The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-05-03
SHIPPING MEN SURPRISED.
The Reported Complaint Of the RitaS
Captain Entirely Unexpected.

Straohan & Co. Say the Complaint Is
Unfounded, and Give Figures to
Support Their Statement - They
Doubt the Existence of the Afhdavit
Said to Have Been Made by Capt.
Ceniga.
The statement in yesterdays MORNING
News that Capt. Ceniga Of the Spanish
steamship Rita, had made sworn state
ment before leaving port that his vessel
was short of her usual cargo, and that he
attributed the shortage to the use of
unskillful loading, aroused a sensation
among the shipbrokers.
Strachan & Co., who loaded the
vessel, were very much surprised.
To a MORNING News reporter they
prised in their lives. The announce
ment in the MORNING News, they said,
was the first intimation they had haa of
any dissatisfaction on the part Of the
captain of the Rita. They parted with
him in the pleasantest manner.
Capt. Ceniga was apparently well
pleased with his trip to Savannah and
expressed the hope that he would have
III the unity tt5f Of returning in the i'm
mediate future.
VERY MUCH SURPRISED.
Il never was more surprised in my
life, - said Mr. Walker. II can hardly
believe that there is such an AFFIDAVIT in
existence. Capt. Ceniga was in our Office
for some time Just prior to his de-
parture and expressed himself as very
much pleased with his treatment here and
the manner IN which the cargo had been
completed. He never intimated the slight
est dissatisfaction In any manner, and
babe us goOd-by most pleasantly just be-
fore going down to his ship. A member
of the tirm accompanied him to the
wharf. and Capt Str4chan himself was
at the wharf just before he embarked on
his vessel AS the Rita passed down the
river opposite our office she gave six ire
mendous blasts from her steam whistle,
which would hardly have been done had
the captain been displeased with US.
sUsPIcIoUs OF THE AFFIDAVIT.
"What makes me all the more suspi-
cious of this reported AFFIDAVIT" con-
tinued Mr.. Walker, lis the fact that
Capt. Ceniga does not speak English, and
70 have gotten any such statement from
him the services of an interpreter must
have been necessary. What Capt Ceniga
tirely different from what he is repor tie Z
10 have said. We propose to find out who
This interpreter was and to investigate
this matter further"
MIR. Walker was asked if it was true
that the Rita had carried less than her
usual cargo.
ut is not" he replied. 81 have the
record of the four previous trips made by
the Rita from Galveston. On her first
trip she carried 5,l04 bales, on her second
$500 bales, on her third 5,644 bales and on
her fourth 5,466 bales. On only one of
these trips did she exceed the cargo taken
from Savannah, while on the other three
she carried less number of bales. The
average of her four previous trips is 5,42S
bales"
100 BALES AHEAD.
1.-THE Savannah cargo exceeded this
average by nearly 100 bales. Be-
the captain that he carried from 1856
to 2l5 bales on deck on his Galveston
trips. He carried no cotton on deck from
Savannah. Besides this one of the cross
bunkers had been divided for other uses,
leaving less room in which to stow cotton
Another fact is that the Rita left Savan-
nah with $50 tons of coal, enough to last
her to Barcelona, while in leaving Gal
weston she would only have carried enough
coal to reach Norfolk, where she would
| have taken on a fresh supply Before
| bidding me good-by Capt Ceniga stated
his desire of having US recharter the YES
sci at once to return to Savannah. l do
not think it likely he would have done so
had he been dissatisfied with his expert
ence here"
WEIGHT OF THE BALES.
The statement of the New Orleans cot
ton exchange, published this morning as
! - -
says that the average weight of tho cot
! ton bales received this season is consider
ably less than last year. The Texas bales
show decrease of nearly ten pounds in
weight, while the Georgia bales are over
81 pounds lighter than the Texas bales
AS the lighter bales are always received
toward the end of the season, and it is
more difficult to get cargo with light
bales than heavy, it is possible that the
number of pounds carried by the Rita