The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-04-15
%COCKROACHES ON A SHIP.
MEMORABLE FiGHT ON hoard THE
SNIP GUIDING stan.

II Lasted About All n Voyage OF 40 Days
From Boston to san Francisco md the
Cockroach-. Came Near winning
-Grent aud Varied Damage to the Cargo.
BOSTON. April IA, Speaking Of cockroachcs
at sea, 8 said the old captain, " ! should like To tell
you about the famous fight We had with them
in the ship Guiding Star on her trip from Boston
To San Francisco In 1864 81. III tell you tbs
story, but, mind you, | wont have my name
used: | think YOU will no, blame me for that, ~
the captain Of the Guiding Star, n man named
Small, got the title 'Cockroach' for life. and would
rather not take the chances Of stirring up my
friends 10 press my rights Of inheritance, to tho
nickname, ! being, So far n, | am awarr, the only
person now living who was in that fight
Well may you cali it fight on the long voy-
age Of $50 days We several times thought We
should have IL give up 10 the enemy, They
ate everything that we did, except onions, and
many other things besides. \ pair of childrcn's
shoes that were in our cargo, are on exhib ton
in the natural history rooms in this city, and
show how the reaches ate away everything but
the solcs and the brass lips, There was a record
on the log book where we disposed Of eighteen
barrel, Of the insects. and that was only a part.
| will not dwell upon the size Of the creatures,
for that was a feature no, SO important as thelr
grca, number They were, however" said the
captain, holding up a siocky right hand, as
large a. my little finger
"To get at the beginning Of the trouble, ! must
go back to some Of the previous tnps Of The G uid.
ing Star, when she was running between Boston
and Calcutta. II was at the latter place that
she took on board the passengers which mads
the trouble. They got aboard in the rice and
they thrivcd. The trips for the most part left
us at the Boston end during the warm season.
and the circumstance served 10 foster the things.
Such cold as We have here in winter would hsvs
been enough TO Kill most Of them. They first
became seriously troublesome on the passage
out tn the Indies in 1853. We had In a cargo
Of ice and lumber. and the cockroaches, novbelng
built so as 10 subsist on either Of these commodi
ties, sought the upper decks. The insect question
at once presented itself as a most serious one.
War on the cockroaches wns begun only a few
days out The mode Of attack was 10 use cracker
tins. with molasses for bait. With this favorits
food as an inducement, the insects entered the
tin through a small, square hole cut in the cover.
and. once in, there was no escape for them. BY
using the greatest precautions, the passengers
OF the insects. Before We got Into port the cock.
reaches had begun 10 crawl up into the rigging
in places, and had eaten around the eyes 50 badly
ina ut TDIFS Dhu " " I'Ilttfus
"On our return trip We had our usual cargo
Of rice. and that attracted the cockroaches, SO
we did not have 50 much trouble from them as
on the way out II would have been better for
us II We had had more Of them, ms by the tins
We got back home, We had forgotten the worst
Of il 1t is Just that way with the seatnring
man time FIXES him, he remembers only the
agreeable, and lets III" rest go. Many a high
handed piece Of business takes place on rhs
outward bound tnpS that no captain would
think Of committing on the return tnp On tho
home stretch IL Is, Here, son, and Come, my
man
Before starting on our San Francisco run there
was some question II II would not be advisa bic
s. Sm SsH', Wa 81" so Tnne s to- take IisI her O out, 'n' f REs: said, on 6RSs,
no ! guess can take care Of them all right
by the time, We had got past the equator he
saw he had made a mistake. lie didn say much
about it, and he didn't have TO, as there wasn't
a man 81 us but knew what TO expect. The en-
envy had got into our stores They had begun
on our potatoes, Iturnips and carrots. In fact
they were e%yerywhsre We had To Inspect and
was doubled and all hands were set 70 work with
s%pankeIs made OF q square piece Of leather at
tachcd to a sick IKE gree, fly. whackGrs, CAP.
noise the cockroachcs made. especially on hot
nights. We could detect them gnawing and
crunching away. and by placing ones ear TO
clearly. ''''' "' ''"0
The DAYS came along, one after another, with
the ccaSeleSs task Of fighting the Cockroachcs
before us. To give You an idea Of the way tho
trip dragged, you may know that we were twenty
nine DAYS getting around ape ~llorn-that Is,
from so degrees around 10 80 degrees on the Pa
cihc side. Then, arain, of r. binson Crusoes
island We drifted abiu, for six weeks Il was
there we began to fear the worst. We could not
make a port along there anywhere, rs. We were
too far oil shore, 1t seemed Just as well TO keep
ON our course
on watcr became affected, and II did no good
as We could handle We had Jars strung up
to the dunnagr wood. with molasses for bait. as
In the tins. When a trap got filled We scalded
II and turned the contents into barrels and then
emp,icd them. In that way We got some record
OF our work.
When finally We got into San Francisco wa
bad been out from Oct I, 1864, 30 March 4, 1868:
The news Of our experience soon got q bro d and
people came down to the wharf and wanted sou
venirs. Some even brought boxes with them
that they Nigh, preserve a CO" kroach alive sad
especially In demand were the white ones. When
II came To oyerhauling the cargo We found things
in a bad state Some of the eases Of shoes had be
come %aSylums for III" insects, the ,cockroache!
the covers, so that the little cockroachcs were en-
ablcd to crawl inside There they suhsistcd On
leather; impri"onrd When opened The, boxes
showed colonies still ~ work or extinct II The food
supply had been exhausted The reaches ate
into the leather fnishingS OF the four or five bn
Touches We, had Gb,ard They also ATE a lot
Of star candles and horn buttons and 81 oil clothes
they were particularly fond, The only way We
could save Tho oil clothes VAS 10 keep them packed
away when not in use, and that, Of course, was
"a Wv ~ N''FN " R'IN' - W. 'i' NJ 90 WV 81
very sticky when wadded up.
Capt. Snail advertised an offer ~ $500 foY
some chemical that would DESTROY the reaches
Everything presented failed, although one -
the San Francisco chemists made an outlay ~
over $50 IN the attempt. We unloadcd and MAIDS
an iny"siEatlon rs :" the damage on the cargo,
Had /, been shown thai the Insects came aboard
with the cargo. we should not have been held
responsible Tor the damage. Asst was clear that
tho reaches We had were not natives Of Boston, the
only thing 10 do was 10 pay.
We sailed in ballast for The Chinche Islands,
and the captain swnrc for vengeance We had
recovered while in TJr, some Of our strength and
courdCe- some had lost thirty pounds on tie
trip out and we pitched into the work Of eXter-
mination There was y much better opportunity
OF getting AT the Insects than before. and We had
made great inroRds ON them by the time We Ind
reached the islands Capt Small there got his
title ~ tockroaCh' The name never altogether
deserted him took on q Cargo Of guano there.
What few cock reaches had escaped MS died from
eating the guanot the ammonia contained inittrus
ably disagreeing with them. NJ any rate, Nv
the time We had reached England they had en-
trely disappeared"