The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-03-22

the bark Wilma, lying at Mission-street
wharf, took $50 crew. AT o'clock in
the morning wagon-load of colored men
newly engaged for the vessel appeared on
the wharf, under convoy of Boarding-mas-
ter John Kane. The outfit was cordially re-
ceived by several hundred union men, who
proceeded to make things very pleasant for
the dark recruits. Cohn, the driver of the
wagon, and Kane were run off the dock
and the fine work of instilling union prin-
CT Piles into these would-be mariners went
merrilv on. Kane. who is an old veteran
in such friendly contests, fought valiantly
and Cohn reports that he swung like a
Corbett himself and kept it up as long as
there was a striker in sight
| The two men were being kicked and
beaten in a brutal manner when the police
| squad, which had been patrolling the
| wharves since midnight, came down upon
| the rioters with their strong black clubs.
Each officer had orders to hit hard, and
| hardly a union head came out of the
ARRAY uncracked. Their surprise was
complete and they soon disappeared from
| the wharf. Only five of the non-union
men could be found, the rest having made
| off at the opening of hostilities. The re-
naming men were hurriedly put on board
the Wilma, and the bark put to sea with
her five men. They are green hands which
Kane rounded up from among the grog-
geries OF the Barbary Coast, and their
storm now blowing will probably be
notable in the way of seamanship.
The only prize which the police squad
| drew from the affair was Albert Weston,
one of the leaders of the strikers who was
| conspicuous in the disturbance. He was
| locked up in the police station and charged
with melting riot.
! Hardly had the Wilma pulled out in the
stream when word came that the union
! men were making things lively around the
schooner La Gironde at Main-street wharf.
The vessel was trying to get away with two
| non-unlon men among her crew, and about
| 100 strikers were holding her lines tight to
the wharf. The clubs which had made
| such havoc among the disturbers at the
| Mission-street dock were used on the crowd,
| and more sore heads were added to the &C
count. The place was soon cleared and the
vessel permitted to SAIL AS she left the
wharf one of the men jumped ashore, say
| ing the union would have to look out for
| him.
The schooner Ivy, which had been men
aced by the strikers, was protected by the
club-wielding policemen, and she left
| Nam street with two new men procured
from the Sailors Home. All of the vessels
went to sea with inexperienced men and
| wofully short-handed, but the captains
| preferred to try issues with Neptune and
| the Southwestern rather than remain within
Mailing distance of Secretary Furuseth
| and his crew.
Captain Dunlevy had REINFORCED the har-
| Dor police force on the W ater front, and is
| determined that-the violence of two years
ago will not be repeated.
1t is the feeling among ship charterers
and owners along the water front that the
| action of the union in declaring a strike
and melting riots is ill-advised at this
juncture. The influx of foreign ships and
! the building of steam propelling vessels on
this coast have run freights down to the
lowest figure. FLOATING property said
worh s cents shpP fbe & bsr s not
| dreds of schooners and other sailing coast
ers employing large number of men
| came in and out of port now comparatively
few big steamers, making quick trips and
requiring men to run the machinery only,
are doing the work Vessels must Law up
or run under reduced expenses and wage
rate of $50 is big item to vessel eating its
/ head off,
George III. Matthew, secretary of the
Shipowners' Association, says that wages
must fall with freights and that the efforts
OF the union cannot lift the pay on the
coast to $35. Notwithstanding the de-
mand for firemen in the northern fish
cries and canneries the association vessels
will be supplied with crews at $25. With a
bay full of idle vessels and city full of
| Idle men the demand and supply will adj
just themselves accordingly Bludgeons,
revolvers and dynamite for the beating
and killing of so-called 'scabs' Will not set
| tie this trouble
The Seamen's Union is determined that
no crews shall be shipped at less than $50
or S40, and is prepared for long fight from
San Diego to the sound, and so the merry
marine war is on.
A number of vessels with green crews
which left the docks yesterday were forced
to come to anchor off Black Point, not dar-
ing to venture outside in the heavy south