Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-04-22
MADE LOTS OF TROUBLE
Goats Took Possession of Ship and Ate
Most of It.
Why an Attempt to Supply the Gu
bans With Fresh Meat Failed
So InglOriOusly.
From the Times Of Cuba.

From the Times Of tu6a.
The notice of the dissolution of the firm
of Hall, Pryor & Davis, published in the
Times of Cuba yesterday, recalls to mind
the sad experience of Mr.. Pryor, the piOn-
eer cattle trader, who was the first to ar
rive in Havana harbor with a shipload of
cattle Immediately after the raising of the
blockade.
Mr.. Pryor came from Texas, and, finding
a ready market for his cattle, he wired his
agents at Galveston of his succ ess. Now,
it seems that upon the outskirts of Calves
ton, where there had been an accumula-
ton of old stovepipes and tomato cans for
many years, there thrived great numbers of
goats. A happy thought struck the Gal
weston agents. The people in Havana were
starving, cattle were expensive, and here
were goats by the hundreds that could be
obtained for mere song. Why not ship
them to the starving people of Havana?
Immediately message was sent over the
cable to Mr.. Pryor asking him if he could
sell goats as well as cattle. The cattleman,
elated by his success, and feeling sure that
goats would fill long-felt want in this de-
vastated isle, Immediately replied TO his
agents, instructing them to ship a load at
once.
The Galveston agents procured ship and
began gathering up all the goats about
Galveston. The captain of the ship said he
liked goats pretty wall, had plenty of room
aboard his ship, and the agents could begin
driving the goats on board whenever they
chose.
The goats were herded and chased down
one of the city streets, frisking their tails
and garnboiing about in great giee. Reach
ing the ship, they climbed on board like old
sailors. Some went into the rigging, some
down into the hold, while others climbed
on top of the WheelhOuse or out upon the
boWsprit. The capacity of that ship for
goats seemed ineXhauStfbie until about
two thousand goats had been accommo-
dated
1t was not till the captain put to sea that
his troubles began The goats were hun
CRY, and after eating up all the hay which
had been shipped for their benefit, and find
ing neither tomato cans nor stoVepipes
upon which to regale themselves, they be
gan chewing UP the rigging. The captain
threw empty peer bottles at them till his
supply of beer was exhausted, and then he
cursed the goats and the men who sent
them into the deepest depths of the sea.
But his troubles had only just begun.
The goats got familiar with the sailors,
climbed into their hunks, chewed up their
quilts, got away with their tobacco aud oc-
casonally swallowed a sou'wester or
boot. The sailors finally got mad and be-
gan throwing the goats overheard when
ever they got chance until finally a big
billy climbed into a sleeping sailors bunk
and looked down upon him reproachfully.
The sailor woke up with start. and after
ward told his mates that after that look
he would never throw another goat over
board.
Arriving in Havana harbor, Mr.. Pryor
greeted the captain, and at once began to
make arrangements to have his goats
landed, but, alas! it was found that the
custom house authorities demanded $3.50
duty on each goat. Mr.. Pryor made UNI
firing efforts to get his goats admitted into
the island upon more liberal terms, but all
his work in this direction proved Of little
avail
In the meantime the ship lay idly in the
harbor the goats continuing to chew up
the rigging and sails. But they got the yell
low fever, and about four hundred of them
died.
At last, Mr.. Pryor, finding the Spanish
officials ineXOrabe, ordered the ship and
the goats back to New orleans. About this
time another American trader. by the name
of Blum, arrived with a cargo of onions, !
and, finding the duties worth more than
the onions, he ordered the cargo taken out
side of the harbor and dumped overheard.
The onions fioated and formed great mass
resembling a floating island.
Then the ship with the goats left the har-
Dor and a happy thought struck the cap
tain If those goats didn't get any thing TO
eat there would he no rigging left on that
ship at the end of the voyage. So the cap
tain hove to, and a goat in the crosstraes
spying the onions, the fragrant smell of
which all the other goats were shifting,
tunbled down on the deck, climbed uDon
the rail and jumped upon the floating
Island. Other goats followed, and soon the
Island was disappearing down the raven
Gus maws of sixteen hundred goats.
1t was not long before the island had en-
urely disappeared. Then the goats clam
bered back aboard ship again, and the vcy-
age was continued to New Orleans The
captain steered straight into the great
Mississippi. He was boarded by the OIL
GERS at the quarantine station, and to his
great disappointment and disgust notified
that he could not proceed any further as
his goats were infected with yellow fever.
rms was the last straw that broke the
captains patience, and, calling up his crew,
he armed them with Delaying pins and
marling spikes and began to maui the
goats up and down the deck till thew were
glad to jump overheard and take refuge on
an island. According to last reports the
goats were still frisking about on the
island, which has since been named Goat
Island, but 1t is understood that a petition
Is before Congress to rename the island
Pryor Island.