Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1911-11-07
V3URNING
I9DAYLIGHT
By JACK LONDON
AatAov Of The Cal of the Wild"
white Fang" 'Marffa
Eden" etc.
Illustrations BY Dearborn Melvill
- sse I'll
CHAPTER XII.

Win the C0aStWiSe steam Navigation
Company, and the Hawaiian, Mica
raguan, and Pacific-Mexican Steam
ship Company. He stirred up a big
ger muss than he had anticipated,
and even he was astounded at the
wide ramifications of the struggle and
at the unexpected and incongruous in
terests that were drawn into it. Every
newspaper in San Francisco turned
upon him. 1t was true, one or two OF
them had first intimated that they
were open to subsidization, but Day
lights judgment was that the situa-
ton did not warrant such expenditure.
Up to this time the press had been
amusingly tolerant and good-naturedly
sensational about him, but now he was
to learn what virulent scurrilousness
an antagonized press was capable Of.
! Every episode of his life was resur-
rected to serve as foundations for ma
licious fabrications. Daylight was
frankly amazed at the new interpre-
tation put upon all that he had ac-
complished and the deeds be had
done. From an Alaskan hero he was
metamorphosed into an Alaskan
bully, liar, desperate, and all-around
-"bad man." The whole affair sank to
the deeper deeps Of rancor and savage
ness. The poor woman who had killed
herself was dragged out Of her grave
and paraded on thousands Of realms
of paper as martyr and victim to
Daylight's ferocious brutality.
He was like o big bear raiding a
beehive, and, regardless Of the stings,
he obstinately persisted in paving for
the honey. He gritted his teeth and
struck back. Beginning with raid on
two steamship companies, it develop.
ed into a pitched battle with city,
state and continental coast line. AL
lied with him, on splendid salary,
with princely picklngs thrown in, was
a lawyer. Larry Hogan, young Irish.
man with reputation to make, and
whose peculiar genius had been un-
recognized until Daylight had picked
up with him. 1t was Hogan who guided
Daylight through the intricacies of
modern politics, labor organization,
and commercial and corporation law.
1t was Hogan, prolific of resource and
suggestion. who opened Daylight's
eyes to rlndreamed-of possibilities in
twentieth-century warfare; and it was
Daylight, rejecting, accepting, and
celebrating, who planned the cam
paigns and prosecuted them. With the
Pacific coast, from Puget Sound to
Panama, buzzing and humming, and
with. San Francisco furiously about his
ears, the two big steamship companies
had all the appearance Of winning. 1t
looked as if Burning Daylight was be-
ing beaten slowly to his knees. And
then he struck-at the steamship com
panies, at San Francisco, at the whole
Pacific coast.
1t was not much of blow at first.
A Christian Endeavor convention was
being held in San Francisco. row
was started by Express Drivers Union
No. 927 over the handling OF small
heap OF baggage at Ferry Building. A
few heads were broken, score of ar.
rests made, and the baggage was de.
livered. No one would nave guessed
that behind this petty wrangle was
the fine Irish hand of Hogan, made
potent by the Klondike gold of Burn.
ing Daylight. 1t was an insignificant
affair at best-or so it seemed. But
the Transfers Union took up the
quarrel, backed by the whole Water
Front Federation. Step by step, the
strike became involved A refusal OF
cooks and walters to serve scab team
sters or Transfers employers
brought out the cooks and walters.
The butchers and meat cutters refused
to handle meat destined for unfair
restaurants. The combined Employ
ers' Associations put up solid front,
and found facing them the 10000 or
ganized laborers Of San Francisco.
The restaurant bakers and the bakery
wagon drivers struck, followed by the
mixers, milk drivers and chicken
pickers. The building trades asserted
its position in unambiguous terms, and
all San Francisco was in turmoil.
But still, it was only San Francisco.
Hegan's intrigues were mastery, and
Daylight's campaign steadily devei'
oped. The powerful fighting organl,
sauuu Known as the Pacific Slope Sea.
mans Union refused to work vessels
the cargoes Of which were to be
handled by scab lopgshorelen and
freight handlers. The union presented
its uitimatum, and then called strike.
This had been Daylights objective all
the time, Every incoming coastwise
vessel was boarded by the union off.
Gals and its crew sent ashore. And
with the seamen went the tiremen, the
engineers and the sea cooks and
walters. Daily the number OF idle
steamers increased. 1t was impossi.
BILE to get scab crews, for the men OF
the Seamen's Union were fighters
trained in the hard school of the sea.
and when they went out it meant
blood and death to scabs. This phase
Of the strike Spread I'D and down the