Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1905-03-09
PRIESTS Want PEACE FOR SKILLED aAMEN
STEPS TAKEN BY SAILORS
UNION FOR STRICT LAWS
PLANS THAT WILL AVERT DisAs.
TIERS LIKE RIO DE JANElRO
AND sLocUM HORRORS.
FORCE BETTER MEN.


Advices received per s. s. Ventura
seem to indicate that the days of Chi.
nese and other incompetent labor on
passenger vessels are nearly ended.
Congress is being urged to SO amend
the laws regulating the manning Of
steamships that disasters like that
which befell the Slocum in New York
and the Rio de Janeiro in San Fran.
cisco will be prevented in the future.
In recent years the loss Of life in sea
accidents has been appalling and evi.
dence produced at inquiries, as to the
causes Of these disasters. has invaria.
bly, demonstrated that unframed and
insufficient crews have been largely re-.
sponsible for unnecessary loss Of hun.
dreds Of lives.
The Slocum had no skilled seamen
In her crew. The Rio de Janeiro.
which sank In San Francisco harbor.
was manned by Chinese who could
not understand orders in English Civ.
en- by the officers and consequently the
life RATS and boats were not brought
into service to save the helpless pas.
sengers.
To prevent frequent repetitions Of
these disasters the Board of Supervis.
ing Inspectors has been asked to rec.
ommend standard of skill among
seamen and also to recommend the
proper number of able seamen requir.
ed to man vessel.
Andrew Furuseth, representing the
International Sailors Union, has laid
the facts showing the inadequate man.
ming Of vessels before the President,
Secretary Of Commerce and Labor Met
calf and the supervising inspectors.
As result Of this representation 1t is
said that a gentleman Victor s. Clark
probably Of the Bureau of Commerce
and Labor at Washington has been
ordered to proceed to the Pacific Coast
and investigate the conditions which
are alleged to prevail In the ports
OF San Francisco and Honolulu.
A letter has also been sent by An.
drew Furuseth to every member Of the
House and Senate. in which the sub.
ject Of undermining is completely
covered. The letter contains the fol.
lowing:
We represent that the general law
should be SO amended as to prevent
the undermining Of vessels. and that
as necessarily incidental to such pre-
vention. q standard Of skill should be
established In the case Of seamen con-
cernsd.
II this shall not be done now, when
your attention has been so forcibly
called to the present inadequate law,
II may take the horror of another
Slocum disaster to get the law into
the travelling public.
In the hearings before the Secretary
o! Commerce and Labor and the Board
Of Supervising Inspectors, ship owners
alone have opposed the proposed
changes in the regulations. 1t is q
matter Of dollars with them, the safe.
ty of human life being incidental to
the cheapest cost Of operation. How
UNDERMINING by unskilled men re.
suits in loss of life is illustrated by
the United States Court Of Appeals
at San Francisco In a decision in the
Case Of the Rio de Janeiro. The court
reviewing the testimony said:
I'VE have no hesitation In holding
that the ship was insufficiently man.
ned, for the reason that the sailors
were unable to understand and execute
the orders made imperative I by the
exigency that unhappily arose and re-
suited so disastrously to life as well as
to property."-opinion filed May 9.
1904.
The Slocum tragedy, with its loss Of
955 passengers, against loss Of only
two Of crew Of 80, affords striking
example, of that kind of underman.
ming where, in the words Of the court,
"the incompetency of individuals is
accentuated by the inadequacy of mum.
bers."