,
for failing to have their crews sleep
ashore during the summer months. as re-
quired by the city ordinance, has caused
quite a stir among the masters of vessels
in port.
The cases will come up before the
mayor to-day for hearing, to-day being
the regular docket day. The vessels
which were placed on the docket are the
British bark Ina Barclay, and the Ameri-
can schooners John c. Smith and Phineas
w. Sprague. The American shpimasters
have been quietly preparing to fight the
ordinance for some time.
A meeting of the masters was held yes
terday afternoon at the Office of Mr.
AEDIEb I1dIIASSs Ou Day SLEGtL, anu a
fund was subscribed TO employ counsel to
carry the question before the United
States courts. Those present at the
meeting were Capt. During of the
schooner Julia A. Trubee, Capt. Collision
of the Isabella Gill, Capt. johnson of the
Emily +. Northam, Capt. Kennison of the
VIM. H. Allison Capt. Jameson of the
John K, duBignon, Capt. Norberg
of the John q. Schmid, Capt
Strong of the Phineas w. Sprague, Capt
Young of the Jennie Thomas and Capt.
Phillips of the Annie Bliss, and the cap
tains of the following vessels which re-
Gently sailed with the expectation of re-
turning TO this port, have also entered
into the agreement: Schooners, Capt
Watts of the Mary O'Neiu, Capt. Camp
bell of the Ida Lawrence, Capt. Burdge
of the John B. Tingue, Capt Conwell of
the Thomas Winsmore, Capt. Tilton of
the Maggie NJ. Keough, Capt. Fisher of
the Chauncey E. Burke, Capt. Steelman
of the Aaron Reppard and Capt. Leighton
Of the brig Robert Dillon.
A GENERAL MOVEMENT.
All of the other American captains in
port are expected to enter into the dgree-
ment. The shipmasters of the foreign
vessels are also in sympathy with the
movement and may he asked to enter
into the agreement later on. The Ameri-
can ship captains have a feeling that as
American citizens they are entitled
10 more consideration in the matter
than the masters of the foreign
vessels. This is not simply a mat
ter Of sentiment, but a question of busi-
ness as well. The American schooners
trade almost entirely with the North At
lantic ports and do not undergo the same
exposure to contagious diseases as do the
foreign vessels which, trade chiefly with
the South American and European ports
| The regulation as to sleeping crews ashore
applies to all alike, however. The Ocean
Steamship COmpany's crews come under
this regulation equally with the crew of
the smallest fishing smack The Ocean
Steamship Company provides for its Off
GERS at the De Soto and its crews at the
various boarding houses. The crews of
the trading vessels are provided for at
the sailor boarding houses which abound
in the eastern portion of the city. One
of the chief reasons why the shipmasters
| object so strongly to the provisions of the
ordinance is their belief that it is en-
forced for the benefit of the sailor board
ing houses.
SANITARY REGULATION.
The ordinance compelling the crews of
vessels to sleep ashore is an old one. 1t
is a sanitary regulation, and is enforced
because of the belief of the sanitary
board, that sleeping on the river
during the heated summer months
is conducive to the development of
malarial diseases, and consequently
damaging to the reputation of the
port. Heretofore the ordinance has only
required that the crews of vessels should
sleep ashore during the months of August
and September, those being the months
most favorable TO the development of ma
larial diseases. Recently, however, the
Savannah Port Society, which looks out
for the interests of the sailors, petitioned
council TO amend the ordinance so as to re-
quire that the crews of all vessels should
be compelled to sleep ashore during the
months of June July, August, Septem-
Der and October. The petition OF the
society was based on humane grounds,
the idea being that it was unjust for the
shipmasters to compel their crews to
sleep on the river exposed to its miasma-
tic influences during any portion of the
heated term. The ordinance was
amended by council as requested very
potent reason in favor of the change be-
ing given by Health Officer Brunner.
REASON OF THE LAW.
This reason, as stated to a MORNING
News reporter by Mayor McDonough,
was that last year bilious complaints de-
Neloped among the crews of several yes
! sells who had slept on the river, after the
vessels left port, and in two instances
vessels hailing from Savannah reported,
| upon arriving at their destination, that
| cases of yellow fever developed on board
after leaving Savannah. These cases on
| investigation proved to be only a severe
| type of bilious fever Such cases as
these, Mayor McDonough explained,
! are liable TO do serious injury
to the reputation of the port,
and it is with desire Of preventing their
repetition that the time of the ordinance
has been extended. This is the side of
the city from a humane and sanitary
standpoint. The shipmasters view the
subject differently.
Capt. Charles A. Durling of the
schooner Julia A. Trubee, which arrived
| Wednesday, gave a MORNING News re-
! porter yesterday some information on the
| shipmasters' side of the question.
This idea that it is more healthful for
the men to sleep ashore during the sum-
| mer months is all mistake" " said Capt
! Durling. 81 have put into this port sew
eral times during the months of July and
| August and found that men shipped here
! after being ashore for two weeks, were
taken with malarial fever after getting to
| sea, while on the other hand my
| self and others that slept on
board during the time we were in port
] mad