The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-02-12

from Zanzibar The year 1861 saw the end of Saem's once great trade in Para rubber. The Australia. in 1860, was the last Salem ship to visit the coast of Sumatra, where for more than half a century an extensive and profitable pep per trad was carried on.
 Reads Like Romance.
 The story of the origin of this trade reads like a romance. Since the year 1909 Portuguese vessels had brought pep per from Sumatra, the cradle of the Malay race, on return trips from their ceaseless search for the fabulous lsla d'oura, where 1t was supposed cargoes of gold bars and nuggets could be pick ed up along the beach. By the close of the sixteenth century the Dutch and
 English joined in the quest, and in 1891 the French carried away by glowing ac- counts of the importance of the trade, sent fleet to Sumatra with magnificent presents for the Sultan of Acheen. In the next century new claimant for share of the trade appeared. To q Salem captain belongs the credit of opening to American enterprise the pro- fitable Sumatra pepper business In 1793 Captain Johnathan Carnes sailed from Salem in a schooner for the east Indies While in Bencoolen, port on the coast of Sumatra, he heard of the pepper trade, at that time confined principally to Pad ang. He sailed for this point without knowledge of the course and through
 waters dangerous for navigation. He found that little pepper was actually raised in Padang, but that 1t was brought there in small quantities from points farther north by the natives in their 'proas''. He succeeded in obtaining a cargo and sailed for home, but was wrecked in the West Indies and lost ves- sel and cargo. But he found his way back to Salem and told the owners what he had discovered. A brig of 120 tons, the
 'Rajah,' was built secretly and in 1795 Carnes started again for Sumatra with the first vessel that had sailed from this country for Sumatra pepper.
 Threaded Coral Reefs.
 On this trip captain Carnes visited the northerly ports of the island and with out charts or guide of any kind made his way through the coral reefs which are the dread of navigators to this day. But this time he brought his cargo safely into Salem. There was lively excitement In town when the character of the cargo was known and the ingenious Yankee in- tellect wrestled with the problem of how many years 1t would take the inhabitants of the country to exhaust such a vast supply of pepper. The owners of the thdJdnf nOMeNtT, were busy DRuTlDg the profits for this cargo which cost $1S,- 900 was sold for s144,0O0, or a profit of TOO per cent. Where the cargo was found was kept a secret But in time vessels were fitted out at Salem and Beverly for Bencoolen where 1t was understood Carnes first heard about Sumatra pepper These efforts were without avail for the jealousy of the European colonists had been awakened and they had begun to E.- I- -4,v vaI- ~N pushing Yankees No charts or sailing drectios of the coast orth of Padang could be found. Lurid accounts of the dangers of the voyage were spread abroad to frighten new adventurers. But by the first of the nineteenth century many ships turned their prows toward Sumatra for a share In this lucrative trade.
 In November. 1892, Captain Joseph Ropes, in theship Recovery" located Padang and obtained cargo of pepper. Two years later the Putnam" sailed from Salem for the same port and met with success. During that year at least thirty American vessels made voyages to Sumatra for pepper Boom towns sprang up along the Sumatra coast. bearing such picturesque names as Anal aboo, Soo-soo, Hangar and North Tally Pow, ideal names for comic opera lib- rettists
 First to Enter Mocha.
 A ship from Salem, the Recovery" Captain Joseph Ropes was the first Am erican vessel to enter the harbor of Mocha. on the coast of Arabia, just in- side the Red Sea, and opened the com merce in that pungent berry which forms so valuable part of the beverage of me American breakfast table. From Salem also sailed the first American ship to