The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-09-26
WATERFRONT NEWS.
II HE tug Fearless is at present run
MING witbo,t a licensed engineer

| i ming without a licensed engineer
4 Captain Brokaw, who knows as
much about engines as the next man
as he has been working with engines in
past years of his career, is now operat-
ing those of the tug himself. The
Marine Engineers Beneficial Associa-
ton have made Engineer Scott, the
regular man on the job, resign.
| The trouble dates back to July of this
year when the marine engineers of these
islands organized the Marine En-
gineers Beneficial Association and re-
ceived a charter from the National AS
ISOLATION of that name. On July 18th
| they sent letters to the Wilder and In
ter-Island steam Navigation companies
and also to the owners of the John A.
Cummins and the Fearless, asking that
certain wage schedule be complied
with on and after September i of the
same year. The Wilder and the inter-
Island companies responded by comply
| ing with the schedule. Captain BrokaW
of the Fearless made no written reply
to the association, but notified his en-
gineer, Mr.. Scott, of his intentions The
association wanted the Fearless to keep
chief engineer with monthly salary
of $3.50 and an assistant with $40 a
month. The chief engineer of the Fear
less was paid $3.50 month, but the as
sistant was only paid $50. Then came
the rub. The association sent several
prnl St ting that
he must pay his assistant engineer $110
month as the engineers had to work
every day of the year, but Captain
Brokaw ignored their demand. The rea-
son for this was that the Fearless is not
by law required to keep. more than one
engineer as she does not do any deep
sea work A letter stating this was
sent to the captain by Supervising In
spector of the Western District Birm-
ingham in San Francisco.
AS Captain Brokaw did not send any
written reply to the association, pre-
ferring to state his views to Chief En-
gineer Scott. who is a member of the
association, the association finally, on
September "a, sent an ultimatum, noti-
flying him that if he did not comply be-
fore p. m. that night, Chief Engineer
Scott would be called off the boat. Cap
tain Brokaw refused to comply. espe-
cially as the man who worked as an as
sistant was not holding license quail
flying him as a first assistant. He ask
ed Scott if he had any reason for dis
to which Scott replied that
he was thoroughly satisfied, and that
he was sorry to leave the job. But 1t
meant the bread and butter for his
wife and three children, and he only
left as he had to obey orders If he did
not obey he would be blacklisted wher-
ever he went, and would never be able
marine engineer in these islands out
side of the association, and as this en-
gineer did not take the Fearless, as
he is working elsewhere, 1t looked very
much as If the Fearless would have to
tie up. Captain Brokaw, however, is
not the man to surrender without
fight, he went to Collector of the Port
E. R. Stackable and asked him If he
might run the Fearless without IL
censed engineer, as 1t was Impossible
for him to get such a one, there being
no engineers in the association who
would take the job. Mr.. Stackable said
that in case a man could be found who
could run the engines he would give
this permission rather than he would
permit the navigation of the Fearless to
be prohibited.
Hereupon the captain took the work
himself and the Fearless was sailing
around in the harbor yesterday as live
ly as ever.
The association is now donning its
armor, and a lively fight can be ex-
pected.