The San Francisco call., 1906-06-18
UNION men
FIRED On
FROM SHIP
One Man Killed and Three
Are Injured by Grew
Of Schooner
National City S Sailors
Resist the Approach
Of a Launch.
Vessel Starts to Sea Before
the Police Can Take
Any Action.

One man was killed and three others
wounded in a rain of bullets that came
from the deck of the steam schooner
National City, lying at anchor off the
foot of Sixteenth street. upon boat
load of union men last night. The
dead man, Andrew Kellner. and the
men injured. John Peterson, Andrew
Hansen and Holger Borgensen, all
members of the Sailors Union. were in
company with ten fellow union men on
board the launch Escort when the
shooting occurred. According to the
story of the party no warning was
given, but several men and one woman
opened fire on them when they were
within few feet of the schooner
When the launch attempted to retreat
its steering gear became useless. and
those on board were obliged to seek
shelter in the cabin, already perforated
with bullets, until the small craft
could finally get away.
The trouble is incident to the labor
difficulty between the Sailors Union
and the ship owners regarding raise
of wages. The union men claim that
many men are forced to become mem
bers OF non-union crews, and for this
reason they have sent a launch TO the
different vessels on which union men
have refused to work to ascertain the
conditions existing on board. The
union men say that they have received
information that several men are be-
ing held prisoners, and it was their
purpose to put such men ashore IL the
latter desired to go.
For the past week the launch Escort,
carrying members of the union and in
tsrpreters has been engaged in this
service and the breach between the
| union and the non-union men has
widened On two occasions the launch
has been fired on, but with no fatai
results until last night
According to the union men they
started for the National City, which
is owned by the Union Lumber Com
pany, and plies between this city and
ports on the northern coast. about 8
o'clock last night. There were about
fourteen union men on board the
launch, and it was their purpose 70
ascertain if any of the National City's
non union crew wished to come on
shore The men say that they had
steamed to within ten feet of the larg-
err craft when fusillade of bullets
was turned in their direction. They
say that no warning to keep on had
been given and that they, being un-
armed, were unprepared for the attack
Most of the men were standing on the
deck of the launch and unprotected
| from the fire.
i
at the cabin door and dropped when a
bullet passed through his heart. He
was afterward shot through the side
Peterson was struck in the thigh
| Hansen in the leg and Borgensen IN
the left hip. Needless of the shouts
| that came from the launch the shoot
| ing continued. Those on board say
| that there were several men behind
the guns and that a woman engaged
| in the attack. In all they believe
nearly forty shots were fired.
/ AS quickly as Kellner dropped to
the deck an effort was made to get the
| launch without the range of the bull
let's At this critical moment, how
ever the steering apparatus went
wrong and the small boat was for q
/ short time temporarily disabled. So
with lead falling around them, the
union party were obliged to tarry un-
til the launch righted itself and was
backed off without the assistance OF
| the rudder.
Once the boat was some distance
away and the firing had ceased the
crew of the Escort succeeded in patch
| ing up their disabled rudder and later
reached the Harbor Hospital, where
the injured were treated by DR.. NJ E
Magnus and the police communicates
with.