The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-05-27
From the New York Sun.

use.
From the New York Sun.
Speaking of cockroaches at sea-" said
the old captain, II 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 1896. I'll
tell you the story. but, mind you won't
have my name used 1 think you will not
blame me for that, as the captain of the
Guiding Star, man named Small, got the
title 'Cockroach' for life, and 1 would
rather not take the chances of stirring
up my friends to press my rights of in
heritance to the nickname 1 being, so far
as am aware, the only person now living
who was in that fight
''Well may you call it fight. On the long
voyage of $50 days we several times
thought we should have to give up to the
enemy. They ate everything that we did,
except onions, and many other things be-
sides. A pair of children's shoes that were
in our cargo are on exhibition in the nat
ural history rooms In this city and show
how the reaches ate away everything but
the soes and the brass tins. There was
a record on the log book where we dispos-
ed of eighteen barrels of the insects, and
that was only a part. 1 will not dwell up
on the size of the crea tures, for that was
feature not so important as their great
number. They We're however" said the
captain, holding up a stolRy right hand,
''as large as my little finger.
Came Aboard at Calcutta.
ITO get at the beginning of the trou-
Bile, I must go back to some of the pre-
vious trips of the Guiding Star, when she
was running between Boston and Calcutta.
NJ nj - eLa
on board the passengers which made the
trouble. They got aboard in tie rice and
they thrived. The trips for the most part
left us at the Boston end during the warm
season and the circumstances served to
foster the things. Such cold as we have
here in winter would have betn enough
to kill most of them. They first became
seriously troublesome on the passage out
to the Indies in 1863 We had in a cargo of
ice and lumber, and the cockro aches not
being built so as to subsst on either of
these commodities. sought the upper decks.
The insection question at once presented
itself as a most serious one. War on the
cockroaches was begun only lew days
out. The mode of attack was to use
cracker tins, with molasses for bait. With
this favorite food as an inducement, the
insects entered the tin through a small,
square hole cut in the cover, ar / once in,
there was no escape for them. BY using
the greatest precautions the aSSSnRefS
managed to keep their cabins pretty well
cleared OF the insects Before we got into
port the cockroaches had begun to crawl
up into the rigging in places. an1'had eat
en- around the eyes so badly thai the ropes
had to be replaced
ION our return trip we had our usual
cargo of rice and that attracted the cock
reaches so we did not have so much trou-
BILE from them as on the way olIt. 1t would
have been better. for us II We had had
more of them, as by the time We got back
home we had forgotten the worst of it,.
i is just that way with the seafaring man
time fixes him; he remembers only the
agreeable and let's the rest GO Many a
hlgh-handed piece of business axes place
on the outward bound trips that no cap
tain would think of committing on the
return trip. on the home stretch il Is,
Here, son. and Come my II an
The Shippers Mistake.
Before starting on our San Francisco
run there was some question If II would
not be advisable TO scuttle the ship and
drown out the pests. Capt. Small was
going to take her out. He said oh. no.