The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-03-04
ROW OF THE LoNGsHoREMEN.
Negro Hands Frightened From "A
ship at Gretna.


New York, March "A special to the
Sun from New Orleans says: The ofn-
GERS Of the German steamer Markomanla
were fired on yesterday by a force of 80
white lonCshoremen, while the vessel was
loading at Gretna, opposite New Orleans.
The firing is the outgrowth Of the labor
and race riots which have prevailed on
the levee here since last October.
THE Markomania was employing negro
labor yesterday afternoon. when forty
white men, all armed with rifles, and
marching in regular company order ap-
peared on the leVee, shouted to the negroes
to line up and then opened FIRE Some
of the negroes jumped into the river. but
the most of them fled into the hold or
the vessel. where they hid The white
men continued to fire at them. and when
Mr.. Sievers, the chief officer Of the vessel,
who is q Lieutenant in the German navy,
protested in the name Of the German ems
peror, they fired on him.
The chief Of police was telegraphed
for. Under his care, the negroes We're
taken to the ferry landing, the armed
whites following them. The negroes were
placed upon the ferry and sent to New
Orleans. Under Instructions from the
agents, Mr.. Sievers employed white men
TO finish the loading, but laid the matter
before the German consul, and will tele-
graph a protest TO the German ambassa-
dor at Washington.
THE Markomania belongs to the Ham
burg-American line, and is a mail car
rier.
are members Of q labor organization an
tagonistic to the negroes, but no efforts
were made to arrest them"
New Orleans, March S.-The Times
Democrat this morning contained very
sensational account of the labor troubles
and colored 'longshoremen, and stated
that a number of whites had fired upon a
gang of negroes employed in loading the
German steamer Markomania
The facts in the case are as follows: The
ship arrived early in the afternoon, and
at noon a tug boat came down the river
with about twenty or thirty negro labor
ers. Several days ago the screwmen and
'longshoremen living in Gretna held a
mass meeting and organized q union. and
adopted the same scale OF prices which
the screwmen and 'longshoremen of this
side Of the river had decided upon 1t is
customary among this class Of labor to
meet the ships at the wharf and apply
for the work, as they style IL, Ito get the
ship"
When the steamer arrived at Gretna
yesterday some 60 or 20 men assembled at
| the Union han, and then went in a body
| TO the vessel. The negroes Off the tug
boat had just landed on the ship and
| We're preparing to take off the hatches and
/ begin work when the white men arrived
| The sight of such large crowd at suck
/ a time frightened the negroes, and sew
eral ran down into the hold of the vessel.
| Three young men who had been out hunt
/ ing We're attracted by the large crowd Of
men, and followed to see what would hap
/ pen. They still carried their guns. and
/ the sight Of these weapons added to the
/ anxiety Of the negroes. The men walked
/ up to the vessel and asked for the cap
1 tain, and as he was not present the first
mate came off the ship and was asked If
/ he would not hire the white men. He
replied that he had already hired men
and they would do the work
/ Several men in the crowd advised the
negroes to leave the ship as they would
| very likely cause trouble if they did not.
/ men walked as far as the ferry with the
negroes and the others seeing there would
/ be no work for them, left for their re-
/ spective homes.
The dismlsslng of the negroes created
| considerable excitement along this side
| of the levee and the widest kind OF
| rumors were afioat.
Baron Won Meysenburg, acting consul
/ of the German empire, says that he has
| not thus far been informed of any at
tack on German vessel in this port. IT,
however, any such attack has been made
| and investigation showed that it was
made or instigated by the city of New Or
! leans, it would become a. matter for in
| ternational inquiry, but on the other hand
/ If 1t was proved that an assault had been
made by an Individual, only the courts
/ of this country would be relied on ia
prosecute the offender.