The morning call., 1894-10-02
STOLEN FREIGHT.
The Mail Company Grows
Indignant
AND DISCHARGES FIVE MEN
Because Somebody Was to Blame
for Its Loss.
SOrlE TROUBLE OVER STEWARDS
Too Anxious for Their " Tip" That
the Company Cannot Share
With Them.
sOr1E TROUBLE OVER STEWARDS

Five of the force Of doorkeepers and
watchmen of the Pacific Mail Steamship
Company's dock have been relieved from
duty. They were notified that their serv-
ices were no longer needed last Saturday
afternoon when they were paid off. Since
that time their places have been filled by
new men. The five men dismissed were
CID employees, and for that reason some In
terest is attached to the story OF their dis
miSsal.
The men who are now looking for other
positions are: Captain Joseph +. Thomp-
son, gatekeepsr, who has been for fifteen
years in the company's employ; Captain
j. j. Spencer, chief of the night watch; j.
Marston, Frank Robinson and joseph
Telyea. Captain Spencer is said TO have
been with the company thirty years. while
Robinson Is credited with term OF serv-
ice covering nearly two decades.
The officers OF the Pacific Mall Company
would assign no reason for the changes
other than t. at they wanted Younger men.
| The sudden chopplng off OF heads is gem
orally supposed to be que to the fact that
within the past sixty days a Quautitv OF
| freight has been stolen from the Mail dock
| in a most unaccouutable manner. The
| Mail Company does not possess any proof
| that any of the men mentioned are guilty
| of causing its disappearance In any way,
/ nor is there any direct evidence whatso-
ever that might tend tn impllcate any OIL
| them in any manner, shape or form.
However, the corporation mas adJudged
| some one guilty OF lack of keenness OF
| observation ia not noting the goods being
| spirited away, and the supp0sltlon Is that
| it decided It re0rganlZe It's forcc OF watch
men.
| Alexander Center, agen, for the Pacific
| NatI an
| Sch warin simply said that some few
changes were made on their dock, but that
was all there was TO the story.
1t was learned from another source that
! the changes had been contemplated fol- a
number of weeks and were the gu come OF
| the shortage in merchandise stored on the
| dock, not that The men were peces-
sarly suspected, but some one had to be
| blamed, so, of course, the watchmen and
gatekeepers had to suffer.
The exact amount of freight stolen is
not known, but 1t is said TO have amounted
20 a good deal. The company had &c
make good its value to its owners.
One rumor has IL that some Of the goods
were stolen in broad daylight and carted
off the wharf past Captain Thompson S
post Of duty. Another story is that the
articles we're stolen by bay pirates. who
raided the dock at night when Captain
Spencer and his assistants were supposed
to be most dlligent.
The report is that Chief Steward Drake
of the Peru and Steward Thornton of the
| Oceanic received their walking paper:
when those vessels were at The wharf. Il
was alleged that these officers we're guilty
of having charged passengers extra" fol
transferring them from the steerage tC
the cabin against the rules of the com
pany. The official in charge of the stew.
ards department OF the Mail dock re
fused to Say anything about the matter
1t is matter of very little general pu bIit
interest whether the persons men
toned have been retained or dis
charged, but this much can be sait
to certainty: the steerage stewards o
some of the Pacific Mail liners have beer
prscticing extortion from passengers 70
the past fifteen or twenty years. Ther,
is general complaint, especially on thu
Central American wayport boats, from
persons who have been obliged to pa
tribute to secure enough food to kee
body and soul together while on a voyage
This question has been repeatedly cale'
20 the attention of the steamer officials
but they have not until lately given thei
attention 10 the growls.
No. officers OF any rank were remove
; by the order that affected the watchmen
Other minor discharges may follow, how
| ever.