The San Francisco call., 1899-04-29
A FIGHT FOR
BLOOD MONEY ON
COLUMBIA RIVER
Heavy Demands by
Boarding Masters.
CAPTAINS SEEKING MEN HERE
CREWS BEING SENT NORTH TO
MAN THE SHIPS.
America Maru Arrives and Coptic
Sails for the Orient-President
Farrell o. the Pacific Coast
Company Here.
CAPTAINS SEEKING MEN HERE
CREWS BEING SENT NORTH TO
MAN THE SHIPS.

The trouble between the shipmasters
and boarding masters on the Columbia
River has been transferred in a measure
to San Francisco. AS stated in yester-
days Call, the boarding masters will not
accept the months advance allowed by
law, but are demanding 500 blood
money" The captain of the British ship
BalmOral tried to escape paying the tax
by bringing nine men from San Francisco
to fill the vacancies in his crew, but he
failed. The boarding masters We're wait
ing for the men and enticed them away
as soon as they set foot on shore.
The venture OF CAPTAIN Campbell of
the Balmoral was watched with great
deal OF interest, as seven other vessels
want crews, and their captains refuse to
pay 500 for each sailor put aboard by the
boarding master. The vessels lying in
the Columbia River and either loading or
loaded for Europe are the Balmoral, How
ard d. Troop, Yarana British Princess,
NalacetoWn, Iverna and Marechal Su
chet.
Like the Balmoral, the Howard D.
Troop is ready TO sail and Captain Corn
ing wants seventeen men. He refused to
pay the blood money, and he and the
boarding masters had a lively alterca-
ton, which resulted in the price of each
ing then determined to secure a crew
from this port and the boarding masters
determined to balk him.
The master of the Howard D. Troop
went to work very quietly and sent his
chief officer and an agent to San Fran
cisco to secure a crew of seventeen men.
The mate had instructions not to stick at
a few dollars advance in wages. but TO
bring back the men and so outWit the
boarding masters, The latter were not
IDLE, however, and as soon as the mate
and the agent started for this city Dick
McCarrOn and two other boarding mas
ters were on their track. Thursday the
mate of the Howard d. Troop secured
number of sailors and yesterday morn
ing he started them for Astoria on the
steamer State of California. in charge OF
the agent. On the same steamer went
one of the Columbia River boarding mas
terS. He says he Will get to the ear or
the sailors, and that when Astoria is
reached not one of the men Will join the
vessel.
Tuesday next the mate of the Troop
and the remainder Of the crew will start
for Astoria on the Groce Dollar and on
the same ship will go Dick McCarron and
the rest of the boarding masters. Ihey
will undoubtedly prevent the sailors from
joining the Troop, and in consequence the
ship will have a big expense DILL piled up
against her, and Captain Corning Will he
no better off than he was before the night
began. He is fighter however. and as
Balfour. Guthrie & Co. GirVin & Eyre,
G. ". McNear and other large charterers
of vessels are on his side, the battle is
likely to be bitter one. on the next at
tempt to send men from here the chances
are that the vessel will be at anchor at
the mouth of the Columbia River and
tug will be there ready to take her to
sea. Then as soon as the steamer ar
riVeS from San Francisco the sailors VIII
be bundled aboard the tug and they Will
be transferred to the waiting ship, which
will then put to sea.
The Japanese mail steamer America
Maru arrived from the Orient yesterday
afternoon. She brought up l16 cabin pas
sengers the majority of whom came
from Honolulu. and 223 Chinese in the
steerage. 1t took a long time TO transfer
the Chinese to the quarantine station and
II was after ) p. m. before the steamer
got to her dock She was twenty-nine
days from Hongkong, seventeen days
from Yokohama and six days one hour
from Honolulu. During The early part of
the VOYAGE the America Maru encoun-
tered strong east-nOrtheast winds and
rough head sea and throughout the last
twenty y-four hours she had to buck
strong northwest gale and high con-
fused sea.
The Occidental and Oriental Steamship
Company's steamer Coptic sailed for the
Orient Yesterday. She carried very
large cargo and great many passengers.
Never in the history OF the port has the
freight and passenger traffic between San
Francisco and the Orient been as heavy
as il is at the present time.
Captain Charles Austin has taken COM
will take her to Hawaii. He replaces Cap
tain Christensen, VINO retires. Captain
Austin is very popular in the sugar trade,
having been eight years mate OF the Al
den Besse and one year master of the
Maid Of Orleans.
President J. Farrell of the Pacific Coast
Company arrived from Puget Sound last
looked over all the company steamers
yesterday and from here will go TO Port
Hartford where he will inspect the san
Luis ObiSpo Railroad.