The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-07-11
SUED By LABORERS
ANOTHER CHAPTER N BOWERS
DREDGING COMPANY TROUBLE.
The Claims OF the Men Aggrexate
ABOUT 100000. and They AlieEe
They Have Received No Pay for
SIX Months-Pre.ident sempIe. of
tne seattle & Lake Washington
waterway Company. says Their
work VIII Not Be Interfer~d
With.

The Affairs Q: the Bowers Dredging
Company. which has been corxrIe,Ior-
several times during the past year for lis
APPEARANCES In court as The plaintiff cor
iolstson In lawsuits. have taken another
turn. ara an action VIII be commenced to
morrow before Judge Hanford whereby
between htty and sixty OF The employees OF
.he ho"ers Dredging Company viii petit
uoh the Federal court. asking that their
claims for wages es allowed against the
tecelvership as preferred claims
Yesterday afternoon the Offices OF Burke
Soerard s. Ncslvra were crowded with
men who have placed their grievances In
mat firms hands. and who are drawing
up Inc petition In accordance with a state
ment OF facts that will throw some side
lights On the situation along that part OF
the water front that Is being converted
Into Seatues manufacturing district The
case Will De entitled William A McRae
vs. the Bowers Dredging Company" and
Is made part Of the receivership pro-
ceedings in Tacoma. wherein L. =. Camp
Dell, Tacoma attorney. was recently ap-
pointed receiver Of the compaay's bust
ness.
Mr.. Campbell was in Seattle yesterday
morning, and made an arrangement
whereby the filling on the site of the Cen
tenniai mills viii proceed without inter
ruption. II Is a matter Of public interest
that there VIII be no further delay IN the
work at the mill site, where Mr. Thomp-
son has already begun building brick piers
upon which the sills for the superstructurs
Of the mill Will rest
X Is charged against the Bowers Dredg-
Ing Company that the present predica-
ment IN which 1t fnds itself Is due 10 mis-
management and the fact that there was
very little working capital with which 10
carry on as extensive operations as IL en-
- a ont hut Ia ho
are parties 10 the action for wages is that
10 those who appear as petitioners there
Is balance due OF more than SO. 900 and
that some OF them have not teen paid for
more than six months. Judge Burke char
acterizes the men as being patient rea-
sonable and altogether j representative
lot OF workingInen. who have relied on
the promises Of the company and who in
defense Of their claims are compelled 10
resort to tie courts for their establish
ment.
In all OF the cases that have been
brought for damages and for the pro;ec-
ton OF the patents employed in the dredg-
ers. the Bowers company has won. and
claims are now pending against several
heavy opposition companies and also the
United States government. all OF which
Will eventually be adjusted 10 the advan-
tage of the company. The oregon I'm
provement Company was recently COM
PEELED to so into court as an intervencr
In a case against the Bowers company.
The Oregon Improvement Company claim
was for coal.
The contracts for filling In the tide flats
are said 20 he for l6 cents per yard. ana
the statement is also made that the work
can be performed for u cents, which
would leave an edge fer the company OF
cents per yard. The two dredgers are
said to be worth So. 600 each. and the land
equipment. pipes. trestles. etc. SO 90
more. The company's car!,aliza tion Is
10000 and It's debts are probably $50 600
On contract for heavy work that will
extend over a couple OF years. at a rate
of net profit Of cents per yard and a ca
pacity for TWO dredgers that would amount
TO 5o0o yards per day the return would