The Savannah morning news., 1904-10-02

er met with an accident the point can
not be definitely determined.
The So. Paul's $2,OOO,00O In Gold.
The American liner. St. Paul went
ashore on the Jersey sands in 1897
with cargo worth a little less than
81, 200, 600, rather more than half Of
which was in gold bars and coin.
The most exact estimate o. the value
of a liners cargo made in recent years
was that of the North German Lloyd
steamer Koenigen Louise in 1893. She
came to Newffork after meeting with
an accident, and the insurance adjust
ers were called in. They appraised the
value of the cargo at S53S,165.
But II 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 tradition in the ad-
justers offices that one shipment
brought from Cuba on vessel that
sustained some Injury was worth be-
tween two and three millions of dol
lars.
Even to-day the ships which bring
tobacco from Havana are among the
most valuable that arrive in American
ports. There is not a square inch of
their hold space which it not filled with
precious freight for besides tobacco
they bring rubber. coffee, cacao, spices,
and rare fruits from the West Indies.
Mexico, and Central America.
Rich ArgOsies In Ancient Times.
1t was from the Orient that most of
the richest argosies of ancient days,
from the time of King Solomon, ar
rived The East Indiaman figured
in the British imagination of the sew
enteenth and eighteenth centuries as
the top notch of opulence. And it
is from the Orient to-day that some
of the richest cargoes come. Feath-
ers, silks. carved goods, teas. coffees
and bronze and lacquer ware may
easily vie with the expensive goods
of France. 1t is said that sailing
vessel brought into San Francisco,
few years ago, consignment of
$4,000 packages of tea, worth $12 a
package, or $4,000 in all. The rest
OF her cargo was estimated to bring
the total value up to considerably
over million. Coffee importers
cherish the memory of a ship which
brought in a cargo of Java coffee
worth 100000
The most valuable OF all cargoes,
barring gold, is one composed of
go. there never was a ship laden en-
tirely with this most precious freight
but there is definite memory of one
consignment OF twenty cases of fancy
feathers valued at $150,000.
CargOes Thrown Away.
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, If
they could revisit these pale glimpses
of the moon.
Two or three years ago, the British
government subsidized a steamship
line to run between the West Indies
and England to cultivate a taste for
West Indian fruits in the mother
country. The great trouble in the
business was to find out how to carry
bananas, oranges, and pineapples a
long sea voyage without spelling
them. No less sum than 1000, 600
was allotted to the company 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 or so of the running
of the line. The throwing overheard
of bananas to the value of $4,000 OF
$4,000 was no uncommon thing.
II will be seen, from these few
facts, that the value of modern
argosies far surpasses that of any
of the treasure ships of ancient days.
The formation of a syndicate to run
pirate craft and pick up unconsidered
trifies on the high seas would be
one of the most profitable of all
modern enterprises-if the pirate craft
were strong enough to resist the
combined navies of civilization!
Copyright, 1904, by T. C. McCure)