The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-03-25
WANTPlY FOR THEIR WORK
The LabOreTS Who Dug Up the Elma
Make a Protest.

The Contractor Fails to Pay Them the
Amounts Due-Two Gangs Meet
With the Same Fate-They Employ
Legal Advice to See What Can be
Done-The Bark Almost Ready to be
Floated.
The hands who were employed to dig
out the Norwegian bark Elma, oae of the
Inflated vessels which were blown
ashore on Long Island during the August
cyclone, are protesting loudly against
the lot which has befallen them.
The bark was bought by Capt, F. G.
Strachan and others. and they employed
a contractor named William Page to dig
her out. She was on the island scarcely
more than 100 feet from the river, and to
all appearances the work of floating her
was comparatively small difficulty,
The contract provided that Page was to
receive about $500 for doing the work,
part of which was to be paid in install
ments as the work progressed, and the
balance to be paid when the bark was
ftoated II the bark was not foated,
Page, Of course, was not to receive the
money for the work
PAGE DISAPPEARS
Two or three gangs of men were en-
ployed to do the digging around the
stranded vessel. Page obtained two or
three advances on the work and some few
of The hands were paid part on account.
One of the gangs got tired of much work
and little pay, and failing to get more on
account when they demanded it of Page,
a part of them left and put the matter in
a lar 10 al ,,l,.. IL q
Steps were taken to garnishee the pay
ments TO Page, and the money was thus
held up.
Page retained some of the old labor and
put some new hands on the work. Nat
ters went on thus for time until day
or two ago Page went away without
giving any account of where he was going.
Only a few small advances were made,
and the owners of the bark are not out
very large amount.
THE MEN WANT THEIR MONEY.
When Page failed to show up, the rest
of the men, or all of them who could do
so, came up to the city. There were
thirty-One of the hands in all, TO whom
was due all the way from So to $50. Up
to yesterday they had been working on
the promises of Page. The promises,
however, didn't materialize. The fore
man of the gang of hands, G. f. Armer,
came up to the city with the men and
placed their claims in the hands of w II.
Lcaken, Esq Mr.. Leaken was seen yes
terday, but stated that he had not seen
Capt. Strachan as yet, and could not
state what action he would take. He
said, however, that he would see that his
clients were protected as far as possible,
READY TO BE TAKEN OFF.
The Elma is now in a position where she
can be foated at spring tide with but
little difficulty. Some of the men who
have been working or her have been I'M
able to get up to the city. Others have
no employment of any kind no money
and no home. Some of them are practi-
cally in destitute condition
Pages contract was TO take the bark
of the island and float her Having
failed to do this however, the owners of
the vessel claim they are not liable for
the payment until the contract has been
complied with. 1T is held too that
these laborers are considered as
sub-contractors in law, and they can
not hold the owners liable unless the
contract is complied with and the bark
taken Off
Just what recourse they will have re-
mains to be seen. In the meantime the
bark might be iloated if the men worked
at it for a sufficient time longer.