The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-11-14
UNION IN Full CONTROL
RASMUSSEN NOW BOSS OF THE
WATER FRONT.
Captain Mortensen of the Star of Rus
sia Admits Failure to Get a Crew.
Night Watching.

The Sailors Union has won it's fight
against Captain Mortensen of the ship
Star of Russia. The last effort to get
a crew for the vessel, without coming
to the unions terms, was made during
last night, and it was a lively night on
the front and all over the harbor.
There were union men on watch all
through the night, at various points
along the wharves and in the harbor.
No violence resulted from the situa-
ton, but there were men ready for a
collision at all the points of danger.
The British ship Yola, which arrived
from London a short time ago and
which has some men on board whom it
was thought that Mccarthy might try
to get, was watched by the union men
carefully. Mccarthy had practically
given up the contest, however. He has
too many troubles of his own. The big
shipping master has made too many
police court appearances lately and
Commissioner Boyd has been threaten
ing to refuse to sign crews for him.
Mccarthy therefore was not anxious to
get into another fight.
This morning Captain Mortensen adj
mitted that he could not get a crew
without the union and signified his will
lingness to come to the unions terms
of $50 for the trip to the Sound. 1t
was predicted as soon as the captain
reached this decision that the union
would quickly raise the rates, accord
ing to it's custom, for the union does
not let many chances to boost wages
to the limit go by, and it has Honolulu
in it's control now.
This morning Captain Mortensen be-
gan the shipping of union crew Ras-
mussen was called upon to get the men
and he was soon at shipping commits
sioner Boyd's office with about thirty
men who were ready to go.
Before they left for the coast Turk
and Lewis, the two peerless masters
of the art of landing sailors on the
fOrecastles of ships that want them,
put in two weeks trying to get crew
for Captain Mortensen, but the union
was too much for them, and they left
| the job as a legacy to Mccarthy. He
has been trying ever since and had six
men on board yesterday out of Is need
| ed.
The ship Helen Brewer, which has
just received orders to go to Chile for
a cargo of fertilizer, has managed tO
beat the union by taking a Japanese
crew. When Captain Mckay received
! his sailing orders a few days ago he
| decided that he did not want 10 De
cinched by the union, which had got
| full swing here, and he quietly shipped
| crew of Japs. Almost before the
go he had his men on board. Captain
Blanchard of the Bangalore employed
| the same method some time ago to get
away without doing business with
! Turk and Lewis, against who he had
declared boycott.
B. F. Rasmussen is the men who has
| worked up the union end in Honolulu
to the present stage. He came here
about six months ago, when Turk and
Lewis were collecting $50 or more
| blood money and had the business tC
| themselves. Rasmussen established
| headquarters in the hall where evan
gelist McComb was putting in his
| evenings saving the souls of the much
| looked after seamen. The unions
] agent announced that he was here tC
extend the jurisdiction of the Seamen's
| Union of the Pacific to Honolulu anC
he has made a very thorough job of it
Evangelist McComb has gone tC
places where his sanctity will not star
tie so many old acquaintances, Turl
and Lewis have left on a vacation
which many people say will never enc
and shipping master O'Dell, who wal
also in the field until he was nearl!
beaten to death, is on his way rounC
the Horn. Only big Mccarthy is lef
to buck against the triumphant union
and the only thing that can give hin
any chance to make showing is tn
arrival of few vessels from NeWcastl
or some other foreign port, with crews
Such reinforcements of the local sup
ply of men would change things yer.