The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, July 31, 1901, Page 1

—/ 4 o has S VOLUME XC-—NO. 61. SAN FRANCISCO, WEDNESDAY, JULY 31, 1901. PRICE FIVE CENTS. GREATEST OF LOCAL STRIKES PARTIALLY TIE EMBARRASSES BUSINESS IN THE ¥ -~ Absence of Violence and Rioting Marks Its Commencement it The Water Front Is Now the Center of the Labor Difficulty SIS IS HE inception of the general strike on the docks and in the wholesale and manufacturing districts of San Francisco yesterday morning was not attended by rioting or disorder, nor were the wheels of industry so completely clogged as to make the really serious con- dition confronting employers apparent to the outsider. Business moved along, but in a jerky and clumsy style, while the striking workingmen looked on, chagrined to see even partial success attend the ef- forts of the employers to get along with- out them, but in the main well pleased with the situation. As was to be expected the tie-up was more complete on the docks than else- where. | | l DLLED Oy, SHIPPING AND GREATLY HOLESALE AND MANUFACTURING DISTRICTS s | = L s <+ USINESS was at a standstill on the water front yesterday. Ship- | B ping was tied up and freight a: i cumulated on the wharves in | large quantities. The strikers | were very quiet and few disturbances | marred the almost holiday appearance of this usually busy section of the city. The {action of the City Front Federation in | to the Oakland side to rest until the trou- ble has been settled. Practically nothing was going on at the Mail dock. | there were no men to handle it. i railroad cars had been taken down to the | dock on Monday night to discharge into | the steamship Coptic, but owing to the The unions are very nearly mas- | calling out the members of the unions!lack of men to empty the cars they were xd ES RUMOR THAT RETAILERS WERE ASKED NOT TO SELL GOODS TO STRIKERS EXCEPT FOR CASH IS DENIED TTORNEY M. F. MICHAEL, counsel for the Employers’ Association, made the following statement yesterday: adoptin as the nently reasomable and just. unions the representatives were “The rumor that the Employers’ Association has notified local retailers that they should not sell goods to strikers except for cash is absolutely false. made during the pendency of the present trouble or at any time. The association has no need of such tacties in order to win the struggle in which it is now engaged. ociation is concerned, presents nothing new. ganizations who attended the meeting in Mayor Phelan’s office Tuesday declare that the suggestions made by our association on which a settlement of the existing troubles might be effected were emi- They were willing to accept them, but when The members of the association make only wsuch de- are allowed them by law and prompted by common business prudence, and if the labor or-0 ganizations were disposed to meet them in a friendly spirit this trouble might have been averted.” turned down. ] No such request was made, nor will it be The representatives of The situation, as far the various labor or- they reported to their ters of the situation there, and freight was moved from wharfs to holds or from holds to wharfs. Few vessels, except those given exemption for various reasons from the dictum of the City Front Federation, made any §progress toward readiness for sailing, and until the strike is settled none of them will leave port ex- Continued on Page Two. little | in its jurisdiction had its effect on the commerce of the city. Ships were un- able to depart because of a lack of crews; freight littered the docks in every section and steam schooners lay at their wharves without a sign of life in them. Comman- ders of many vessels had to take off their coats and place freight on board in order to get away from their berths. Many shipowners had their vessels towed over — removed in the morning. The T. C. Walker brought 100 tons of flour to the dock for shipment to the Or- fent. The cargo was unloaded on the wharf by the steamer’s crew. Later in the afternoon the Coptic's crew of China- men worked like beavers, carrying the flour on board the vessel. The Pacific Malil Steamship Company’s Colon is lying idle. All hands were laid oft on Monday A small quantity of freight | {had been delivered on this wharf, but| Five | night. The City of Para is also tied up. Late in the afternoon a gang of Portu- guese workmen were brought to the dock in a steam launch, but owing to some hitch in the arrangements the men were not landed. Some person cruelly injured a dumb brute yesterday. A team belonging to the firm of O'Kane & Ciprico was driven to the Fremont-street wharf by young Cip- rico. The driver stepped into a saloon with a friend, leaving the team unpro- tected on the street. Some wretch took advantage of the driver's absence and poured acld on tue back of one of the horses. The animal’s cries attracted Cip- rico’s attention and he rushed out to find the animal in agony. The horse’s hide was badly burned. Sope reliet was given the horse by humane bystanders. Ciprico | claims he knows the perpetrator of the outrage and he intends prosecuting him. The matter will be reported to Secretary Holbrook of the Society for the Preven- tion of Cruelty to Animals. Many Vessels Tied Up. The Conemaugh is tied up at the Fre- mont-street wharf. Her captain succeed- ed in getting 100 tons of coal into her bunkers by working his crew until 4 o'clock yesterday morning. The schooner Jennie Thelin was moved out into the stream. Her crew followed the dictates of the union and quit hey. At the Beale-street wharf the ship John Cooke with 1500 tons of cement in her, and the schooner Viking, with 200,000 feet of lumber, are tled up. Four scows wait- ing for coal from the Black Diamond and the Pacific Coast companies are also tied up. No one was working in the yards of the coal companies. Office boys, yardmen and stablemen loitered around the places and seemed to be enjoying a holiday. This same state of affalrs was noticed at Dunsmuir’s and Rosenfeld’s coalyards. At Main-street wharf the ship Allerton, with 5000 barrels of cement left in her, moved over to Mission Rock to wait the termination of the strike. The coal hulk Germania, with a big load ! Freight Piles Up on Wharves ‘While Sailors and Longshoremen Walk the Streets in Idleness, Obedient to Order of City Front Federation and the Various Affiliated Unions---Business Practically at a Standstill Along the Usually Teeming Docks land came down to the wharf yesterday morning he found his crew gone. He then daffed his coat and proceeded to load the tug himself. After two hours of hard labor he concluded that the contract he set himself was too difficult, so he gave up the task. The steam schooner Alcazar arrived in port Monday night. She had the bark An- drew Welch in tow and Captain Martin Places of Striking Por- ters Are Taken by the Non-Union Men The Wholesalers Find Many Applicants for Positions Vacated b i EARLY every business firm of magnitude in San Francisco was more or less affected by the strike of the porters, packers and ware- housemen. The walkout was gen~ eral, and while there were a few firms whose men stuck to their posts, despite the efforts of the union pickets to bring them to terms, the greater number wers forced to select new crews in order to se- | cure the transaction of business through= out the day. In many instances where the porters and packers walked out of the places where they had been continuously ems ployed for many years the shipping clerks, bookkeepers, accountants and other em- ployes took off their coats and white col- lars, turned up their shirt sleeves and — = o+ look, said: best of spirt sequences. PRESIDENT CASEY OF THE CITY FRONT FEDERATION DECLARES TEAMSTERS CANNOT POSSIBLY BE DEFEATED ICHAEL CASEY, president of the City Front Federation, in speaking yesterday of the general out- “The teamsters cannot possibly be defeated in their strike. unions comprised in the City Front Federation, the water front and the business of the eity has been tied up so that the merchants cannot hold out against us. the means of conferences endeavored to bring about an adjusiment of the difficulties, but in vain, employers refused to treat with us when we sought them and now they must seek us. The Brotherhood of Teamsters, with scarcely an exception, have stood loyally to their principles. and are prepared to maintain the fizht to the end, regardless of the cost or of the con- We earnestly hope for an early termination of the struggle, if not for ourselves, for the With the assistance of the ‘We souzht for peace, and by The The men are in the KN of coal in her, is tied up. All hands quit the first thing yesterday morning. The scow Wavelet had to deliver a load of lumber up the river and her captain ‘was compelled to appeal to friends to as- sist him load the vessel, so that he could fulfill his contract. The new tug Warrior is almost com- pleted and ready for sea. She was to have taken twenty-five tons of coal on board yesterday, but owing to the strike, was unable to put to sea. When Captain Ley- welfare of the city, but if the fizht must go on we are fully tep-red to sustain it.” was proud of his achievement. He had picked the Andrew Welch up off Montara Reef, when the vessel was in danger of going ashore. Yesterday morning he in- tended putting to sea and therefore drop- ped into the chief wharfinger’s office to no- tify that official that he could use the berth after he departgd. The wharfinger smiled and told the captain that he did Continued on Page Five. > 4 went to work at the trucks. Throughout the morning the applicants for positions made vacant by the strikers presented themselves and all comers were provided with places until the required quota of assistants had been made up. The mer- chants allege that they will not suffer materfally by reasonof the strike, and that as soon as the new crews are accus- Continued on Page Five,