The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-06-09
SEAMEN SCORE
VICTORY OVER
SH|P MASTERS
Captain Nelson T axes
Union Men.
THEY WILL MAN ALL HIS SHIPS
A HARD BLOW FOR THE SHIP
OWNERS ASSOCIATION.
Twenty-Seven Sailing Vessels and
Five Steamers Fly the House
Flag of the Wealthy
Lumber Dealers.

The Seamens Union of the Pacific has
won great victory over the Shipowners'
Association. 1t has brought over TO its
side one of the associations vice presi-
dents and strongest supporters and there
is in consequence jubilation in the union
camp. This latest addition to the en-
ployers of union labor owns twenty-seven
sailing vessels and five steamers, so there
is good cause for the joy felt by the mem
bers of the Seamen's Union.
The schooner Metha Nelson sailed for
Tacoma last Wednesday. She went into
commission in 1896, and last Wednesday
was the first time in her history that she
sailed with a full union crew. AT diff
ferent times union men have formed part
of her crew, but on this occasion the
men were secured in a body from the
union shipping office. The owner of the
Metha Nelson is Captain Charles Nelson,
the well-known shipowner and lumber
dealer He owns the steamers Centen-
NAL, Charles Nelson, Cleveland, Lakme
and North Fork and about twenty-five
banks Colusa, John c. Potter and Edward
May and schooners Olga. Otullie Fjord,
Mary Buhne and Mary Dodge. Al OF
union, be manned with sailors supplied
from its shipping office.
When the Coast Seamen's Union was at
the height of its power on the coast it
made a demand for an increase in wages
that made the shipowners fight back, the
result being the Shipowners' Association.
employers of seamen on the coast--A. NJ.
Simpson, Charles Nelson and w. Z.
Mighell being at its head. This combina-
ton struck a blow at the Sailors Union
from which it has never recovered. The
shipowners from that day regulated
wages and the sailor had to take what
was offered. The owners were invaria-
bly, fair in the matter, advancing wages
in the spring and summer when bust
ness was good and cutting them down
when business dropped off and freights
were low.
About two months ago another fight be-
sively both sides of the case. The ship
owners made an advance in wages which
the union did not think was fair and
equitable. Men were scarce and frieghtS
were advancing every day. and the sail
ors demanded s. a month more than the
shtpownerS were willing to pay. From
friction and not one of the Shipowners'
Association vessels have got away on
time. Some of them have been held two
days and some week in the stream
awaiting crew and the expense was in
consequence very heavy.
The fight has been a very bitter one
and at times it looked as though the I'M
ion would surely be beaten again. Some
times its members resorted to violence
and a number of arrests were made but
the great body of the men stuck to the
preventing of association vessels from
getting crews, and in this they were in
measure successful.
The trouble with the Shipowners' AS
ISOLATION is that it cannot secure sailors
vessels belonging to It's members, but in
order to do so valuable time has been
wasted, and then half the men were
green hands who had never been to
sea before. 1t is no wonder then that
one of the owners has decided to kick
over the traces and take union men.