Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-04-22
GOATS CAPTURED THE SHIP.

Times Of Cuba: The notice of the disso-
luton of the firm Of Hall, Pryor & Davis,
published in the Times of Cuba yester-
day, recalls to mind the sad experience
of Mr.. Pryor, the pioneer cattle trader,
who was the first to arrive in Havana
harbor with a shipload Of cattle imme-
diately after the raising of the blockade.
Mr.. Pryor came from Texas, and, find
ing a ready market for his cattle, he
wired his agents at Galveston of his sue
cess. Now. it seems that pom the out
skirts Of Galveston, where there had been
an accumulation of old stovepipes and
tomato cans for many years, there
thrived great numbers of goats. A hap
Ply thought struck the Galveston agents.
The people in Havana We're starving,
cattle We're expensive, and here were
goats by the hundreds that could be OBJ
tanned for a mere song. Why not ship
them to the starving people of Havana.
Immediately a 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 feel
ing sure that goats would fill a long felt
want in this devastated isle, Immediately
replied to his agents instructing them to
ship a load at once.
The Galveston agents procured a ship
and began gathering up all the goats
about Galveston. The captain of the ship
said he liked goats pretty well. had plen-
ty of room aboard his ship, and the
agents could begin driving the goats on
board whenever they chose.
The goats were herdel and chased
down one of the city streets, frisking
their tails and gamboling about in great
glee. Reaching 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 wheel
house or out upon the bowsprit. The ca
racity of that ship for goats seemed in
~exhaustlble until about two thousand
goats had been accommodated.
1t was not till the captain put to sea
that his troubles began. The goats were
hungry, and after eating up all the hay
which had been shipped for their benefit,
and finding neither tomato cans nor
stovepipes upon which to regale them
selves they began chewing up the rig
glrg. The captain threw empty beer
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 and
occasionally swallowed a sou'wester or
a boot. The sailors finally got mad and
began throwing the goats overheard
whenever they got a chance, until finally
a big billy climbed into a sleeping sail
or's bunk and looked down upon him re-
proachfully. The sailor woke with a
start, and afterwards told his mates that
after that look he would never throw an
other goat overheard.
Arriving in Havana harbor, Mr.. Pryor
greeted the captain, and at once began to
make arrangements to nave his goats
landed, but alas! it was found that the
custom house authorities demanded
$1.50 duty on each goat. Mr.. Pryor made
untiring efforts to get his goats ad-
mitted into the island upon more liberal
terms, but all his work in this direction
| proved of little avail.
In the mean time the ship lay idly in
the harbor, the goats continuing to chew
up the rigginti and sails. But they got
the yellow fever, and about four hundred
of them died.
At last Mr.. Pryor finding the Spanish
officials inexorable, 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, he ordered the cargo taken
outside the harbOr and dumped OVER
board. The onions f1oated and formed a
great mass resembling a floating island.
Then the ship with the goats left the
harbOr and a happy thought struck the
captain. If those goats didn't get any,
thing to eat there would be no rigging
lell Ol llldl Sltp DIT Tile emu u lIe voyage.
So the captain hove to, and a goat in the
crosstrees spying the onions, the fra
! grant smell of which all the other goats
We're shifting, tumbled down on the deck,
climbed upon the rail and jumped upon
the floating island. Other goats followed
and soon the island disappeared down
the raVenOuS maWS of sixteen hundred
goats.
1t was not long before the island had
entirely disappeared. Then the goats
clambered back aboard ship again, and
the voyage was continued to New Or
leans. Thanking God that he had once
more reached a Christian country where
no obsolete laws prevailed, the captain
steered straight into the great Missis-
sippi. He was boarded by the officers 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.
This 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 they
| We're 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 it is understood
that a petition is before congress to re-
name the island Pryor Island.