The islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1891-1899, 1895-03-21

Maesacreed on the
New Orleans Levee'
erred oy By WHITE LABoRERs

ro,le Has Been Brewing For
iD' mo Time aud Was Caused by the
mack. Taking the Places OF tho
White screwmen.
n.,r,xs. March 1.-THE thick
l.. This morning was the veil be-
% rb;cb desperate white levee la
'- wv. Gathered, and which they pene-
WI '.Initb Winchester rifles all aimed
10 J, .olored nom union workmen on
sb,o. loading at the docks. The
.,.. ras made at points several miles
, ,..' inst before the arrival of the po-
,nl "a result there are halfa dozen
and q dozen or so wounded men.
r.a no.ice saw the attack, but no ar
.s we're made, they claiming they
,. too few to cope with the unexpect-
I.,.b-aak The day before the mas
..,oa all was quiet, and the governor
M s-,nuds for interference; but to-
I.ha b9siness men are denouncing
I,,b tbe executive and peace officers;
.h. militia is ready to move; an appeal
.,.ba f-Irral government has virtually
.c made and even the foreign consuls
g.ra Jrrilti TO ioin in the move for
reace a any price.
The causes which led to the trouble
l.rq been of long standing, and grew
ort Of the attempt OF ship agents and
others interested to reduce rates. The
White screwmen claim tn It the colored
mon who were given share of the
Vors uuder an agreement, made secret
=, and violated the agreement in Or
61rtoobtain more work and gradually
crowd the white men oil.
The white association then severed
ties with the blacks and refused to work
with them. or for men who employed
them. The white longshoremen joined
The screwmen in this. Since then the
steamship lines have been gradually
going over to the negroes. Lately, the
white screwmen quit work on the lines
still loyal to them, stating they would
not work until the who affair was
straightened out. Several more lines
then took on negro laborers from neces-
aty.
The white union finally determined to
reaIiate upon the steyedores, by offer
Ing to reduce rates and deal with the
Sims direct, Ships in haste accepted
the offer, but the agents stood by the
aeyedores. The latter offered to pay
more than the screwmen asked, but the
urewmen refused to deal with them.
The agents offered to pay the screwmen
their wages and place the stevedores
over them as superintendent. but this
the screwmen declined. Then the
stegedores began importing colored
screwmen from Galveston, and the
whites, growing desperate, broke loose
IN riots.
The smoke and Jog combined made
the scene almost as dark as night. The
negroes were on board the ship, and had
!nst raised the tarpaulin of hatch num-
r2when the attack was made. They
were taken completely by surprise, and
tier cries were pitiful. Many sought
refuge aboard the ship, while some ran
down the wharf and made their escape.
1t impossible to estimate the number
0. >ho'S fired mt it is said that there
were about 200.
Alter the bloody work the men hur-
fri oil as last as they had come. The
Vhte men came in a body, moving
aong the ievee up town unmolested.
Alter their departure a large number OF
P'I'5men maie their appearance on
NE scene and cleared the wharf of the
~,-r crowd which had gathered.
Mayor FljZ"atrirk Hat hurried to the
"he as last as possible, and was very
H'"l disappointed when told that there
were DO arrests made. The negroes
Iv' npoa were IN t e employ of Steve
''.e Oeiirs, OF the Harrison line of
>"aherS. 1t is said that the reason
D4re was no. sufficient force of police
VI 7&ni when the trouble occurred was
gt- me ho1r 10 begin work was 7:30
G'OlN ami the police had received or
15Is 10 report at that time.