The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1889-04-24
AFRICA AND AMERICA.

tinent-IyOry, Hides and Other Products.
Thomas SiereHS' Letter from ZaVpar 10 NE NelI
York World.
Your correspondent Is astonished at
the vigor, the enterprise and the ramiA-
cations Of American trade on the east
coast Of Africa. The American agents
have, since the treaty OF 1885, been fairly
raking and sCraping all that part OF the
earth for hides, ivory aud various pro-
ducts, and have. disposed annually Of
vast qantities Of the products Of Massa-
Chusetts mills and Of the oil wells Of
Pennsylvania. At all the little ports on
tho Benadir coast, that central eastern
African territory, where no white face
would be tolerated for a day, native
agents OF American houses are station
ed with their bales of Merikani, trading
for hides, ivory and skins to supply the
shoemRkers OF Boston and Lynn with
leather, and the pianos OF America with
ivory, aud billiard players with ivory
balls. In dealing with the fanatical ma
tives they have displayed all the tact,
and pro6tted by the experience OF the
English, to which they have added no
end OF Yankee vim and energy.
Zanzibar is the greatest ivory market
in the world. 1t Is tho emporium 10
which the ivory OF the central lakes
country-Ulganda, Galaland and Soma.
liland-fnds It's way. About one mill.
ion two hundred thousand pounds OF
ivory comes into Zanzibar every year.
It's value right here is from g 80 to 81 50
per pound, Tho best tusks are used in
the manufacture OF piano keys, America
makes more pianos and organs than all
the rest Of the world, Like American
clocks, you see them everywhere. Nine.
tenths OF the best grade OF ivory that
leaves Africa is sent direct to the United
States for the manufacture OF piano keys.
The American firms purchase all
the prime large tusks, paying
as much as $3.50 q pound for
them in Zanzibar. They all go to
Deep River and Essex, Conn.,, where
the two principal ivory factories OF the
United States are situated. The only
other factories In the country arc smaller
concerns that make fancy articles. All
the piano keys and billiard balls are
turned out here. The factory in Deep
River is owned by Pratt, Reed < Co.,
aud that in Essex by ComstoCk Cheney.
Ropes, Emmerton 4 Co., OF Salem, Ar.
mold Cheney, OF New York, and the kin.
dred firm Of George Ropes are the i'm.
porters, and these five firms control all
tho ivory trade OF the United States.
They buy in the Zanzibar market IA.
nually about 100000 worth Of prime
elephants tusks, ship them to Deep
River and Essex, and turn them into
piano keys and billiard balls.
The great ivory caravans from Uiiji
and the lakes reaches the coast in June
aud July. Most OF them emerge at
Bagamoyo, one OF the places that the
Germans have converted into-a heap OF
ashes and where they are at the present
moment squatting on the dead embers
in 4 little block house waiting for the
coming OF Captain Wissmaun. Mean
while they relieve the tedium OF their
sojourn with a little desultory skirmish-
ing and bushwhaCking In the nearby
jungles with Bushiris braves. These
latter in their turn amuse themselvesb by
looting the stray ivory caravans that oC-
Casionally reach the coast at any time Of
the year.
The best tusks are those which come
down with the great Ujiji caravans and
smaller quantities that arrive from the
Benadir coast in dhows. While the
United States takes all the best tusks,
England absorbs the second grade, and
the Continent Of Europe lower quail
ity than England. The very small tusks
find ready market in Bombay, where
they are made into earrings, ETC., for the
ladies' OF India. What Is known as
scrap ivory"-i. o., the splints and odds
and ends Of tusks-goes to China, where
the artisans OF Canton and Hong Kong
work 1t up into ian.ribs and all manner
OF Celestial kniCk.knaCks. A few larger
tusks, however, are used by the Chinese
to make their curious ivory balls within
balls, which every visitor to Canton re.
members with wonder. The Sultan col.
leCts an export duty OF fifteen per cent
for every tusk OF ivory sold. The tusks
are appraised for this purpose by the
equitable practice Of putting them up at
auction.
Next to ivory, Zanzibar is famous for
its cloves, Zanzibar and It's sister island
OF Pemba produce nine.tenths OF the
worlds supply Of this aromatic staple.
The annual yield is about ten million
pounds, and the value at Zanzibar from
Is to 90 cents a pound, America also
consumes more cloves than any other
country. The interesting habit Of carry.
ing q few cloves around the southwest
pocket OF the vest has taken firm pos.
session OF large and rising generation
OF fastidious and plausible young men
all over the United States. Since the
habit had Crept In on us and grown up
In our midst, cloves have trebled In
price. Maine, Iowa and Kansas are said
10 use more cloves than any other three
States in tho Union. The area suitable
for Glove cultivation Is very limited, as
they require peculiar kind OF soil and
II prohibition ever becomes q United
States law they will become worth their
weight in gold.
-SS-