The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-07-20
DRESS GOODS WENT CHEAP.
Fine Goods Sold for "A Song ut Cen
trails Old HOss Sale.

trails old HOss Sale.
Buying damaged goods at the owners
valuation is a poor investment. At least
the Central of Georgia officials have prob
ably arrived at that conclusion. Yester-
day was the company's odd boss sale,
al which the usual large and miscellane-
Gus assortment of articles left on the COM
pany's hands through mischances of vari-
Gus kinds was offered for sale. As usual,
there was a large crowd of bargain seek
ers.
The feature of the sale that most at
tracted the crowd was the announcement
that the contents of a lady,s trunk which
cost the Ocean Steamship Company $1,0OO
would be disposed of. The contents con-
sisted of a number of silk dresses and
large variety of other articles of feminine
apparel chiefly in silk and lace. The APP
parel was such as indicated a person of
wealth and refinement. but its once hand
some appearance had been much decreas-
ed by an unlucky accident which cost
the Ocean Steamship Company a round
$1,000, 10 say nothing of minor expenses,
such as employing an expert dressmaker
TO estimate the value of the damaged
goods
Mrs. II. deWaldron Cooke of Stamford,
Conn, was a passenger on the Kansas
City for New York on the night of April
l. As her trunk was being wheeled aboard
a few minutes before the time of depart
ure a wheel rolled off one end of the
truck and the trunk was precipitated from
the staging into the river. 1t was very
soon recovered and put aboard the vessel,
hrrf . el.y- t1,a had
spent in The water was sufficient TO do
irremedable damage 10 its contents. Sa-
vannah river water is evidently very pene-
trating and decidedly permanent in its er-
fects The trunk could not have been in
the water over fifteen minutes, and vet
its contents We're so badly damaged that
lis owner was unwilling to wear them
again.
The trunk was opened and the contents
dried aboard the vessel the next day but
the Savannah river water had already
gotten in its work. On her return home
Mrs. Cooke put in an itemized bill for
$l,63S The steamship company thought
this an excessive valuation for one trunk
of dress goods but an examination by
New York expert sent to Stamford for
the purpose resulted in reducing the es-
innate only a few hundred dollars.
Mr. Cooke, who conducted the matter for
his wife, was very courteous, but very
positive in his demands for a prompt set
Element Negotiations were conducted
with him through Mr.. c. H. Holdride, the
New York agent of the Ocean Steamship
Company, with the result that a settle
ment was agreed upon for a cash consid-
Grafton of 81 900, the damaged goods being
turned over to the steamshp company
If the company's officials expected to
get much of their money back at the ''old
boss" sac there must have been a disap-
attendance, but either its members did
not have much money to invest in fine
dress goods a reduced rates. or they con-
sidered the goods to be too much dam
aged for future use. a hand-painted
black chiffon dress valued at $3.50 was
sold to a business man for $3.50 and
cadet blue silk valued at S125 went for IS.
Other articles went in the same proper
ton, so that the whole outfit brought less
than $3.50 Even the eloquent oratory of
Auctioueer Daniel ODonovan could not
arouse the bidders to offer anything like
even the present value of the goods. The
next trucker that dumps a truck over
board at the ocean Steamship wharf is
likely to get into trouble.
A lot of miscellaneous freight was dis
posed of at such prices as are usual at the
old boss sales There were several small
tradesmen on hand looking for bargains
and the bidding was sometimes Lively. The
liVeliest bidding was when box of cloth
ing was opened up and several dozen pair
of jeans pants disclosed. Visions of profit
in pants purchased at 121a cents a pair and
sold at $l.25 danced before the eyes of the
tradesmen, and they jumped each others
bids at the rate of Z cent and cent with
great rapidly. When Auctioneer Dom
ovan had exhausted his eloquence on the
subject he knocked down the lot at IS
cents a pair.
Owing to the time consumed in disposing
of the damaged dress goods a large lot Of
unclaimed freight was left undisposed of.