The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-05-16
Marine Fireman
BarGS Tale Of
: Cruelty at Sea

John Hansen, fireman on the S.
S. Steelmaker of the Isthmian Line,
which plies between this port and
Yokohama and other oriental ports,
was badly beaten at the hands of the
first engineer, f. Erwin, a typical
bully of the company slave driver
type.
The incident took place on the sec
ond engineers watch while Hansen
was down in the fire pit cleaning oil
burners. He had just cleaned out
on the stokehole floor, which was
covered with paint and kerosene,
when the second engineer approached
him and asked him whether he had
cleaned out the bilges. Hansen an
swered him that as soon as he would
be thru on the stokehole floor he
would begin on the bilges. He then
went away and Hansen returned to
the nauseating job of working in
paint and kerosene on the steel floor.
After a little time had passed and
Hansen was still on the floor, the
bullying first engineer came into the
stoke compartment and after cyni-
cally surveying Hansen's labor he APP
preached him and asked him the same
question that the second engineer had
asked him a short time before. He
answered him in the same manner
that he had answered the second en-
gineer.
Beaten Badly.
The first engineer thereupon in
suited him and dashed out at him with
his fists, knocking him about the face
and body. Hansen was badly beaten.
When he asked to be taken to the
captain, the first engineer emphati-
cally refused to do this, saying that
there was no reason to do so.
When Hansen made a broken at
tempt to climb up the ladder the first
engineer knocked him down the iron
rungs injuring him still further. He
sontinued his brutalities knocking out
one of Hansen's teeth and otherwise
injuring him. He also threatened to
murder him if he reported it and
didn't go back to the stokehole.
Consequently Hansen was forced to
drag his beaten body back into the
stokehole and forced to finish his
watch despite the terrible beating
which he had received. A Spanish
oiler by the name of June was wit
ness to the proceedings but was help
less to interfere.
Finally Hansen was able to see the
captain. This availed him little so
far as satisfaction for his injuries
was concerned. The captain told him
to wait till they arrived in Philadel-
phia and then to see the shipping
commissioner.
The shipping commissioner sent
him to the seamen's doctor at the
port barge office. Here he received
a letter to pay him off at New York
as he no longer wanted to sail on the
SIS. SHOEMAKER.
Forced To Stay On Boat.
The captain, however, tried to
force him to remain on the boat until
they reached Providence despite his
weakened condition after the beating.
When he got back to New York he
was told that he would be paid off
Friday. He received but five dollars
from the shipping commissioner for
maintenance till the ship returns.
These conditions of brutality and
mistreatment of sailors and flremen
are not unusual or out of the way
and will continue to be so until the
men are organized into a strong body
able to fight and gain their economic
and social demands. If all the sea-
men We're organized in one strong
union able to fight for and protect
the rights Of the men while on the job
such conditions would be a nightmare
of the distant past.
As it is, they still occur, not al
ways as in the case of Hansen to the
extent of brutal display Of physical
force on the part of the company of
ficials, but in the removal Of the basic
rights Of the marine workers, to the
mercenary advantage of the COM
panies employing them.
The obvious solution is in organiza.
ton. The class consciousness Of the
neafarer must be raised to the stage
where he will naturally respond to
the stimulus of organization into a
strong union,