The San Francisco call., 1899-08-13
"BLOOD MONEY"
KEEPS SAILORS
FROM SHIPPING
Jack Wants 1t Added
to His Wages.
WOULD THEN BE MORE MEN
UNIoN-srREET WHARF ALMOST
DESTROYED BY FIRE
Police Officers Lake and Mullander
Have a Narrow Escape-Cypro-
meme and John g. North
Nearly Collide.
WOULD THEN BE MORE MEN
UNIoN-sTREET WHARF ALMOST
DESTROYED BY FIRE

There are seven grain-laden vessels in
the stream awaiting crews. They are the
British sips Belfast, Cypromene, Hydera-
bad and Louden Hill, American ship Ken
jlworth. Italian bark Mario and British
bark Wynford. Some Of these vessels
have been over a week waiting for men
while others have been only few days
in the stream. The captains of all of them
are willing to pay blood money" but
the boarding masters say the men are not
to be had. Several ships that nave got
away this month had crews aboard every
sailor OF which cost the captain SZO. AS
high as $40 blood money and $2J ad-
vance has been offered by the ships IN the
stream, but the boarding masters say the
men are not to be had for love or money
Andrew Furuseth, secretary of the Sail
ors' Union of the Pacific, takes issue with
the boarding masters and says there are
plenty of men Ion the beach" to man all
the ships ready for sea. ''All the captains
have TO do" said he yesterday. is TO do
away with the blood money that goes
into the pockets of the 'crimps and add
the amount saved to the sailors wages
and the seven ships tied up in the stream
will get away inside of a week. wages
are now 500 a month. Let the captains
make il $25 d month and no blood money
and there will be no need to hunt IoT
men, Make the wages $50 month ana
I'll guarantee to man every one OF the
seven ships inside Of forty-eight hours
IFS all 'crimp talk to say there are no
men. To be sure, sailors are not as pen
tiful as before the cannery season opened,
but there are sailors enough for all orul,
nary demands if the wages Will be pald
to the sailor and not in the shape OIL
blood money to 'cr1mp
The boarding masters are under con-
tract with the British ship owners to sup
NV men at $50 a month That was all
right until the law making 1t 1llegaI 70
pay a sailor more than one month au-
vance went into effect.
"T6en the boarding master was on the
horns OF a dilemma. His contract Kept
him from raising wages and a $IU advance
would not pay expenses. so blood money
came into force again and poor Jack IS
once more bought and sold like a sheep
in the shanbleS- -
plenty OF men if the captains Will add
the blood money to the wages. FOR 20
a month and one months advance tne
Wynford, LOuden Hill, Mario, henlI"orlh'
Hyderabad Belfast and Cypromene can can
get crews inside of week and Tor S3o
q month they can get them inside OF LoF-
"A fire on Union-street wharf broke up
a conference in the rooms OF the daIDor
Commissioners in hurry yesSeTday. - d y. :.
There were present Commissioners har-
ney and Herold, Charles H1rsch, chalt-
man of the committee on decoratlonS: a;
Z. Pryor Of the Piper Aden, Goodall
Company; Chief Whartinger Percy Hen
ders0n and Secretary OF the Board ".
d. English. They were all discussing the
TArenTiOu OF the OallIOIIld DOyS W men llAC
news that the wharf was on fire came
over the telephone wire. MeSSrS. HdrnG}
Herold and Henderson hurried TO the
scene TO look after the State property.
Mr. PRYOR remembered that he had q
thousand sacks on the wharf and he made
haste to see how they were tarlng;
the meeting, and the reception OF the
California boys will be discussed again
'VI1rie The inter- cargo of the British ship Aris-
tomene now lying at Union street. was
sent to the powder works in bags. Ihese
! bags when empty were sent PACK on tne
! Piper Alden, GoodaI Company s steamer
/ Srnol and a thousand of them Were
| dumped on the wharf yesterday. some
| body dropped lighted cigarette INTO me
heap, and in few moments the inter
/ bags were blazing furiously. For time
/ 1t looked as though the wharf would 20
/ and preparations We're MADE 70 warp tl!e
ships Aristomene and Queen Margaret IN
! to the stream. Luckily all the bags We're
! shoveled into the bay before the wharf
| caught and the structure was saved.
| officers Lake and Mullander got duck
! ing on the water front last Friday night.
| They were patrolling East street and met
! at the corner of Folsom. They chatted
| for a few minutes and both were stamp
| ing to keep the blood in circulation. This
is mighty thin pltnking," said Lake 1t
! is answered Mullander. There VIII be
! an accident here if the Harbor Commis-
| sioners don't do some repairing soon.
With that both policemen were moved to
| test the stability of the planking and both
| Jumped on the weak spot at once. Re
sult-the plapkiIng gave away and Mul-
lander and Lake dropped through into
| the bay. After hanging to a pile for
about five minutes and discussing a meane
| of escape the two policemen had to shed
their coats and belts and swim to tie
Folsom street float. about twenty yards
away Lake and Mullander will not test
planking ON the front again in a hurry;
at least, not in company.
The schooner John G: North and the
British ship Cypromene had narrow es-
cape from being in collision yesterday
afternoon. The ship was at anchor and
| the schooner was coming in from Homo
ipu with a cargo Of sugar. Off Meiggs
wharf an attempt was made to heave the
North to- but the wind and tide took hold
| Of her and carried her down toward the
! Cypromene. BY very slIllful handling the
/ schooner Just cleared the ship, but it was
| a very close shave.
Daniel Murphy a stevedore fell down
a chute into the coal bunkers of the trans
port City of Sydney yesterday and re-
| mained there while a load Of coal was
dumped upon him. When his plight was
! discovered he was almost dead. He was
removed to the Receiving Hospital. where
1t was found that he had been badly cut
| and bruised and had suffered internal in
| juries.