The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1905-08-26
CAPTAIN Of BOAT SUES
MAYOR OF SCRANTON.
WAS FORCED TO THROW HIS
CARGO OF BANANAS INTO THE
DEEP BLUE SEA.

Ile captain OF Cno ScnOOHeI OCidHeoh,
of Scranton, writes a correspondent
! from that town, has entered suit against
the city of Scranton to recover damages
on cargo of bananas which he was
forced to throw overheard by Armour
Krebs, mayor of the town. The schoo-
ner Scranton arrived in Pascagoula
Bay, off Scranton, during the early part
of last week, and anchored off the quar-
antine station, awaiting instructions
from Mayor Krebs. The schooner car
ried three persons, the captain, his mate
and woman passenger, and only the
captain held the required health papers.
The schooner was ordered into quaran-
tine, and the persons aboard were re-
quired to undergo a rigid examination.
| After remaining in quarantine two
days, Mayor Krebs issued orders re-
quiring the captain to throw his cargo
of 300 punches of tropical fruit over
board. The captain could not under
stand why he was obliged to throw his
bananas
quarantine, but, influenced by the Off
cials of the station, he complied with
the mandates of the official head OF
Scranton, and overheard went the fruit.
Scarcely had the first bunch reached the
placid waters of the bay than from every
projecting wharf and boat house skiffs,
yawls and every imaginable navigable
small craft was to be seen making for
the doomed schooner. The floating
punches were fished aboard, and, after
darting about the boat here and there,
as if in search of other prey, they rowed
back to their respective landings, and
thence to Scranton.
For two days bananas could almost be
had for the asking at the resort, and
when the captain was finally allowed to
leave his ship, he was surprised at the
low figure at which the fruit sold. In
quiries showed that the bananas were
picket up in the bay, into which they
had been thrown from the schooner, and
carload of the fruit being unlocked at
the railroad depot fresh from Mobile
found few buyers, because Scranton
was already stocked.
The captain went back to his boat
poorer, but wiser man. Bright and
early the next morning yawl tied up
at the landing of the mayors home, and
an explanation was asked for. The
captain could not understand why ba-
nanas picked up in the bay were any
better than bananas brought direct, and
restitution was asked of the mayor.
The mayor promised satisfaction, and
thirty-two arrests followed. The mis-
creants who had dared bring infected
bananas into Scranton were summoned
before a court cf justice, and after
severe lecture on the evil effects which
might follow to the citizens of Scranton
were dwelt upon at length by the pre-
siding Judge the vendors were dis
charged. This did not meet with favor
in the eyes of the captain. He asked
the mayor to explain to him why car
! load of the fruit from Mobile could un-
load it's cargo at the depot and he was
forced to unload his into the bay, and
Indirectly into the homes of the Scran-
tonites. The mayor endeavored to ex-
plain the 1ntricacies of the Mississippi
quarantine restrictions to the seafaring
man. but to little avail. He wanted
those who had gathered his fruit from
the briny deep fined and the proceeds
of that fine turned over to him. The re-
quest was refused and a suit to reim-
burse the owner for his lost cargo fol-
lowed