The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-03-04
DANGERS IN A BONE CARGO.
SAILORS DREAD n SHIP ENGAGED
IN THE UNwHoLEsoME TRADE.

IN THE UNIV TRADE.
Nermin in Countless Swarms Breed
in the Decaying Masses-They In
wade Every Portion OF the Vessel
With Impunity - PhOsphorescen
Miasmn ON IA Recent Voyage Pro-
duced "a Fire Scare.
From the New York Mail and Express.
Next to gunpowder, the worst cargo that
ship can carry Is a load of bones. This
fact is not generally known among even
shipping people, but there are a few mas
| ter mariners who have had an experience
with shipments of bones, and these say
silent prayer every time they hear Of a
ship being chartered to carry the skele-
| tons of the animals OF the field. Bones are
used in the manufacture OF all sorts of
domestic articles, from a tooth brush to
the handle of cat-'o-nlne-tails. The inn
mense cattle plains of the Argentine Re-
public furnish to the United States more
than rs per cent of the latter's importa-
| ton of bones.
One of the strangest accounts of mis-
| fortune to bone-laden ship is that of the
Austrian bark Villa, which left Egypt May
| a. 1893, for this port. Nothing was heard
| of the craft from that time until Aug. 80
| of the same year, when the Norwegian
| steamer Bredablik found her abandoned
| off Cape Hatteras and towed her into port.
| The bark was In almost perfect condition,
| but her papers were gone, and there
wasn't a scrap of food of any kind TO be
| found on board. There seemed to be no
question that the crew had voluntarily de-
serted their charge, but from that day TO
this neither the officers nor the men who
| were on her have ever been heard from.
Their fate Is as great an ocean mystery
1 as the disappearance of the crew of the
Marie Celeste, which was the subject of
| an extensive investigation by the state de-
| partment in Washington some years ago.
| The explanation advanced for the dsap-
| peaTance of the Villas crew were count
! less, but no substantial one was made UNI
| til the schooner Wallace ]. Boyd arrived
| at Philadelphia from Montevideo with a
| cargo of bones similar TO that in the Villa.
Vermin in Armies.
The people of the Boyd, in an official
| statement made at the time, said that
| shortly after the ship left Montevdeo the
| craft became infested with scorpions and
other deadly insects, which were due to
| the cargo. The men were driven from
their hunks by the pestiferious bugs and,
although every known effort was made to
rid the schooner of the plague, they con-
tinued to multiply In enormous numbers.
They became so bad at last that the men
were forced to change their clothing a
half dozen times each day, but even this
did not free them Of the smaller insects,
The log book of the schooner showed
that from Aug. II, the day of departure
from Montevldeo, until Sept. s. the agony
was constant. on the last-named date the
plague became aggravated by the appear
ance of large green bugs, which swarmed
over everything and continued until port
was reached. A few days before the ves-
sci reached the capes the insects became
so thick and annoying that the men had
| on several occasions to take refuge aloft
several of them lashipg themselves in the
ratlines and sleeping there. The pilot who
came aboard at the breakwater fed when
| he saw the scorpions crawling about the
| deck, and the master of craft had to bring
| her up the Delaware unaided.
| 1t Is supposed that the insects had in
| Tested the bones ON the plains. and the
intense heat of the hold in the tropics
caused them to breed excessively and
| drove them on deck The experience of the
| crew of the Boyd was such that nothing
could induce them to ship in a bone-lad-
| en- craft again, and the news of their
! suffering Travelled so extensively that 1t
was with the greatest difficulty that she
| succeeded In getting new crew. The
Boyd was lost the following year at Ma
vassa.
Overran the Ship.
The Italian bark Clementine last year
| arrived at Philadelphia from faraway
| Uruguay, with a cargo OF bones and an
| experience with scarcely n parallel. The
bark loaded the bones at Buenos Ayres,
with the understanding that she was to
take them TO Antwerp. She was ordered
| to Philadelphia instead. The bones were
| fresh when taken on board, and, accord
| ing to her skipper, Capt. Domestico, at
| least 100000 bugs were put into the hold
with them Soon they overran the ship.
| and the crew, after the first week out,
| shoveled them up and threw them over
| board at the rate of four barrels a day.
| The insect was known as the the boring
| bug When only seven days out the bugs
| became so thick that three OF the crew
| went aIoft and remained there, except for
| the time in which they rushed on deck,
! grabbed some food and hurried aloft
| again.
Near the equator the Clementine ran in
| to a series of gales, and one of the big
| waves that broke on board carried away
| part of the main hatch and washed it into
the sea. At the hight Of the storm the
| crew noticed that an English tramp
| steamer was following In her wake To.
| ward evening the steamer overhauled the
windjammer, and the latter, divining that
| something was amiss, hove to. The
steamer lowered boat and her mate came
alongside.
How long have you been on hre?" he
| inquired as he gained the deck.
The crew Of the bark did not understand
| the question: but che officer of the steam,
| err explained that all on his vessel had
seen the bark blazing fercely for the last
| thrty-six hours. yet I do not see any
trace of fire here" he added with much
| surprise. While they were discussing the
matter night came on and the officer
| pointed aloft and said:
There's no mistaklng It now. See the
| hames?"
A Phosphorescent CLEAN.
Looking aloft the crew of the bark no
| ticed for the first time that the spars
rigging and even the sails seemed to he
ablaze The tophamper glowed with tho
most peculiar light the crew had ever