The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1900-05-27
THE OCEAN PEDDLER.
IN coNTRARAND GOODS HE FINDS
GREATEST PROFITS.

Methods of Trading Vessels That Go
to Many Out of the Way Corners OF
the WorId-How the Captain Dis
poses OF His Cargo.
The man with a pack ON his back,
trudging from village to village and Of
fering for sale at cottage and farm
house a miscellaneous collection OF |
wares, has his counterpart III the ocean |
peddler, ranging in size from schoon- |
er trading among the islands of the. |
Pacific to a steamer of 1000 to 1000
tons burden.
The ocean peddler starts out from
Hamburg or San Francisco, the chief
home ports of the trade, with a definite
object in view. Sailing from the for
mer city the course is generally laid
either to the coast of Africa or South
America, having in the hold varied
assortment of goods likely to be mar
ketable in the regions visited-cotton
fabrics, trinkets, arms, ammunition,
liquors and all spare room filed up
with coal.
As the largest profits are often de-
rived from tn, sale Of contraband
goods. such as munitions of war to in
surgent bodies, and as detection by
regular authorities would lead to con-
fscation. several thousand rounds OF
cartridges are probably done up in in
nocent looking cases stamped Canned
Beef and a few stands of discarded
German army rifles in packages label
ed "Glass, With Care"
Of roGCol must
possess not only ability as navigator,
but an expert knowledge of the re-
quirements of his trade in addition to
plausible tongue wherewith to barter
and win over the good will of an i'll
disposed official. If he does not own
an interest in the ship, it is generally
required that he shall in her cargo.
Trudging along over the ocean at
seven or eight knot gait. saving his
| coal as much as possible. the peddler
opens his trade by casting anchor in,
| say, South or Central American port,
when. having squared the comman-
dant. he invites merchants and others
on board TO inspect his stock. Duty,
of course, has to be paid by the pur-
| chaser, but in certain cases that diff
Guilty is often overcome by the visitor
to the ship going ashore swollen out
perhaps to three times his normal size
by as many new suits of clothing.
The greatest good fortune that can
fall in the way of an ocean peddler is
for an American or British man-of-war
to put into some out of the way port in
which he is lying, short of coal Then
from his spare stock he sells n few
hundred tons at as hard a bargain as
the necessity of the purchaser permits
him to drive.
On the Central American coast the
peddler usually times his visit at about
the opening of the coffee SeaSon-that
is early in the new year-So that when
he has sold out his wares he is able to
load up. almost to the water line, with
the principal export of the country.
That the ocean peddling trade is not
without its dangers is illustrated by a
story told by a mate of one of those
vessels. In order to preserve his re-
spectacle character the contrabanC
goods are sometimes stored in places
likely to escape the vigilant eye of the
/ customs officer and in the case in ques
: ton the mates bunk was chosen n:
f the safest repository for certain pack
ages of dynamite consigned to the lead
ers of a Nicaraguan revolution
All went we'll until the night before
the ship was due to arrive at her desti
o nation. when a thunderstorm occurred
r the lightning playing about the mast
f in an alarming manner The mat
confessed that the idea of turning il
upon a bed of dynamite under sue
circumstances was not conducive I
e peaceful repOse even to one accustom
e ed to sleep through all manner of daI
@ gers. but with the reflection that if
!, fash found its way to his bunk h
would not be likely to be made awar
L of the fact he slumbered serenel
;, through his watch below and next da
e delivered the canned tomatoes safel
ie to the consignec.
le The ocean pedGling trade on the 7;
n cifc has been shorn of much of il
profit since the interisland passengC
=. traffic in natives, who too often wei
carried as passengers, much again
ie their will, to dive for pearls on Il
ID great Australian bank. has been e
Or fectually suppressed. Still a conside
g able trade is carried on in small q
ID ticles of hardware. old clothes, perso
~, al trinkets and an occasional case
- dry goods" which. if seized, wou
turn out to be remarkably wet.-Ne
York Sun.
IL All our sacks ar
u l. Il Il -