Labor Clash on the Waterfront
A standoff between a non-union crew and labor organizers ends in a swift legal dismissal.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Monday night the crew of the Catherine Sudden, who are all non-union sailors, were enticed away from the ship and persuaded to desert. The captain, however, got into the combination, and with the aid of Constable Pearson captured the whole crew and they are now safely housed on board. Tuesday night Capt. Atwood swore out a warrant for the arrest of Albert Rabe, the representative of the Sailors' Union, for enticing men to leave the vessel. Rabe was arrested by Constable Bass on Tuesday night and was given a hearing on Wednesday before Justice Arnold who bound him over under $100 bonds, which was given and the prisoner released. On Thursday morning Capt. Atwood withdrew the charge and the case was dropped.
“The captain... with the aid of Constable Pearson captured the whole crew and they are now safely housed on board.”
This 1893 labor conflict highlights the volatile history of maritime work in Grays Harbor, where local industry often pitted immigrant or non-union labor against organized efforts to establish industry standards. These same ports remain hubs for labor disputes regarding wages and safety, rhyming with the city's long-standing reliance on the mills and the harbor.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.