National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1869-06-11
Nobody S Luggage!

shine, and the fresh air of the docks,
one is impressed with IA strange
stiffness and gloom. The air is huf-
fly with very ole dust, and the big
notes. flOting in sunbeams that ia i
through heavily grated windows,
move sluggishly and gravely. No
busy pOrters nor self-important Gus
tom house officials are here, yet the
place is heaped and piled and strewn
with luggage-NObody's luggage
in value many thousand pounds
worth. Why don't the owners fetch
itaway? Nobody knows, and No.
body cares, and and as it belongs
to Nobody, Nobody knows best.
Much of this unclaimed luggage has
been here five years and more still,
Nobody asks for it, save i'll rare in-
stances, and then Nobody often re-
fuses to redeem it by paying the
warehouse charges which have ac-
cumulated on Nobody's goods
These goods have either ocen wrong
ly addressed, or not addressed at
all or improperly advised, or not
advised at all; or the conSignee is
dead or bankrupt, or won't pay the
dock dues on them and here they
are in bond and keeping for six
years Imprisonment. The dock au-
thorities have power to sell goods
unclaimed after two years to REIN
burse themselves; but it answ ers
their purpose better to let NObOdy's
luggage "eat its head OFF, in charges,
as they put it: so that if Nobody
should ever turn up after the goods
are sold, he may get nothing. With
this view the unclaimed luggage is
examined from time to time, and
ticketed with the :harges incurred
for storing to date. Those packages
are then selected on which the dock
company's lien for dues being con,
sidered equal to the value of the
goods, their heads may be supposed
to be eaten off, and they are offered
for sale by auction.
\ strange assortment is nobody's
luggage. One would have expected
among so much unclaimed property
to have found one or two umbrellas
yearning to be restored TO the arms
of their long lost and righttul guard
ianS. But no-not even II stick OF
one. Where do they all 20 to
stray umbrellas? They do not en-.
ter here Nobody" hasn't got them
What did nobody intend to do
with that five hundred weight OF
caoutchouc! (the dock porters call
it ka chook' for shOrt-don'tlaugh
at his ignorance Knowls and
Smart, the auctioneers, call it "ko-
chuk'0; and why don't he take it
away, and rub out the score.
Nobody sent twenty serons of Sy.
rian tea without address or bill OF
lading. There it is in the great skin.
packages in the warehouse. No.
body's tea has been waiting for him
for six years: will the man never
come to his tea, or has he gone tol
good to his bier!
There is indigo in m .undS of bui
ialo hide, ton oft, /, 1t has beer
here seven years, and may stophert
till all is blue" before it will be
claimed.
VIII Nobody ever come to ictcl
the ivory tusks, near dozen o
them, in canvas packages, whicl
= were sent to his order from the Bra
zils - long time ago!' Or, if h,
has not remitted payment for them
and short OF funds, why does No
, body not come and claim the box o
e gold dust, marked and numbered
D But, no; this is Il dock secret
Aha, Mr.. Nobody! you prick youl
| ears. Untold riches which nobod,
knows await you here, and the bes
e and the worst Of it is-Nobody cal
t claim them. However, it will b
e long before the box of gold dus
| "cats it head off, in charges; SC
c set your wits to work.
At .hc time of the dearth in tn
}. cotton supply, when many thought
4 full minds turned their attention t
5 seeking u substitute for cotton,
scientific man brought home tror
!, the West Indies an immense quaI
c tity of queer looking roots. The
are very iibrous, and fray out int
= strands stronger than flax, and a
l. soft and as shining as silk ltscl
II But when he came back, the wa
o was over in America, and the col
5. ton supply promised better, so h
+. rclinquished his project, and left hi
+ roots in ''pound' for the docks due
It There they remain to this day.
4 At the far end of the warehous
is an immense pile Of chairs--n,
> body's chains. Hundreds, almo'
/, thousands of them. These III
;, ''dcck chairs" which the home pa
= scngcrs by the Peninsuiar and Oh
=. entail steamboats, bought for I'll
passage home, and have prcicrrc
n to be relieved from, rather than pa
the sixpcncc dock dues on SOM
, thing 80 awkward to carry about Il
/ deck chair. They are OF all shape
y aud sizes and sorts. Amcrical
\ French, and lndian--bamboo, bircl
~ rattan, wire and cane. They wi
- accumulate, and no matter how q
T. ten the stOrchousc Is cleared
- them, there is always pile.
IT Here are ca.chcsts, too, bclonj
r. ing to scamcn--scnt to the dOt Il
Ii. to be leit--iOr scamen who nev,
a come. The chests wait In the baI
Is. gage warehouse till all hope is gor