The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-05-11

instances OF shanghaing that came nm.
ger the direct observation of the writer
between twenty and thirty wears aoo
shangnalng at Astoria, Oregon. was
carried on with such a high hand and
by such a powerfully organized pang
| that even the authorities were a fr;f,s
paeh"ara, or, one might say, were abso-
inteiy afraid to interfere, so that fear
u tue law did not enter into the ealeu-
aa "a. oI the gang when deep water
snip was III need of a crew.
Like death. the shanghaing gang il
no fespeeter of persons Everything
was meat that came to their net. and
When they were hard pushed to fill a
complement of men for a ship that was
paying high price for a crew the
khockout drop route was abandoned as
the Following will give testimony.
ABOUT twenty-five years ago at the
aforementioned city, when the salmon
business of the world was centered in
ana about Astoria, it frequently hap
pened that after ship had departed
Tor the other side of the world several
people Were missing from their usnaI
naunts, and it was seldom that the no
ice made any move to.look them up. IF
they could not be found inside of fwep-
ty-Iour hours it was a certainty thar
they We're off for some foreign land ia
the recently departed vessel.
a party of three mechanics. of which
i the writer was one, were returning to
/ their home III the Parker House after
an evening of overtime in the shop. IT
was possibly half-past ten, and while
| passing across the shore end of a pier
heard nigh words and other sounds as
y OF eonfilct going on out on the end
OF the wharf. We immediately ran OUT
on Inc wharf and found two of the
gang trying to force third party
INTO small boat that was tied to the
sip. On our approach the man called
on US for help, stating that he was
being shanghaied We at once took nm
has cause and a free fight ensued. buf
the shanghaiers were SO determined that
| they would not give up until we had
taken the stakes from a nearby draw
ana beat them over the head, reseuing
| the man who was being shanghaied, and
whom we found to be perfectly sober
/ and small merchant of the town. The
| merchant attempted to bring some kind
OF a charge against the gang but it
came to nothing and was hushed up.
One morning, as a ship was slowly
dropping down the channel, bound for
Europe, tall man about thirtv-five
OF possibly forty years of age came
slowly up through the companionwav
that leads to the crews quarters. Stop
ping on deck for moment ne gazed
| about him in a dazed manner. He had
on neither coat, vest nor hat, and in this
/, condition walked up to the mate and
demanded to know the name of the shin
he was on. The mate, with an oath.
told him to get forward with the rest
or the crew and go to work. The man
demurred, and the mate was about to
back up his order by the use of a rail
PIN when for some reason he STAYED his
hand- The man advanced step nearer
and remarked: i presume that you are
the mate of this ship, and I wish to
state that you are taking me to sea
against my will, or, in other words, /
am being shanghaied How [ came to
be here 1 do not know. but assure you
that / will make it hot for the owners
OF TINS vessel II / am not put ashore at
onee. The mate was about to make
strike at the man when he was hailed
from the bridge by the pilot who was
taxing the ship to sea. Mr.. Mate, sig
nal the tug to stop; let go your anchor,
and put that man ashore as soon as God
will let you. He is the captain of the
ship y A. lying back there
in the stream It is needless to
say that the pilots orders were obeved
with all possible speed. The man they
had shanghaied was master of a vessel
nearly twice the size of the one he was
then on
Another case that did not turn out
SO fortunately for the victim was as
follows:
A ship, loaded with wheat for the |
Old World, was being taken to sea from
Astoria. As she was abreast of Sand |
Island man came rushing on deck and |
demanded that he be put ashore, stating
that he had been shanghaied the night I
before and had no desire to go to sea. |
Inc mate gave him the usual scowl, and /
told him what would happen if he did |
NOT JOIN the crew forward and do his
share of the work in getting the ship
under way. The man rebelled and was
struck blow on the side of the head
by the mate. The victim of the gang
at once returned the blow and lost no
time IN following it up, but on the ap-
pfoach OF the second mate he sprang for
the rail and jumped overheard, swim
ming IN the direction Of fishing boat
that was couple of hundred yards off
The quarter. The men in the boat start
ed to pull toward the man with the in
lentlon of reseuing him. In the mean
lime the mate had rushed into the cabin
md returned to the deck with a rifle
n ms hands and made the threat that
the fishermen picked the man up he
would shoot them; threat he would
undoubtedly have carried into effect;
md the man drowned before their ewes.
The body was brought to Astoria and
he ship went on her way.
There is some satisfaction in stating
hat at later period the mate of this
MP was apprehended for his inhuman-
ty TO man and was severely punished
But this all happened a good many
ears ago when the victim had slim
hances of redress; when the captain
nd other officers of ship We're in
uman dIctators. Not so now. 4 com !
aon seaman can appeal to any court. in
ny port In the world now, and if there
; the slightest truth III the stories he
nay tell of misuse aboard a ship he
Flll, IN nine cases out of ten. get dam