Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-08-10

munerative.
When rocks and stone cannot be easily
obtained sand and common dirt are ship
ped In ballast. There is little demand
In this country for African sand or dirt,
and the shipmaster finds. such a cargo
very Improbable. In some cases the
unloading Of such a cargo begins shortly
after the vessel has rounded Cape Hat
teras. IL coming from the south. or when
Montauk Point is sighted. IL coming from
the east The crew are kept busy all
sne time scattering the sand and dirt
In the ocean. and by the time the craft
reaches New York harbor she stands
so high in the water that II is q wonder
to some how she could have braycd the
tempestuous ocean in such a condition.
But sand and dirt have some uses, and
loads OF IL from South America and
| Africa are just as valuable for these pur
poses as any gathered along the shores
OF Long Island or New Jersey owners
or low-lying land around New York har
Dor are anxious TO get their hollow places
flled in with good sand or dirt, and they
| give sea captains permission to unload
| their strange cargoes at such places. New
docks, piers, and waterfront are often
| built In this way. The vessels are warped |
! up alongside of the new dock, and the |
crew dumps the load OF ballast in the |
water. In time the shallow places are |
| nlled up, and then bulkheads and piers |
| OF wood are constructed to keep the sand |
| and dirt from washing away. Sometimes |
| there Is such demand for good sand and |
| DIRT for flling-in purposes that contract
| ors are willing to pay enough for a cargo |
| to defray the cost of loading and unload
ing the ship and still leave a nice little
margin for the shipmaster.
Another great article that has been used
extensively by sailing vessels in the past
for ballast is salt The laws of the coun-
try for many years admitted salt into
this country free Of duty from all coun-
tries which admitted American salt free.
The idea OF this reciprocity law was that,
being one OF the greatest salt-producing
countries in the world, our salt manufac-
turers could make it improbable for any
importers to bring salt here and compete
With the home industry. In fact, It was
believed that we could ship salt to all
countries where no tax was imposed upon
II, and reap a small but satisfactory pro-
fit. The results, however. have been far
otherwise. Shipmasters seized upon salt
as a good article for ballast, and they
proposed bringing IL into the country at |
a nominal price. Immediately there sprung [
up great import business in salt from
the West Indian Islands. 1t was brought
not only to this port, but TO Boston, Phil
adelphia, New orleans, and all of the
packing industries hourished. Most of
this imported salt was used by the pack I
ers. who could obtain IL cheaper In this !
way than from the salt manufacturers in 2
their own country. In 1896 over 500O00,0O :
pounds Of salt were imported into the a
United States. most Of 1t coming in as
ballast for ships. New York was the
largest receiver of this ballast, with Phil
adelphia, New Orleans. Gloucester. Bal
tmore. Galveston, and Savannah closely G
following, in the order named. I
Shipmasters are quick TO seize upon n
anything for ballast that can in any way G.
be turned to profitable account when it
gets to this country. All sorts Of old rub
Dish that has sufficient weight to answer =,
he purpose of ballast finds its way TO "
New York in the course OF a year. and II 81
.omes from the four corners OF the globe.
Did scrap-iron, and even iron-ore, are "
picked up at some ports by sailing YES
es and the cargo discharged In New u
York for just what the shipmaster can
ell it, Rich soil from Africa is some e.
lines sold in the city for making gardens.
This has been gathered at some conve- al
Iient point on the African coast, and sold M
o the gardeners and florists as low as p -
ents a load. This is cheaper than the
can obtain similar soil from N
Interior places in this country. and as II
much Of ii is very rich and fertile it takes /
he place OF commercial and barn-yard
ertilizers.
over in Hoboken there are little stretch
S of Africa, Brazil, Chill, and Peru, and
long the lower Brooklyn shore there are
ocks and artificial bulkheads built OF
ocks and stones that once bistered in
ne hot sun Of Central America and the
Vest Indies. one treads upon foreign fiji
nds without going beyond the city limits.
lore than this, one often sees the tropi- ~,
II vegetation of these same foreign coun- 0l
les growing around them. In the rich |
)il the seeds and roots OF strange plants
nd grasses are naturally buried. and I'M
n the influence Of our hot summer sun Ike
ey terminate and thrive luxuriantly.
round Hoboken there are stretches OF
aste Land which reveal treasures 10 the w
,tanst. 1t is like visiting a foreign coun-
y to wander over these stretches OF
aste fields, where ships have time and
'ain unloaded their cargoes brought I'm
Hast. The plants and flowers are so
nerent from anything else found grow
g in the neighborhood that they have ny
en- the admiration OF many scientific w
IN for years.
Il was a mystery for some time how the
range fora around Hoboken ever got
ere. School-children bringing strange
ants to their teachers first attracted
e attention Of botanists. Then an inves-
-atiOn followed, which revealed the
ct that the seeds and plants were lei
ought there in the dirt used for ballast
now field botansts make annual ex-
rsions TO these nearby shores OF Africa elS
d South American In summer TO study
vegetation which Is rarely seen in this If
lntry. Ferns OF remarkable beauty,
all palms Of a semi-hardy nature, tall
lsses, and flowers of peculiar structure
] beauty are found. In fact the whole
ce is full OF mysteries and strange dis oil
'eries, unappreciated probably by those So
interested in botany. but OF the
attest value to those who know the Ric
nth OF the plants.
is peculiar TO note how the imported mo-
DIS and plants adapt themselves TO their
Y home. Some wither up and die before 7
Y barely push their heads above the
face; other seeds undoubtedly fail 10 ,
inmate at all; many flourish the first and
son and die In the winter; while
luxurate in our climate and sur l.
S anything I'm their native land. There uei
always danger OF the latter becoming
IS They might spread throughout the and
ntry and create as much trouble as
Canada thistle or the water hyacinth
he South. Nh
addition 10 the plants. the rocks and IHl
les brought in ballast offer fields for
ly. Biologists are frequently found -
dering over these heaps OF rocks
ped on some old dock or shore nom
hip returned from distant port. I'll
" Of these rocks contain scmi-pre 1T
. gems One load from a South A,D.y- IA