The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1895-02-01
WHALERS PUT in JAIL.
The Story Of Five Men Of the Ship
Josephine.
Distinguished Passengers From the
South-Repairing One Of the
Bay Gables.

The Pacific Mail steamer San Juan
arrived from Panama and Central Ameri-
can ports last evening. She was not really
due until to-day, but there were no un-
favorable circumstances attending her
passage and as a result she came in ahead
of time. Among her passengers, of whom
twenty-six were in the cabin, were Mr..
Garlic, the recently appointed Consul
General of Guatemala at this port, and his
family, Professor David Starr Jordan of
the Leland Stanford Jr. University and
Sho Nemoto, japanese Commissioner of
Immigration, who is returning home after
an extended trip through Central America
and Brazil.
Those belonging to the steamer as well as
those who were passengers had nothing new
to tell of the trouble that is impending
between Guate mala and Mexico. In fact
they were inquiring for news themselves.
When the steamer left San Jose de
Guatemala there were only rumors of war,
and they were very vague. There were
apparently no preparations being made by
the Government for war. General Mar
tineZ of the Mexican army was on board
the steamer at Mazatlan, bat he was very
non-committal in speaking of prospective
war. 1t was generally understood, though,
that he was inspecting coast defenses for
his Government.
In the Storage of the steamer there were
five seamen from the whaler Josephine,
which left here last year for the Antarctic
Ocean. The whalers had quite a tale of
woe to tell, not only as regards their treat
ment on the whaling craft, but after they
had been put ashore at Payta, Peru, by
Captain Howartz.
According to their story the Josephine,
after reaching the southern seas, had very
poor luck. Two whales were chased, but
they escaped. Captain Howartz became
very mOroSe, and treated the men under
him with severity.
why" said one of the men, 1--WE could
not even sing or dance or do anything to
pass the time away pleasantly when we
were off watch. AT last he put into Payta
and had Us thrown into jail and kept there
from Saturday night until Thursday ON a
charge of INSTRUMENTATION. There was no
ground for the charge and they had to
dismiss us. Then the American Consul
shipped us to Panama and from there We
were sent to Guatemala. There were seven
of us put ashore at Payta, but one man
stayed at Panama and another who was
sick, remained in Guatemala. The Consul
put us on this steamer. Captain Howartz
would not pay US any of our money and
guess we will never get it now.
EdCn OI US Is OUT uVe months wages, be-
sides undergoing the i'll treatment on board
the vessel and the indignity of being thrown
into jail. We shall get legal advice here to
see If we cannot get satisfaction out of the
owners of the Josephine. l fear there is
no hope for us. The vessel is owned by
Swift d Co. of Boston. There were ten
men left on her after we had been dis
charged"
In addition to heavy cargo of coffee and
other products of the southern countries
the San Juan had gold and silver in bars
and other forms valued at $50, 142 on board
The steamer anchored off Alcatraz until
this morning. Some of the passengers,
however, came ashore on the brig Millen
Griffith.
One of the Postal Telegraph Company's
cables between this city and Oakland was
taken up yesterday for repairs. Some time
ago the anchor of the Italian bark Cattarina
Accame fouled the cable, and all but one
of the wires in it were sundered. This
would probably have given out in a few
days. A tugboat and scow belonging to
Captain A. c. Freese went out YESTERDAY
and picked up the cable. 1t was coiled up
in an immense roll on the scow and taken
to the foot of Second street, where the
work of splicing the broken strands was
commenced. The work. it is expected, will
be finished to-day, and the cable will be
relaid tomorrow.