Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1900-05-29
PEoDLERs OF THE OCEAN.
Nautical Prototype of the Man wi


Nautical Prototype of the Man with
the Pack.
The man with a pack on his back,
trudging from village to village and
offering for sale at cottage and farm
house miscellaneous collection of
wares, has his counterpart in the ocean
peddler, ranging in size from schoon-
er trading among the islands of the
Pacific to steamer of one or two
thousand tons burden.
The ocean peddler starts out from
Hamburg or San Francisco, the chief
home ports of the trade, with a defin-
lite object In view. Sailing from the
former city, the course Is generally
laid either to the coast Of Africa or
South America, having in the hold q
varied assortment of goods likely to be
marketable in the regions visited
cotton fabrics, trinkets. arms, ammu-
milton, liquors, and all spare room
filed up with COAL
AS the largest profits are often de.
rived from the sale of contraband
goods, such as munitions of war to in
surgent bodies, and as detection by reg
ular authorities would lead to confisca-
ton, several thousand rounds of car
tridges are probably done up in inno-
cent-looking cases stamped Canned
beef,' and few stands of discarded
German army rifles in packages label
ed "Glass, with care"
The captain of such a vessel must
possess not only ability as a navigator,
but an expert knowledge of the re-
qu1rements of his trade in addition to
Q plausible tongue wherewith to barter
and win over the good will of an ILL
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 q
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 COM
mandante, he invites merchants and
others on board to inspect his stock
Duty, OF course, has to be paid by the
purchaser, but in certain cases that
difficulty Is overcome by the visitor to
the snip going ashore swollen out, per-
haps, 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 ia
for an American or British man-of-war
to put in to some out-of-the-way port
in which he is lying, short of coal.
Then from his spare stock he sells a
few hundred tons at as hard a bar
gain 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 mate of one of those
vessels. In order to preserve his re-
spectacle character the contraband
goods are sometimes stored In places
likely to escape the vigilant eve of the
customs officer, and, In the case in
question, the mates bunk was chosen
as the safest repository for certain
packages of dynamite consigned to the
leaders of Nicaraguan revolution. All
went well until the night before the
snip was due to arrive at her destina-
ton, when thunderstorm occurred
the lightning playing about the masts
In an alarming manner The mate
confessed that the idea of turning in
upon bed of dynamite under such cir
cumstances was not conducive to
peaceful repose, even to one accustom-
ed to sleep through all manner of dam
gers; but with the reflection that If a
flash found its way to his bunk he
would not be likely to be made aware
of the fact he slumbered serenely
through his watch below, and next day
delivered the canned tomatoes" safe
ly to the consignees.
The ocean-peddling trade on the Pa
cif1c has been shorn Of much of its
profit since the inter-island passenger
traffic In natives, who too often were
carried as passengers much against
their will, to dive for pearls on the
great Australian bank, has been effec.
tually suppressed. Still, a consider
able trade is carried on in small arti-
cles In hardware, old clothes, personal
tr1nkets and an occasional case of "dry
goods" which If seized would turn out
TO be remarkably wet.-New York Sun.