The San Francisco call., 1897-09-19
A CRY FROM
THE SAILORS
More Complaints From In
mates of the Marine
Hospital.
Claim They Are Compelled to
Work When Unable to
Do So.
DR.. Gassaway Makes Plain State
ment of His Side of the
Story.

innumerable have been pouring IN at the
headquarters of the sailors union relative
TO the treatment sailors are subjected to
at the Marine Hospital.
The chief trouble seems to arise from a
clause IN the hospital regulations which
provides that an inmate may, at the dis
cretion of the chief surgeon, be compelled
to do such light work as keeping his
portion OF the ward clean, busting the
apartments and other trivial duties.
The sailors. however, claim that they
have been ordered to do such work when
their physical condition was such as to
make it almost an impossibility. The case
of Albert Woolshaw was briefly narrated
in yesterdays issue of THE CALL, and he
makes the following further statement:
''On August a, while handling railroad
iron on the steam schooner Sunol in the
bay. / accidentally caught my hand and
injured the first three fingers. l was
taken to the branch receiving hospital,
where the wounds were dressed. The in
jury was so painful that l was unable 10
do any work, and on the 26th the mate of
the SunoI made out certificate for me as
Albert Rein, my ship name, and l was
taken to the Marine Hospital. On the
18th OF September | waR ordered to clean
out some cuspidors but refused TO do so as
l was suffering terribly with my hand.
The nurse reported the case 10 the chief
surgeon, and l was turned out, although
my injuries were not healed
Another case is that of William Dur
ham, who was employed on the sealing
schooner Louisa D. and was taken to the
hospital on the 39th of April suffering
blood poisoning in botA forearms. About
the 5th OF June Durham claims he was re-
quested to cut the grass on a portion of
Inc lawn with a Iawn-mower but as his
arms were so painful that be could hardly
use them he promptly refused, anu was
told he must do tha work or he would be
discharged. He did not wait for his dis
charge, however. but took French leave
at The earliest opportunity and was glad
to get away. Durham does not lay his
troubles on the doctors shoulders, but
blames it all on the nurse who, he says,
was too lazy to do anything, and COM
PEELED the patients to do his work whether
they were able to do SO or not.
He also cites the case OF one of his
friends who had been an inmate of the
hospital a one time and was taken sick
again in this port. When advised to 60
to the Marine Hospital. he said: II have
been in thaJ vile hole once, and you
couldn't get me back with a team of
horses" Others tell similar tales, and it
is said that the great majority of the
sailors on the coast prefer paying for
treatment else where to going 20 this hos
pital, although many of them can i'll az
ford it. One visit to the place seems to
satisfy them.
Dr. Gassaway, the chief surgeon, when
interviewed on the question, spoke freely
and seemed to have rather different tale
to tell.
Dr. Gassaway is a new arrival at the
hospital, having been placed in on the 1st
OF August. He first went into a detailed
history OF the United States Marine Hos
pital service, which was founded in 1929
At that time each sailor on a merchant
vessel was charged 121% cents for each voy-
age he made and this amount went to-
ward the funding of the hospital. At that
time no seam an would be admitted if he
were able to stand and then could remain
but thirty days, when, if it were unadyisa-
bic to remove him, he could be kept not
longer than sixty days more, which was
the extreme limit. Al the end of ninety
days a man would be turned out if he
were dying. Even with the strict regula-
tions, however, the service was not self
supporting and the mount of the assess
ment was raised to 40 cents per VOYAGE,
with the additional privilege of remaining
in the hospital till cured.
No syste diseases were admit
tea. In 1884 the Government :ook
the whole burden on its own shoul-
ders, and cases of any kind are admitted,
provided the sufferer is a sailor, with the
proviso that he must perform such light
duties as the authorities think expedient.
MANY longshoremen enter the hos
pital," :" SAID the doctor, with bogus GER
tlticates and fearing the penalty OF seven
years imprisonment, desert a. soon as
they are able to walk and spread all sorts
of stories. Others wearied of the restraint
and longing for the companionship of
their friends along the water front, will re-
quest to be discharged or, fearing the re-
quest will not be granted, desert. Many,
l believe. have been enticed away and
shanghaied by captains who are short
handed.
LAS to the case of Rein, or Woolshaw,
see by the records that he was admitted on
the 26th of August. On the 11th and 18th
Of Septe mis- name is marked with an
x, signifying excused from work, and on
the 18th he is marked Discharged at his
own request | do not recolIect any COM
plant being made in regard to him, nor
Is there anv record of such complaint on
my books"
San Francisco Labor Council has placed
the matter in the hands of its executive
committee, and will investigate 1t thor
oughly.