The morning call., 1893-06-23
A QUEER CARGO.
Brought From Mexico by
the NeWbern.
SILVER, PELTS AND TURTLES
Transacting a Green-Eiide Business
Such as Dana Told About
Years Ago.

There is one steamer of the Pacific
Coast Steamship Company line that gen.
orally brings in from Mexican ports a
cargo of strange things. The steamer is
the Newborn. She runs to MaZatlan and
Guaymas.
1t is thought by many that San Fran
cisco does not do much business with the
places named, but when it is learned that
an average of $500 tons of freight a
month comes 10 from those ports people
may change their opinion as to the small
ness of our traffic with the land Of the
Montezumas.
Dana In his volume 1.-TWO Years Before
the MAST gives an interesting account of
the hide and pelt trade" of California prior
to the days of gold and Vigilantes. Pas
sengers by the Newbern relate tales of the
hide Industry of Mexico which, if pub
lished, would read like chapters from
Dana's WORK. describing the conditions of
the green-hide traffic of fifty years ago as
1t was carried on in San Francisco harbor.
The conditions of the trade menti0ned
have been exactly reversed. In 20 Cali
fornia used to send hides TO Mexico and all
over the world. but now the world n gen.
eral, and Guaymas and MaZatlOn in par
ticular, are getting back At Us with in
terrSt.
The Newbern's cargo-she arrived yes
terday fOrenoon-consisted chiefly of three
rather strange shipments, viz: About 200
tons of green hides and deer skins, hun
dred tons or more of silver ore. ton or
two of the pure silver metal in bars and
forty-four large green turtles.
Green turtles and silver look rather
funny when entered on steamers mani
fast do hu q
strange to the vessels purser, for this gen.
tleman claims to have been hauling turtles,
bullion and hides from Mexican parts ever
since he has been connected with that
vessel
ITO be sure it is rather an unusual thing
for SO large a consignment OF turtles to be
brought to port" said Pacific Coast
Steamship Company's official yesterday,
"but as to the hides. although we brought
up an unusually big lot of them this trip.
We have been Carrying tons of them of
late"
Where did all those hides and deerskins
come from?" was asked of John Salad arc
of MazatlaD, and passenger from that
port.
They came from all over the Mexican
coast" be answered, land if you believe
me there have been more hides shipped
from Western Mexico to the United States
In the past three years than there ever had
been before ia ten years"
Fancy" INTERRUPTED one of the New
bern's crew volunteering description OF
the Mexican hide industry. Fancy those
Mexicans at La PaZ, Guaymas and MaZa l.
Ian working like slaves to raise herd of
cattle OF perhaps TWO dozen head then
selling them to the cattle kings Of the
south for paltry SIS in silver head an d
a few bottles of vile brandy.
This consignment, or rather these con-
slgnments, of hides we have on board
represent quite little money, but | think
IL Is safe TO say that the poems did not
make much out of them.
There are cattle kings in our sister
republic as well as in the States of Kansas,
Nebraska aud Tex S. They supply num-
Der Of cattle to the city and towns of
Mexico. carry on Il butcherine business in
many places. and their cattle pelts find
their way to the sea coast Tor shipment to
the United States"
LAS TO turtles" said another man, there
are more turtles in Magdalena Bay on a
clear day than would be enough to make
green turtle soup for every man, woman
and child in the United States s.
"a good many turtles come from Lower
California, but the largest number are
found off the coast of Southern Mexico.
Crews of sailing vessels live high on
turtle meat when passing through the
Mexican Pacific"
How do they catch the turtles when a
vessel is under wav?"
"Pll tell you. You see there are more
Gains than breezes off the Mexican coast
Sailing vessels have just sufficient wiud at
times TO give them steerage way. The
turtles. sleep and floating on the top of
the water, DRIFT alongside and are har-
pooned, through the shell, hoisted on board
and then the least commences"
ITO change the subject. where is that
$4,000 10 silver bars from 2" asked the
reporter.
From Candelaria. You have no doubt
heard of Dan Burns famous Candelaria
mine, well that bullion is tho output of
the Candelaria shaft for little less than
thirty days.
Most Of the silver bullion brought up
on the Newbern comes to the Mexican sea-
ports from the Interior. 1t is brought
down from the mines by mule and pack
trains. Each train is guarded by long
line of picturesque guards. who by the way
are more useful than ornamental in many
Instances, although guess Dan has good
set of handy men to guard his sacks.
THE bullion is landed at the ports,
along with pelts and any other stuff which
may be there for shipment. The MeXi-
cans get so used to seeing silver that does
not belong to them that they scarcely give
a $4,000 shipment a passing glance OF
curiosity"
The Newbern brings abalones, crude
ore, Mexican cigars, mescal, curios and
tropic fruits to port sometimes. All in all,
she is justly entitled to be called the
curio steamer of the Pacific Coast line.
When she gets through discharging
hides, fortunes in silver and green turtles
she will return i'll a few days to the quaint
old towns of the south to fetch back an
other strangely assorted cargo.