The San Francisco call., 1899-04-22
Bad Blood Brewing
on the Front.
MANY VESSELS ARE TIED UP
TWO CREWS TAKEN OUT OF THE
BARKENTINE MONITOR.
Police Compelled to Drive Union Men
Away From the Schooner Mary
Buhne-A Union Patrol
man Surprised.

Eight vessels which were anchored off
Meiggs wharf yesterday and the day be-
fore have had quite a lively time owing to
the inability of their captains TO secure
crews because of the action of the Sailors
Union in raising wages by so over the ad-
vance made by the Shipowners' Associa-
ton. The recent departure of the fleet
for the Alaskan canneries has withdrawn
about 5000 men from the beach" and the
consequence is that sailors are scarce.
Three of the eight vessels managed to
get away yesterday. They were the
schooner Dora Bluhm, bark c. D. Bry-
ant ard the barkentine Monitor The five
that remain are the schooner Mary
Buhne. barkentine Mary Winkelman, bark
Prussia, schooner Vine, and schooner
Daisy Rowe The Sailors Union deter
mined that the vessels should not sail un-
less they employed union men, and not
doing so would have to fight to get away.
Accordingly the Union had their agents
hide among the lumber piles around
Meiggs wharf, and when the "scab' sail
ors made their appearance preparatory 10
going aboard they were pounced upon ana
badly beaten. Sergeant Bunner and Oft1-
Ger Ferguson were detailed to keep the
peace, but despite their presence the
union men seemed to have the pest OF II.
The barkentine Monitor mad the Worsi IsJ
time of the feet Her captain shipped
three different crews before ne was ape
10 put to sea. The union men Were ae,
termined that the Monitor should not sail
with a "scab'' crew, and took the desper-
ate action of sending two or thelr num-
her aboard the Monitor, who threw all the
clothes OF the crew overooara. On I,,,aIt, tIe
Mary Buhne matters were getting lfVely
and Sergeant Bunner and Ofhcer Fergu-
son had TO go aboard and drive the union
men off.
Captain Jensen OF the Prussia came
ashore TO see how matters were progress
ing when big union man announced III ms
determination to do up the captain. Inc
captain was accompanied by short and
sturdy runner who is quite an adept IN
pugilism-
union man as he started for the captain.
The captain, unconscious of impending
trouble, was making for car when the
sailor hailed him in abusive language.
The runner shot out his right, landed
on the sailors jaw and he went down in
a heap. Captain Jensen continued his
journey unmolested. There does not seem
ting away to-day. Meiggs wharf Is care
fully patrOlled and the chances are that
several of the union men, VINO are cong cong
all in their ~ower TO prevent the depar-
ture of these vessels, will make the &C
quaintance of the prison officials before
The trouble is not of our own max
ing" said Secretary Naylor of the Ship
owners Association yesterday. early IN
the month the members OF the aSSocIa-
ton met and raised the wages of sailors
from $25 to $50 for coal vessels and from
$50 to S35 a month for lumber vessels.
Soon afterward I received a communca-
tion from Andrew Furuseth. secretary of
the Seamen's Union of the Pacific Coast,
stating tnat at meeting of the sailors
it had been decided that wages should
in the future be $40 for coal and SIS for
lumber vessels. and asking for a confer
ence between the board of directors of
our association and the board of man
ayers Of the union. 1 laid the matter be-
fore A NJ. Simpson. our president; Will
liam z. MigheIl. our vice president Cap
tain Charles Nelson and others. They de-
cided that. as owners of the vessels, they
had a right to fix what wages they were
able to pay and that a conference was
not necessary. OF course men are scarce
and there is some trouble in getting yes
sells away but | think the association
will be able to keep its end up"
The sailors assert that $40 for coal and
S45 for lumber vessels is only a fair wage.
They point to the advance in freights and
the fact that not enough vessels can be
secured to handle the business. There
fore they argue. the sailor has as good
a right to share in the general prosperity
as anybody else. The men are prepared
to make q bitter fight