Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1903-10-30
TIED UP At MEMPHIS BECAUSE
ROUSTERS CAN'T BE
HAD.
Feed, Which Steamboatmen
Say They Can't Pay.

great, dark hullS resting close to each
other, five of the principal boats can
nected with the Memphis river trade
lay along the wharf last night, says
the Memphis Morning News. These
boats were scheduled to lea 5e yoster-
which poured from III sir snokestacks
seemed to indicate 1rat they were
ready to depart. bu- all on BOARD was
Still save the measured tread Cf one
OF two men on deck The unusual
state of affairs was such as to excite
inquiry, and an nvastlgation dever
oped the fact that :he trouble witn the
roustabouts had abnG' reat led & cru
cial stage, resultin., j.. all OF lie Loats
being tied up at the landing.
The boats which are now awaiting
the settlement of the labor situation
as signal for their departure are:
The Robert E. Lee. Ia .,.s Lee. led
Herold, J. N. Harbir aud Delta OF
these the irst two ca ! United States
mail.
Yesterday afternoon tie wEa"t
swarmed with mass oi neglces num-
bering into the hundreds they
lounged about watching with passing
interest the events occurring along
the river front, but toox nc active
mart in them Toward ducl no Ia RI,
mass broke into several columns, each
OF which Wended its way TO different
sections of the town. When the boats
We're ready to depart it was found that
they were without crews, and though
the captains of the steamers tried
everywhere to find roustabouts for
their trips, the search was unavaiing.
AS a consequence there was nothing
to do but lie over until morning in
the hope that the situation would
change.
Old river men say that they have
never before seen such state of af-
fairs on the Memphis river front. In
the past one or more boats have been
tied up here, but at present every
steamer in port is affected There
are those who believe that the boats
will be able to leave today but there
are others who shake their heads and
be change in the situation. Today
the Kate Adams is expected, and i,
may be that her crew will be affected
as those OF the other boats.
The situation as far as the roust
abouts are concerned has grown from
bad to worse. The prohibition of crap
games on several Of the boats some
time ago caused Trouble. But this
was soon smoothed over aad matters
for awhile moved along peacefully.
Then came the opening of the cotton
season, and With it additional labor
and then the roustabouts began 10 de
mand higher wages. These demands
We're no sooner granted than they be-
gan to ask for still higher pay. This
has continued until il is doubtful a.
what point their demands will cease.
A negro connected with one of the
large boats stated last night up to the
last trip the boat had paid It's rousta
bouts on the basis of $50 month that
on the last trip they received wages on
the basis OF $l00 Il month, and noW
they We're demanding 1925 and one
day off in town And they did not
seem particularly anxious to work on
this basis This was confirmed by
well-known men in the river trade,
and it was further stated that where
the smaller boats had been paying
in the neighborhood of $50 and SIS
month they were now asked to guar
antee 500
One reason which caused the whole
sale cessation of work on the part of
the roustabouts was that at least one
of the large boats on its last trip,
In order to make up time. passed
many of the landings where there was
much cotton ready to be shipped, and
as this cotton will have to be taken
up on the next trip it will be particu-
larly hard one for the roustabouts.
It is said by river men that the
gambling. in the shape of shooting