The evening times., 1899-05-10
GOATS ON sHIPBoARD.
Ate Everything in Sight During q
Journey to Havana.
(From the Times OF Cuba. J

(From the Times of Cuba)
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 success.
Now, il seems that upon the outskirts of
Galveston. where there had been an accu
mutation of old stovepipes and tomato
cans for many years, there thrived great
numbers of goats. A happy thought struck
the Galveston agents. The people in Ha-
yana 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 a message was sent over
the cable to Mr.. Pryor asking him II he
could sell goats as well cattle. The
cattleman. elated by his success and feel
ing sure that goats would fill loGg-fe!t
want in this devastated isle, Immediately
replied 10 his agents instructing them TO
ship a load at once.
The Galveston agents procured a ship
about Galveston. The captain OF the sh p
said he liked goats pretty well. had en-
| ty 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 gamboling about in great sIee.
Reaching the ship they climbed on board
like old sailors Some went into the rig
Eing. some down into the hold, while 9TH
ers climbed on top of the wheelhouse or
cut upon the bowsprit The capacity of
that ship for goats seemed inexhaustibe
until about 2.0G0 goats had been accommo-
dated.
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 stove
pipes upon which to regale themselves they
began chewing up the rigging. The cap
ain threw up 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 be-
gun.
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
joot. The sailors finally got mad and be-
an throwing the goats overheard when
yer 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 a start. and aft
rward 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 land
ed, but alas, il was found that the custom
house authorities demanded $3.50 duty on
each goat. Mr.. Pryor made untiring eff
forts 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 I'D
the rigging and sails. But they got the
yellow fever. and about 400 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 cargo of on
ions. and finding the duties worth more
than the onions, he ordered the cargo taken
outside of the harbor and dumped over
board. The onions foated and formed a
great mass resembling floating island.
Then the ship with the goats left the
harbor and happy thought struck the
captain. II those goats didn't get any
thing to eat there would be no rigging left
on that ship at the end of the voyage. So
the captain hove to. and a goat in the
crosstrees spying the onions, the fragrant
smell of which all the other goats were
shifting. tumbled down on the deck, climb
ed upon the rail and jumped upon the float
ing island. Other goats followed, and soon
the island was disappearing down the raw
enous maws of sixteen hundred goats.
1t was not long before the island had en-
tirely disappeared. Then the goats clam
voyage was continued to New Orleans.
Thanking God that he had once more
reached a Christian country where no OBJ
solete laws prevailed the captain steered
straight into the great Mississippi. He
vas boarded by the officers at the quaran-
tine station. and to his great disappoint-
ment and disgust notified that he could not
proceed any further. as his goats were in
fected 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 were
glad to jump overheard and take refuge
on an island. According to last reports the
goats were still frisking about on the ISL
and which has since been named Goat ISL
and but 1t is understood that petition Is
before Congress to rename the island Pryo-
Island.