The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, December 17, 1905, Page 71

Pages T1to84 | ————— L3 kPagcsjl to84 SAN FRANCISCO, SUNDAY, DECEMBER 17, 1905. CITY ATTORNEY JSELECTS HIS OFFICE FORCE. Appointees Is Claribel David, Fair {md Learned Disciple of Law. ' INQUEST INTO THE DEATH OF JIMMY MITCHELL At the inquest on the death of Jimmy Mitchell, the boy scaler who was burned to death on the steamer Despatch, James Murray, one of the little fellows who narrowly escaped a similar fate, made some startling revelations of child labor conditions here. He declares .that the employers of the child boiler scalers were accustomed to withhold . 25 cents from their daily pay for rent' of cheap tools. g jJPIEREA VED MOTHER TELLS A PATHETIC TALE Among New — ~ i ST, Little Scaler Says Coin Is Deducted { From Wages. Children Declared to '\ Be Victims of Perry Graft. Partof 1heir Money Is Withheld for i Use of Tools. | | Confiicting testimony regarding the ori- gin of the fire on the Despatch was brought out at the inquest héld on the death of little James Mitchell yesterday. Some interesting insight into the horrors | | of child labor was given and some rev- elations of sordid thrift on the part of | | men who hire tiny boys to do the| | dangerous work in boiler scaling were | | made. 5 “Mike Derby, who hires us, charges 2 cents a day for tools,” declared James Murray, a scaler, who claims to be 15, but looks to be about 12 vears old. These tools cost T cents. | “Why don’t you buy your own toois | | if they cost so little?” asked Coroner Leland. s “Well, i£ T didu’t hire the tools from | | Derby, I don’t think that he would hire | | | me,” repliea little Murray. i Coroner Leland inquired closely into | this graft. After close questioning, it | | | | was brought out that Mike Derby, the | | | boss scaler, attended to paying the | | | | boys. He alwnys held out 25 cents for | a day’s rent of the implements vmrth{ 75 cents. ! For crawling in through a hole | scarcely wide enough to admit them | and working all day in a dark, foul- smelling space, the boys recelved the munificent sum of $2.50, minus Mike Derby's tribute of 25 cents. Sometimes the hoys were paid by the ship owner. Then tlie companies, with the same economical business methods that ch: acterize Derby, rent tools—valued a cents mew—to the boys. While young Murray was exposing th tricks of the scallng business one of the Jurors remarked, ‘“Those tools seem to be a profitable investment.” Murray told his story with evident re- i s T i MITCRA E L. Y i | | o 3 £ | | MOTHER OF JAMES MITCHELL. THE BOY KILLED IN DESPATCH FIRE, AND TWO OF HIS COMPANIONS IN THE WORK OF BOILER SCALING WHO TESTIFIED AT THE INQUEST, ONE OF THEM TELLING HOW EMPLOYE ASSESSED THEM TOOLS. 5 FOR USE OF -+ “It's astonishing how, few boys there are in this State between the ages of 8 land 12,” remarked Commissioner Staf- | | ford. | | WILL RAISE FUNDS I FOR IRISH PEOPLE or I felt sorry for her and I was to do what I could to gid her. see, it was like this. The young George Howath, for whom I ap-| 1 { 1 man, 4 liams is a member of the law firm of Bryan & Willlams and also stands high with the administration. Albert T. Roach has always been prominently luctance. Fie apparently feared that the expose would prevent him from again risking his yvoung *life and undermining his health for $2 50 a day—minus 25 cents for hire of tools. “When we are on Government jobs we only get $2,” s=aid Murray. “Then Derby charges us 20 cents for the tools. On all the other jobs he charges us 25 cents.” MOTHER TELLS HER STORY. A pathetic figure at the inquest was Mrs. Mitchell, mother of Jimmy Mitchell, the little scaler boy who was trampled and beaten back in the mad rush from the burning hold of the Despatch. She did not know that her son was on the vessel until late at night. Mrs. Mitchell had gone down town and returned just as the engines were rush- She felt no concern about Robert McClay, assistant engineer oh the Despatch, advanced the theory that the disaster was caused by a piece of timber crashing on the gauge of the oil heater. This, he declared, would cause a spray to be fermed and render the oil subject to ignition. McClay declared that he had gone into the engine room shortly after the flames had been extinguished and saw a heavy timber lying across the gauges. “How do you know that the timber did not fall after the fire started?” asked Coroner Leland. McClay attempted to explain his theory by means of diagrams, but could not make it clear to the jury. Coroner Le- land decided that it would be necessary for the jury to visit the Despatch to-~ MANY HURT NACAR SWASHUP One Passenger-Laden Vehicle E | there are in the new Cabinet many men United Irish League Is Pre- paring to Hold Meeting for That Purpose. At a recent meeting of the United Irish League of 'this city it was resolved to hold a public. meeting In the near future to raise funds to aid the Irish people to defray the heavy expenses incidental to a general election which is sure to follow the resignation of the Balfour Ministry and the transfer of the Government of Engiland to the Liberal party under the leadership of, Sir Henry Cambpell-Ban- nerman. Mr: Gladstone committed.the Liberal party to the principle of home rule, and w how to reach'it ouble I thought I could help him to get | sther chance, and I wanted to help his | | motk I felt sorry for her. I took for for barrassed? No, indeed; I did not embarrassed. Why should I be em- ! it, was- nothing. It did not to mbch—just a féw minutes’ And, besides, 1 got 'nim out of bar troub | 1 did not actually win the case. He | wasn't acquitted, you know. Only al- SUES STOCKHOLDERS OF BANKRUPT FIRM Assignee Asks for Judgment | Against Members of Porter Bros. g Bernard C. Carroll, as assighee of the creditors of the bankrupt firm of Porter the mother felt no alarm, for the boy often remained out until late. playing. It was after 8 o'clock when Mrs. Mitchell's eldest boy rushed into the house, pale and red eyed. “Did you know that Jimmy was on the Despatch?”’ he asked, and then burst into L tears. The stricken - mother -realized what had happened. When she saw the child again he was a pitiful, blackened little hean on a slab at the Morgue. He had given his life for a promise of $2.50, minus 25 cents for the hire of tools valued at 75 cents. Jimmy Mitchell. One of the tiny hands was stretched out toward the lowest rung of the ladder. Whether it was that he had been kicked back into the fire and knocked unconscious, or whether he be- came overcome by gas is not known. He died within reach of safety. Captain Kensall and Lieutenant W. F. Miskill saw the beam referred to by Me- Clay, but did not know whether it struck the gauge or not. James Connor, the shipwright engaged in making the re- pairs, does not believe that the beam | escape from death or serious injury. The When the Brake Gives Way At rear end collision of two Taylor street electric cars near the corner of Ellis street shortly after 6 o'clock last night | Tesulted in the injury of a dozen persons. | Both cars were crowded at the time and | more than a hundred people had a narrow collision was the result of a broken brake of’the rear car. Car number 1034 of the Taylor, street line, south bound, stopped at”the corner peared seemed more unfortunate than|identiied with the laboring men. He |IDg to the fire. morrow. . | ASSISTANT bad. He isn't altogether bad. I think ' i still a member of the Printing |the boy at all. He would return at sup- i oY, Crashes' Into Another at|who belteve that the oniy settlement ot Pts wat few people are really bad. 1 think | Pressmen’s Union, having followed that | Per time, she thought. WITHIN REACH OF SAFETY. by o | that disturbing question in . British poli- ATIORAEY here is some good in every one if we | calling before taking up the practice| But long after the evening meal was| Fire Captain Theodore B. Kensall toid | Kllis and Taylor Streets | tics ts the granting to the Irish people W HOES ‘ Wehen he got into | Of law here a few years ago. over he continued to rémain away. Still | how he found the charred body of little the management of their own affairs inm some such way as Canada and the Aus- tralian colonies possess it. John Morley, Mr. Bannerman's chief adviser, is a pro- | nounced Home Ruler, as is James Bryee, Chief' Secretary for Ireland, while the Earl of Aberdeen, the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. though not a nmember of the Cabinet, was, during his‘previous admin- istration, one of the most popular vice- roys that Ireland has had for many years;-and few if any Have done more to promote and foster the cottage industries .of .the country and to find a profitable market:for them' than Lady’ Aberdeen.: . lowed to go on probation. But that's . years ew appointees | ,CEd 10 KO OB Bros., filed seventeen ' stits o > Towrs sl ng. -y vesterday struck the gauge. e was holding ‘one - are as 1 \;‘ : H “:-.n:l Ha’no:, J\h Why, ves, indeed, I would go' into the | against the individual stockholders of the Mrs, Mitchell declared that the little | enq of it when the fire started. The beam | of Ellis street, and was just about to| The exclusion of Lord “Rosebery from iew a reher e ot | Police Court again, though that was my | defunct corporation to recover $63290 70. | fellow had mot obtalned her permission | pgg gince been removed. start up again when acry:was heard| the Cabinet is considered by those who follow closely the trend of British politics to work on the Despatch. - Her husband also denied that he had given permis- sion, When the glittering lure of $2.50, minug the tribute, was. held before him, , W Baggett, Albert T. | ss Claribel David. Miss | e present stenographer, | Joseph Maloney, another of the young corroborated what the hiring of only éxperience there. Why not, if I found some good reason?. If I saw where I could do some one some good, why not? | In the complaint it is stated -that Porter | Bros. incorporated under the laws of New | Jersey with a capital stock of $1,000,000 | and are engaged in this State in the busi- s Indicating that some understanding was had with John Redmond. the leader of the Irish Parllamentary party, regard- ber 807 came crashing into the first vehi- cle. Meh shouted, women screamed and fainted, and it was at first thought sev- scalers who escaped, Murray had told about scalers’ topls. Young Maloney created from the rear, and a moment later num- '_ - % " ¢ ve| Yes, indeed, I would take a criminal . SRR ¢ Baike - Rave | the little fellow eagerly grasped at it. eral had been killed. ing the composition of the Cabinet. reshadowed for some time in | 8se. I have never done so yet because |nes of packing and shipping dried fruits, [ 2 W ® ‘g Oy +. | some amusement by the assertion tbat |1 ver | operating refrigerator I rge. H. cGue, one of the little Scenes of excitement ensued. Hundreds| The Home Rule party, in conjunction never had one offered to me. But I see ; OD ng refrigerator lines, etc. scalers. who managed to escape with:hig | I® had sixteen brothers. When askedto R e T e oo thi T el gl 4 very case save that of Miss David y comes as & surprise as a decided novelty. It is not y that can boast of a Portla guide the affairs in its legal | and therefore there is attached to the ap- David. | in the history of San | qunicipal government has | selected to fill such = Miss David er surrounded the wrecked cars in a.twink- ling. Se persons . were pinioned be- neath' the ‘which was piled up in an unsightly mass. WOMAN MAY DIE Mrs. Paul Nissen, 1308 Cortland ave- nue, was the most seriously injured of the passengers. She was caught in the wreckage and suffered*a bad gash in the temple, possibly a fracture of the skull and internal injuries that may prove se- On July 13, 1%03, bankruptey pi - ings were brought against-the firm, and it entered into the precess.of liquidation. Of the liabilities of the cofporation 24 per cent was paid, which exhausted the assets. There was still due the creditors, however, the sum of $62,290 70, and to re- cover this sum suits have been instituted against the stockholders utef.ho bankrupt company. The assignée of thec reditors is represented by Pillsbury, Madison & give their names he got from Pete to Mike, making nine, then his memory failed him. I Captain Henry Weber of the Despatch ‘waxed declamatory on the stand. He de- clared that he was not on board when the accident happened and that-he knew nothing about the hiring of the boys. He sald that when he arrived at the wharf some one was trying to set the vessel adrift to save the dock. Had this been | no reason why a woman lawyer should | not. Very often in looking over the cases | In court I see many reasons why she should. I think that very often where & woman is involved a woman lawyer could get the facts much more easily than a man and present them more justly.. I can see no jmpropriety in a woman plead- ing for a woman. Can you?” APPOINTEES ARE KNOWN. ty, is sure to hold the balance of power in the new Parllament. They will thus be in a position to_dictate to the Govern- ment, as Parnell was on.more than one occasion.. . This; ~however;, i ocontingent upon their being able to return as large a delegation as, they possess at present. The Torles will be sure, as.is. their cus- tom, to contest every seat fn order tp ex- haust the slender resources of the Irish life from the blazing hold, told a graphic story of the tragedy. He declared that he was 13 years old. z Just before the first. jet..of flames gushed out of the oll tank young McGue saw a man pass, carrying a lighted torch. A second afterward every one in the fire room was knocked down by the force of the explosion, and panic seized the men and children cooped in that burning trap, oys | . -2 The other appointees of Burke are - with an exit just big enough for one to % . - # . g o wmong B¢ all well known fn this city and vielnlty [0 T igwt v jcrawd through-at s time: . - % ©. " |done the tide would have carrled the bout|rious, J.. Lindstram, 2078 Twenty-fourth P Iefaly. Tonders ‘Bave: looked farward s ; * | and most of them have been promi- Every human instinct was .forgotten. | Out into the bay, wh would have | street, was badly cut up and bruised. He | ="l R B ko carly: dissolittion of was sitting on the front seat of the car that came crashing down the hill./ George Kelly, conductor of the car that ‘was hit, sustained a fracture of the right leg and other serious injuries. An agent of the United Rallroads happened to be on the scene at the time and he had Men Swindle Tailors. Several tallors have complained to police headquarters about .two swin- been impossible to save those on board. Captain Weber does not know who the | man was. Boiler Inspector Dolan testified that he declined to inspect the tanks on the day of the disaster with a candle. He de- manded an electric light and was fur- \known to the legal lights of the s g been a member of the bar | m There was a mad rush for safety and a screaming, kicking mass of boys and men blocked the narrow en!nnpe_ F KICKED BACK INTO FIRE. ‘When young McGue caught a rung of the iron ladder leading \to the deck and nently identified with union labor work Parliament, and ‘they.ane not unprépared. for some years. William T. Baggett the noted special writer | W28 formerly a well-known newspaper | gy, " ‘One of the men buys-a sult of Call staff, wrote a very inter- | ®ditor here. He left the journalistic| ooy, 2naorders it #ent to a room view with Miss David some | i¢ld some time ago gnd has since fol- | liv “ 4 . | cash on delivery, A messenger hoy hich the talented | lowed the law. He was a candicate on | 3 . the Demoecratic ticket for Superior | goes with the suit and the purchaser 100 1 M. "Alexander, 110- Mon! -n!;-t are tapidly replacing other makes of t iters with their latest “visible™ nng tihe following sales of L. 2 f varied experiences be- i t strucl n 3 ! Miss David is an | defeated. a few minutes the second man, saying | furnace. Dazed by the blow and chokeg | CONditions ¢n the Despatch warranted| U2 "V "5 0% 00 Sried to withneld | chines sach to T e Trase Shna: Hilts this precaution. He sald that in one part’ S Sig- Daniel Burchard is also a prominent ted young woman and | e that he would see what was detaining | by the stifling fumes of the burning oil, ! information concerning the jes. Kel- | Bros.; Goldberg. Bowen & Co.;-U. S S| rr well verded on legal guestions. | figure in the local field. He 00 oncy | his friend, also leaves the rodm and | he came near sharing the fate of littie | Of the hold the air was so foul that he |, "C g not be found last e o e | nal Corps: ré‘oér.gmmm Laindry Co.; She formerly studied at the Univer- | xan for Superior Judge and was also | that is the last seen of them or the|Jimmy Mitchell. But he managed to|NSd Deen driven hack ~Trhis spot Was| g iound” methods of the agent having | ATt Gse mecs (osn en Typawiiiees turned down. He was formerly a resi- : dent-of San Jose, where he was Dis- of the law and when a mere | trict Attorney, and 1s .well known 1sed to read with interest the | throughout the Santa Clara Valley. He ws. In this way, she managed | has done much for the cause of union for legal learning which | Jabor in this city lately, and that s one | sre rapidity as she pur- | of the reasons why he is so well re- | wardea. i A. S Newburgh is also a familiar figure in the iocal courts and is known as a technical lawyer of ability. He literary : h to ‘the folln"l“ cities. Oakland, atzck!on. San Jose, Visalia, Bakersfleld, { Fresno, Sacramento, Reno and Go: | flera. prevailed. 2% Two women, whose names could not be learned, were seated on.the rear seats of car 807. Both were rendered unconsclous by being thrown to tHe ground. They were not fatally hurt, however, and left the gcene of the accident before the police arrived. s CONDUCTOR ABDUCTED. C. M. Denman, conductor of car 07, was | 2, taking a ! suit. One is described as 45 years of | collect his senses and clambered She w always Interested in jage, 5 feet 8 Inches tall and stout buila { fully out into the fresh air. ¥ "and the other 30 years of age, 5 feet 8§ | The day before the tank exploded two | inches tall, slim build. The police are | little boys were inside of. it engaged ‘in looking for them. cleaning it. Had the explosion occurred then a tragedy even more horrible would have cccurred. 3 “How do you get into the boiler to do this scaling work?’ asked Coroner Le- land. . The inquest will be continued at 9 o’clock to-morrow. ———— On Tuesday. The most attractive and novel publi- cation issued in this city for many a day will be seen next 'iueldny. In the seventies twenty-six photographs were taken of the streets of San ‘ancisco. Photographs of the same localities wera man came running dowr the hill with a | plece of the broken brake, which he | picked up at the cormer of Geary street, two blocks away. It was forturate that the aceident did not occur sooner, for the brake was ut- Fatally Kicked by Horse. Charles Scott, a stableman employed at 1308 Fulton street, was so severely kicked by a vicious hors t ‘ ;h:!;l;f‘:{ “Through the manhole,” replied Me- 1S LAW i Miss David never studfed law in the GRADUATE. ersity It was mot till she com- e ‘that he may die. Scol in e this year. These have been | badly cut and bruised, but not seriously cted her studies there and entered | has been practiving here for manyignow. the brate's tsmbe%went into the | Gue. o P oroduced in half-tone and the en |injured. Motorman. W. 8. AMrd of the | tarly usless, and Motorman Alrd says he stings Law College that she tackled | Years., he recent election he went | gia)] to feed him. The horse struck “How large is the manhole?” avings will be in the Christmas- San | eame car suffered like injuries” W. H.|does not know how it held out as long as egal qhestions in_earmest. Then | {8 the froat for the Behmits force #nd | out, fracturing Scott's hip. While the| ‘“Just about blg enough for a boy to Francisco News Letter. making one of | Wickham, 255 Palmer street, was.also it did. The collision accurred at the bot- studied with a will. Being nat- | his rewar orthcoming. He | man was lying helpless In the stall, the | get through.” o MR ey B ® | badly cut up. Flve other persoms, who!tom of a steep hill and this makes the has been an intimate friend of Abe Ruef's for a good many years. Howard Harron is a resident of the g-o to make good their escape | lack of casualties even the more remark- fore the police arrived, were more or|able, as the car was running at a high bruised Goes East. L 18(—Hon. J. M |lies® and shaken up by falling or | rate € speed when it ran into the other rampled u; hi “Could larger boys do the work?” asked WL sonsiab of 135 yages. By the tlm’emllm w: Labor Commissioner Stafford. B cior e savage brute.| ‘‘There are parts where a larger boy e vicious animal t again and again. dragged away from urally gifted with a liking for the law er task was a pleasant one and she advanced, being graduated with nors ¥orty-third Assembly. District and he | Scott’s skull was - fraetu uldn't work,” replied. McGue. POR' D, Dec. = rom the cars. e Ellis-street gdrs, In teiling Helen Dare of her first expe- | has been prominent for the administra- | was .suftering froi {'inum::‘1:,nd :: eo"m people ever ask you how old you ted last week to gucceed | mt&:: .fi result of a broken % £ - “F.'Md Just l-"u!d nee in a Police Court, Miss David sald: | tign ever since it has been in' power.; Dr. Kucich, who. treated “him at ‘are when employing - you to do this | the States Senator John H. [ brake on car 807. Motorman Aird said he | the corner. Huad one of these heen struck knew the mother of the young man | He is & young lawyer and very well| Park Hospital, could- give ‘little hope D o R M R S TR e | Miteh ator from Oregon, de- |applied the brakes and they refused to many des and injuries would whom I defended, and I wanted to help % AR 5 gton.-to-day. 3 - Shortly after known at the local bar. John T. Wil- ) for his recovery. 3 the accident &