Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-10-01

Champs gnes, red wines. gloves. dresses.
SILKS, perfumes, laces and the like soon
n cunt ur into remarkable figures when
they hil the holds of big steamship.
1T Is almost impossible to arrive at the
value of a modern cargo unless the ship
meets with an accident and the insurance
adlusters are called in. Taking this means
OF Judging, II appears that the most valuable
French cargo handled in recent times was
that carried by the French Liner La CHAM
payne in 1894 The vessel was simply
crs mined full of costly goods, the total
value of which estimated at 81. $50 600
This cargo contained some gold coin. II Is
believed that other cargoes brought to New
York by French liners have contained a
greater value of merchandise, but as they
never met with an accident the point cam
not be definitely determined.
The American liner ST. Paul went ashore
On the Jersey sands in 1897 with a cargo
worth little less than s2oO0oO rather
more than half of which was In gold bars
and coin.
The most exact estimate or the value OF a
llners cargo made in recent years was that
Of the North German Lloyd steamer Koe-
nigen Louise in 1899. She came to New
York after meeting with an accident and
the insurance adjusters were called in.
They appraised the value of the cargo at
1888. 1856.
A Fortune in Tobacco.
But it is doubtful whether the great liners
carry the most valuable cargoes. Some Of
the shipments of tobacco made to America
before the passing of the Dingley tariff
were worth immense sums. There is a ira
dition in the adjusters' offices that one ship
ment brought from Cuba on vessel that
sustained some injury was worth between
two and three millions of dollars.
Even today the ships which bring tobacco
from Havana are among the most valuable
that arrive in American ports. There is
not square inch of their hald space which
is not filed with precious freight. for be-
sides tobacco they bring rubber, coffee.
cacao, spices and rare fruits from the West
Indies, Mexico and Central America.
II was from the orient that most of the
richest argosies of ancient days, from the
time of King Solomon, arrived. The East
lndiaman" figured in the British imagina-
ton of the seventeenth and eighteenth
centuries as the top notch of opulence
And it is from the orient today that some
of the richest cargoes come. Feathers.
silks, carved goods, teas, coffees and
bronze and lacquer ware may easily vie
with the expensive goods of France. 1t is
said that a sailing vessel brought into San
Francisco a few years ago a consignment
of 6O,OoO packages of tea, worth S12 a
package. $4,000 in all. The rest of
her cargo was estimated to bring the total
value up to considerably over a million
Coffee importers cherish the memory of a
ship which brought in a cargo of Java cof-
fee worth 100000
Most Valuable of ALL
The most valuable of all cargoes barring
gold, is one composed of fancy feathers. So
far as the records go, there never was a
ship laden entirely with this most precious
freight, but there is a definite memory Of
one consignment of twenty cases of fancy
feathers valued at $4,000.
Even the cargoes thrown away at sea
from time to time. in the course of modern
business, would stagger the belief of the
ancient pirates IL they could revisit these
pale glimpses of the moon.
Two or three years ago the British gov
eminent subsidized steamship line to run
between the West Indies and England to
cultivate taste for West Indian fruits in
the mother country. The great trouble In
the business was to find out how 10 carry
voyage without spelling them. Nd less a
sum than 81 100000 was allotted to the COM
pany out of the national exchequer TO cover
the cost Of spoiled cargoes. and there is
little doubt that 1t was needed in the first
year of the running of the line. The
throwing overheard of bananas to the value
Of $50 900 or $4,000 was no uncommon
thing.
1t will be seen, from these few facts,
that the value of modern argosies far sur
passes that of any of the treasure ships OF
ancient days. The formation Of q syndi-
cate to run pirate craft and pick up unc2n-
sidered trifles on the high seas would be one
of the most profitable of all modern enter
prises If the pirate craft were strong
enough to resist the combined navies OF
civilization!