The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1920-09-15
Broken Men Dumped
Ashore After Horrors
Aboard "HeU Ship''

BAN FRlASCISCO. sept 1ss--The
foul smelling hold OF the Aiaska
Packer ship star OF Poland. vomitrd
it, crew Of broken men on SAN Fran
cisco waterfront Tuesday.
They STRAINED into Chinatown IN
groups Of three and four 70 b paid
Off
Among them were boys Of Is and
Is who left home three months b.
fore. frcsh-cheeked and cieareycd
only to return with the sunkcn faces
and widestarinw eyes Of DOPE fisnds.
STORIES TOLD or
NEW-AG.ADE DOPE FIENDS
while they waited In the doorwxys
Of Chinatown for Choo Muck and
Choc Iii. the Chinese bosses and con
tractors. TO pay them off. they told
stories OF ncw-made dope fiends. OF
starvation and unsanstary conditions.
Of strikes and breaks for liberty that
rfvaled the taies OF n London or
stevenson.
"Grfefo." . new hop. made NJ ap
pearanoe ON the streets with the tat
tcrdernaiIon crcwa . drug sold them
by the Mexican bosses Of the China
gangk
Paie-faccd youths and mere boys
were rolling IL powdery substance
into cigarctA II was passed out
among them on the ship on the way
up. they said II was the only thing
that would make thesn sleep In the
opiumfumed bunk tiers. and now
they couldn't stop.
MONEY TAKEN OUT
or THEIR WAGES
Five dollars a can. tho crow said
II cost The money wan taken out
Of their wages as merchandise
Peter Bruno. OF San Francisco,
Fred Ryan. Of Chicago: Carl Hodges.
Of Florida: Chas. Holoua. OF Homo.
lulu: &C. c. s." OF New Bedford.
Mass. and Felipe Sanchez. OF Tenn
pie. Ariz-. were the heroes Of the
Star of Poiand's crewA
They II was who. unable TO bear
the poor food and lodgings OF the
canneries Of Bristol bay, made a
break for liberty. With n shotgun
and 200 shells the five men struck
out for the trail OF the cogione river.
which. the legend Of the camp said.
led somewhere TO civilization
Instead. they made a mistake and
followed the Nakuek river. which
leads to no mans land In n country
forgotten by God. Five days the
men killed their own food from the
game of the country. then. realizing
they were lost. they painfully made
their way back TO camp.
REBELLION PUTS NEW
COURAGE IN MEN
They were fined for this by their
Chinese bosses, they say, and pun.
ished in more ways than one. but
their courage In rcbeiling put new
spirit In the men--all save the dope
fiends. the despised TYPOS" lured
from the city's streets by promises
Of hop" in Alaska /.
They bent to the win Of their
yellow masters. the men said. plead.
ing, begging for Junk" Once In
Alaska 1t came In pitifuly small
"papers' that failed to ease their
fortunes. They made the night
hideous with their cries TO God for
dope, say the men.
Here In the story Of the Star Of
Poland and its crew. the Star OF
He'll" the men call 1t. and the can.
neries OF Bristol bay. az told 10 me
by members Of the crew:
Boy members OF tho crew were
compelled to take hop" in order
to sleep In the hold of the ship.
filled with the fumes Of cooking
opium.
One boy was driven crazy by the
use Of drugs and disappeared after
the ship reached Bristol bay.
CONTRACTS WRITTEN
IN SPANISH
Contracts given many Of the men
were written In Spanish and they
did not know what they we're sign
ing.
Eight and nine men were forced TO
live In tiny one-room shack on the
cannery grounds In Alaska