The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-05-14
.OVERSTAYED
THEIR LEAVE
AND THEN GOT THE HOSE TURN
ED ON THEM GOOD
AND HARD.
TRANSPORT MASTER AFTER A
CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH.
Could Get One if No Soldiers Were
Ashore over Night-Otherwise He
Could Not Get 1t.

I .NoHiU ANul DtI II.
There was all sorts Of pilikia aboard
the transport Buford last night and
/ today and as a result the vessel was
held up and did not sail on time The
trouble was about the very worst that
has occurred on any transport which
has ever come into this port and for a
while, 1T looked as if three score or
more soldiers we're to be left behind by
the vessel.
The row occurred as the result of the
strict orders which had gone forth re-
garding the shore leave of the men. DR..
! Cofer the quarantine officer, stated
that he would give the transport
clean bill Of health, provided no men
/ remained ashore overnight, the idea
being that they might wander about
questionable parts of the city, where
the possibility of contracting disease
was great. Orders were accordingly
given the men to return by D. m. and
a number were given shore leave
| Others were allowed ashore at night
and ordered to return by IL o'clock. In
addition to soldiers, a number of the
crew and some officers were ashore.
Eleven O'Clock came and big crowd
of the crew and soldiers were still alb
sent. There were eight firemen, two
electrical engineers, twelve deck hands
and from 90 to 75 soldirs still unaccount-
ed for. The men came struggling along
but to their chagrin they were refused
permission to come aboard.
In fact so severe were those aboard
the transport, that orders We're given
by Captain Mertens, it is said, to turn
the hose on the crowd and drive them
! away from the wharf. The hose was
( turned on and for fully an hour, was
kept playing. 1t was turned indiscri-
1 ~ tksn1w
near the vessel. Several officers belong
| ing to the army were caught by the
shower and driven, dripping from the
| wharf Soldiers and members of the
transport crew were treated alike. The
entire outfit were chased off the wharf
| the instant they came within reach of
the stream of water. Captain Mertens
the commander of the vessel, is said TO
have been responsible for the order to-,
Sse The hose. So angry was be said to
have been that he ordered the first as
sistant engineer, who was in charge of
the engine room, under arrest, claim
ing that the first assistant had not put
as much power on the stream of water
/ as could have been DONE
This second order played havoc with
the crew. The men on the engine room
refused duty. They declared that if the
hrst assistant was placed in irons, they
would not do another stroke of work
He could be kept in his cabin, but if he
was further humiliated they would
not work another instant. This kick
had the desired effect and the first as
sistant was not put in irons. The en-
gine room crew heard later in the night
that some of the tiremen and other men
from the crew were kept ashore and
would be refused permission to come
aboard. This would have made the
transport leave this port short handed.
They Immediately refused to keep up
steam today if those missing men were
not permitted to get aboard. This Sec
ond Kick also caused the ships people
to come down and accede to the wishes
of the crew.
But the soldiers who were kept ashore
had no such advocates. The men could
not understand exactly why they had
been driven off the wharf last night and
they supposed that they would be per-
mitted to go aboard today. This morn
ing, they presented themselves at the
gangway but as fast as they did, they
were refused permission to board the
boat Sentries were stationed at the
gangWay to prevent these men from
boarding the transport
From 60 to 75 of these discharged SOL
diers, practically all of them being cas-
uals, were thus thrown on the town.
| The position was taken by the officers
on the transport that, by overstaying
/ shore leave the men had forfeited all
right or claim to further transpOrta-
| tiOn on the transport. Il was declared
up to p m. today, the hour when the
vessel was to sail for San Francisco
that none of these men would be per-
mitted to go aboard. In fact il was
announced that none of them could be
allowed on the vessel and they would
have to shift for themselves getting to
San francisco. 1t was intended not to
make any provision whatever for their
coming away on subsequent transports,
the intention being to leave them hign
and dry in Honolulu. All of the bag
gage of the soldiers was still on the
/ transport and the stuff was not to be
put off for them.
The men took the situation with sur
prising good nature. Few of them
realized the import of the order and
thought that they would be allowed on
| the vessel a few minutes before she
sailed Others appreciated the position
and began to scheme around for the Op-
portunity of sneaking aboard before the
boat pulled out, The men were all per-
mitted to go on the wharf and while
some of them were rustling about hop
ing TO get aboard, the majority sat
down on some lumber and took meters
cody and "joshed' the men who were
aboard the vessel. The latter respond
tu anu lltIt was a lOuu cross IRE OF re-
partee for over an hour. A couple of
them got a guitar and while one fur
nished the music the other danced a
shuttle to the amusement of every body
in the vicinity.
Captain williamson the depot quar-
termaster realized that the prospect of
/ leaving 60 or 10 soldiers on the public
was a very grave proposition and he
hurried to the quartermaster captain of
the transport to try and have the men
taken aboard. That the majority of the
marooned soldiers would sooner or
later be arrested for vagrancy was GER
tain. On the other hand, the transport