The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1874-01-02
SILK WORMS.
A Cargo Of Eggs Worth Two Million
DOllars-H0w They Are Travelling
from Japan to France.

From the Chicago Tribune December 25.
One of the most valuable bleeonsignments
that ever passed "across the continent"
arrived in Chicago yesterday afternoon
through tie American Express Com
pany, via the Central Pacific and Chiea-
go, Burlington and Quincy Railroads.
The public will be startled to learn that
one freight car contained goods (''time
goods" they were marked9 whose value
exceeded two million dollars. The
enormous cost would be iB itself cir
cumstance worthy of note, but the Pc
culiar character of the goods gives the
affair additional interest. The consign-
ment was nothing more nor less than
car load of silk-worms's eggs, en- route
for France. They were purchased in
Yokahoma by the French Government,
and arrived in San Francisco December
Is. Only three days were lost in trans
ferring them to the freight car, and De-
cember Is the precious packages COM
menced their trans-continental journey.
The train was duein Gssicago at 3:15
yesterday afternoon, and reporter of
the Tribune was enabled to obtain
glimpse of the cargo. In this country
very few are familiar with the silk
worm, and can have no idea of the ap-
pearance of the eggs. In England,
where the climate is less subject to ex-
tremes of temperature, the silk-worm is
as CON mon a pet as the canary. Boys
and girls all boast a box of thriving
winding off the golden thread from the
cocoon as the youth of this country in
the possession of marbles and such toys.
The silk-worm's egg is about one-quar-
ter the size of pins head, and the
reader may gain an idea of the number
of eggs now on their way to Paris, when
he learns that on this one car there are
nine and half tons of eggs.
Mr.. Whitney, of the American Ex-
press, met the car at Omaha and accom-
panied it to Chicago. He will not leave
it until its arrival in New York, when
its contents will be transferred to steam
er and landed at Liverpool, to be thence
Messrs. Stopel & Ferari, who have fol-
lowed the precious goods from Japan,
and will not feel comfortable until the
Government of France has given them
receipt in full. Two other French
men are with them, and one Jap,
from not one of whom could the re-
porter elicit word of information.
The Jap refused to speak word of
English, and the Frenchmen made only
an occasional remark in mixed and
scarcely ineligible dialect.
The eggs are packed in leaves, layer
upon layer, and placed in air-tight tin
boxes, which are in turn covered with
mating. The car is kept at tempera-
ture below the freezing point, and no
light is admitted. The matting-covcred
boxes are piled on either side There
is nothing to be seen there but mating,
and the appearance of the boxes is GER
tainly not indicative of the value oi
contents.
This is the first attempt yet made to
import silk-worms via the United States
and if human foresight avails anything
there is every reason to look for success
The car was switched on to the Michi.
gan Central track last night, and start.
ed for New York by the 5:15 train. The
public will look forward with interest to
the announcement of the safe arrival OF
/ the precious insects in France.