The Barkentine Eureka Slips Port
In a display of industrial defiance, the captain of the Eureka clears Seattle harbor with a non-union crew, outmaneuvering local labor organizers.
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.
The barkentine Eureka was towed out of Seattle harbor yesterday afternoon, carrying a cargo of lumber to San Francisco for the Southern Pacific Railroad. Captain Brummer, who has been in a heated dispute with the Coast Seamen’s Union for refusing to hire union labor, successfully circumvented a group of protesters who had been watching the docks all day. Brummer stated his intent to 'fool the union sailors,' replacing his standard crew with a skeleton group of captains and mates he brought aboard himself. Rumors persisted that he had further crew members stowed away, ready to emerge once the vessel was clear of the harbor.
“I have a crew of captains and mates this time, and fool the union sailors yet.”
This story highlights the volatile labor relations on the Seattle waterfront during the 1890s, when ship owners and unions engaged in constant brinkmanship over labor standards and union recognition.
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