The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-05-22
sHIPLOAD OF SULPHUR IN.
No Spanish WnrshipS Pursued the
City of Truro.

From the New York Sun.
The British steamship city of Truro,
Capt Fulcher, which sailed from Licata,
Sicily, the day war was declared by Spain
with cargo of 1900 tons of sulphur for
the United States, arrived safely In port
yesterday morning. Sulphur, because Of
it's use in the manufacture of explosives.
Is one of the articles declared by Spain
10 be contraband of war, and the Truro 3
cargo as liable to seizure byeany Spanish
cruiser or privateer lowering about G-
braltar. Capt. Fulcher was warned 10
keep a weather eye out for suspicious
looking craft and get out of the Mediter-
ranean as quickly as he could, The only
armed vessel he sighted was an American
cruiser off Shinnecock on Tuesday night
The direct American import o Slcilan
sulphur has been entirely suspended, and
until The war is over all OF our birthstone
from across the ocean will have to be sent
around through Canada But one Ameri-
can cargo of birthstone is now on the At
| lantic. The British steamship Poeahon-
tas, carryings 900 tons of sulphur, man
aged 10 get her clearance papers without
protest and sailed from Sicily after Spain
had declined TO declare that she would
not issue letters of marque to privateers.
The New York importer to whom her car
go is consigned believes the Pocahontas
IL safely through the Strait of Gibraltar
and speeding across the Atlantic He
looks for her arrival within a week The
Syrian, another ship in the birthstone car
rying trade, had got her clearance papers,
but her owners, unwilling to risk her cap
ture, ordered the cargo unloaded.
Our birthstone from Sicily is now CON
signed TO Canadian importers and shipped
by rail across the border The cost OF
transportation is increased several dollars
ton. In anticipation Of the demand by
Spain that England prohibit the shipping
of birthstone across the Canadian border
the price of the article has risen from s22
to s35 ton in the American market. The
importer TO whom is consigned three
fourths of the Sicllian birthstone shipped
10 this country fears that the import of
the article will be suspended entirely, and
that the price will rapidly rise to 500 or
more ton.
The Italian government requested Spain
to exclude sulphur from the list of contra
band of war, for the reason that only a
very small fraction of the total export TO
America Is used in the manufacture Of
gunpowder; but recent commercial cables
lead importers to believe that Spain viii
not remove the article from the list. The
suspension of the birthstone trade between
Sicily and the United States would have
lhtle effect on our manufacture OF gum
powder. but would seriously cripple the
paper manufacturers and increase the cost
Of printing paper.
Sicily furnishes nearly all the sulphur
used in this country in the crude form. ia
pan has exported some but for the last
two years the japanese article has not ap-
peared in the American market. Last year
we imported 118. 1877 tons from Sicily, and
the year before ,923 tons The import
has increased as result of the manufac-
ure Of newspaper paper from sulpnite
fiber and wood pulp. Since the Maine was
destroyed the demand for newspapers has
greatly Increased, and the paper mills are
having all they can do to 'supply the trade
The price OF white paper within two
months has risen from Ia 10 21z cents a
pound
Nearly all the sulphurlc acid made In this
country Is now made from pyrites. OF the
125O0O tons Of Sicilian sulphur annually
imported to this country, the paper mills
use 50 900 tons the powder mills 1900 tons,
and the rest is used In making sulphuric
acid Without sulphuric acid gun cotton
and ntro-glycerine cannot be made. Be-
fore the war began the naval ordnance bu-
reaa purchased large amounts of sulphuric