Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1898-02-11
NIPPED IN THE BUD.
THE ALkrS TROUBLE GREATER
THAN WAS REPORTED.

erto been reported, and had it not
been for the providential appearance
of u. S. Marshal McGinnis, doubtless
serious results would have occurred.
"Kill the white-livered captain and
burn the ship"
"Overboard with the whole gang!
Come on, boys, drop 'em into the
drink"
"Those and thousand other
phrases, interlarded with blasphemous
oaths, were the shouts that greeted
the ears of the Alki's captain and
crew as the vessel entered the harbor
at Skagway and found nearly two
thousand threatening, wild, gesticulat-
ing men waiting to receive her." said
one of the officers yesterday.
The situation at Skagway is clearly
shown by this reception accorded the
Alki on her arrival there after laying
twenty-four hours on mud bank off
Battery Point upon her last voyage.
1t seems that when the rush for the
gold fields of Alaska first set in there
was an insufficient number of white
men at Skagway to handle steamboat
freight on arriving, so the agent OF the
Pacific Coast Steamship Company at
Juneau would send a gang of Indian
stevedores from that point to unload
the Alki on its arrival and this prac-
tice was continued right along, regard
less OF labor conditions subsequently
prevailing at Skagway.
Through the whole season the i'm.
preston has prevailed that if men
could only reach Skagway or Dyea
they would be call right" and find
work in abundance at fabulous prices.
And it so happened that, in conse-
quence of there being no fixed price
for labor in that market, the wages
paid were based merely on circum-
stances and emergencies arising from
conditions at the time prevailing.
Many men got up there without
dollar and many others squandered
what they had on arriving and, as
Others continued to flock there like
sheep, without the means to carry
them further, the town soon became
full OF penniless, idle men, whose num-
bers were augmented with the arrival
of every boat.
In consequence it is stated that to-
day there are between 1900 and 1900
men up there out Of work, out of cash
and out of the actual necessities of
life. This is understood to represent
about one-half the population, which
is on the whole as respectable and or
derly as can possibly be expected in a
new town surrounded by such condi-
tions a. necessarily prevail up there.
But there is limit to human en-.
durance and though men be as mild
as sucking doves and gentle and re-
fined Us civilization can make them,
yet starvation drives them wild and
destroys the effect that the refining in.
fluences OF civilization have had upon
them. When, therefore, these men
who were crazy for work in order to
earn few mouthfuls of bread saw the
one chance of earning few dollars by
unloading the Alki cut off by crowd
Of Indians brought along, as they sup
posed, to cut wages and thus take the
bread out of the white mems mouths,
their Indignation knew no bounds.
A consultation was held by the dis.
appointed men and it was determined
to rush upon the vessel and, seizing
the officers, drop them overheard and
thus nnceremoniously usher them
into eternity. 1t is terrible thing to
think about. Fifteen hundred desper.
ate men, anxious for work, plotting to
kill the officers of vessel for bringing
a band of Indians to discharge her
freight.
Some grudge is alleged to have ex-
listed against the Alki for previous Of
fenses of a like nature and it is claimed
that the plot to murder her officers,
| cut loose her lines and then burn the
vessel was made before her arrival in
port.
The first attack was made upon the
Indian stevederes, who lought valiant
ly against fearful odds and were REIN
forced by the mate, who appears to
have been a second edition OF Fitzsim-
mons and to have put up good fight.
He soon, however, began to get weary
and was fast getting winded when the
Chief Engineer got on shore with an
axe, but was deferred from swinging it
and was forced back on the vessel by
his brother officers. But, being re-
sourceful sort of fellow, he ordered
the hose coupled ON to a steam pipe
| F.