The Pacific commercial advertiser., 1906-07-23

According 10 the San Francisco pa
pers the American ship Atlas. OF the
Standard Oil Line. and which arrived
1t Honolulu from Yokohama on July
Is, is q .heIIzship.'' 4 --hell-ship~
among sailors is a term which means
all that one conjures up of inhuman
treatment Of sailors by their superior
officers The Examiner has the follow
ing story:
Inhuman treatment on the part o.
the officers and poor and insufficient
food caused the entire crew of the
Standard Oil Company's four-masted
sailing ship Atlas to leave the vessel
at Yokohama and place themselves
under the care OF United States Consul
General Miller. Henry Hackney, who
was second mate on the vessel, was a
passenger On the transport Sherman,
which arrived from the Orient yester-
dav. and tells Of the dreadful condi-
tions that existed on the vessel during
her recent voyage from New York 10
Yokohama.
The snip is commanded by Captain
Amberman amt carries q crew OF
twenty men. When the voyage began
the only food given the men was two
ounces OF beef and a pint of water a
day. The only change in the crews
diet was when shark, porpoise OF
an albatross was caught at sea, and
TINS the men skinned and prepared for
eating. The men suffered so much for
lack OF food that at night they would
pick up pieces OF biscuits that were
thrown 10 the chickens.
The sailors on the Atlas were treated
like beasts OF prey by the captain and
his officers. When the vessel arrived
at Yokohama three men were laid up
in their hunks from the effects Of the
beating inflicted on them. Hackney
says that on the slightest provocation
a sailor was knocked about the deck
by either the captain or the mate. who
was armed with a Delaying pin While
IN the harbor OF Yokohama the bru-
taIity of the officers finally drove
Francis Mckay into the rigging. and
when pursued even TO that point the
seaman plunged into the sea and swan
safely 20 Il sampan- With a Delaying
pin he cor PEELED the japanese to row
him 10 the shore and on arriving there
reported the condition OF affairs to tie
American Consul The Atlas is now en
route 10 Honolulu and carries a crew
of twenty japanese She VIII load
sugar at the Hawaiian Islands for New
York
The CaM says: Henry Hackney. who
was third mate in the Standard Oil
Company's big ship Atlas on the pas
ige from New York TO Yokohama,
was d passenger arriving yesterday
from Japan in the transport Sherman
He brings a tale OF cruelty that savors
Of the old whaling days Cruel and
iTlhuman treatment on the Atlas, says
Hackney was so pronounced that
every man of the crew Il IT her upon
reaching Japan One man was even
forced TO jump into the sea 10 save his
life
The Atlas IS commanded by Captain
Amberlnan. Hackney reports that men
OF the crew, all the way from New
York 20 Yokohama. were cruelty beaten
on the slightest provocation by all the
mates but himself. Delaying pins being
the favorite weapons Of attack The
food supply. TOO, was SO reduced that
the men forward were compelled 10
catch fish and even sharks TO eke out
living AS resule of this treatment
three good men were sick in their
hunks when the Atlas finally reached
Yokohama.
One seaman named Frank Mckay
was assaulted by a mate at Yokohama
and had TO take 10 the rigging. later
1eaping into the sea 10 avoid the
vicious attack. He was rescued
BY a japanese sampan-
The Atlas is now on the way from /.
japan TO Honolulu to load cargo Tor /
the Atlantic coast
The Atlas is at present anchored out |
side OF the channel dischargIng her
ballast cargo of earth into deep va .
ter. The earth cannot be discharged
ashore as ii was brought here from
Yokohama