The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1907-08-29
CATS ARE LIKED
=
ON BOARD SHIP
Good Tables Keep Hold
Free From Rats, Declare
Shippers.
Tale of Turtle Who Opened
Crate and Hoped With
Sweetheart.

NEW YORK. Aug. 2s.-Cats are the
great desideratum on board the Ger
man steamship Altai, Captain Kirsch-
boff. which ARR yed from Colon and the
West Indies. The tabbies are relied
= upon TO rid the steamship OF a plague
of rata. and they will be taken along
as free passengers if reliable mousers
are brought aboard at Pier I. North
River.
According to The Affairs supercargo,
the rats have been eating their way
through the ship and cargo for sew
ecal trips, ana got so bold they would
take possession OF the deck Gu noon
light evenings and hold summer night
festivals in defiance Of the officers and
the crew.
When Captain Kirschhoff read about
the haVOc-maklng powers OF the tiger
cat the NaldlVla shipped at Inagua5 ne
decided that ne would put IN enough
on the Altai 10 put whole holdful or
They say New York cats are the best
uaousers ia the world" unused Captain
IIirschhOn at his pier jamaica cats
are no good. They seem 10 fTaIernlZe
with the banana rats
Captain Kirschhon had to leave his
berth at Pier !, North River, and anchor
IL the stream because the United Fruit
Company's steamship Bradford had the
right of way in the slip. On the Brad
fOrl came in The Bradford Hunting
Club. The president Of this club is Frau
Thomson, wife OF the Bradford's cap
tain, who always travels with her hus-
band. as does Mrs. Turner, wife of the
Bradford's chief engineer, the four per
sons making UP the club that has been
having all sorts Of adventures in ia
Uaican waters on each trip.
There was a regular clipping couple
on board our ship this time, said Mrs.
Thomson The couple were turtles, II
Is true. but they were Just as persistent
and as earnest in their endeavOrs to get
away as any humans ever were Al
MOntegO Bay On Tuesday morning last
we got 300-pound turtle aboard. This
fellows mate had already been taken
aboard. and soon after he came on deck
the s0o-pOund tortoise pried OF the sides
OF his crate and got into the sea. he
swan around the ship. evidently trying
TO find his sweetheart, and after an
hour he was lassoed and taken aboard
again
Soon after he bad been returned to his
crate and while the bananas were being
checked on into the hold, the big chap
got loose again and found his mate in
another crate. 1t Is no nature taking 10
say that the big turtle worked the side
Of the other turtles crate loose, and that
both got over the side and splashed into
the bay.
-Thcp Mrs. Turner, Mr.. Turner, and I
went into a boat and hunted for the
clipping turtles. We found them mile
away on the beach, getting q sun bath
We had to turn them on their backs So
that they could not escape and finally
got them into the boat with the help Of
some jamaican negroes on shore
For half an hour. when the Bradford
was of Cape HenloDen, sne ran through
a sea of oil. Captain Thomson thought
likely an oil tank boat might have
foundered on the cape. but as the spot
tvhere the film was encountered was
Just OF Philadelphia 1t may possibly
have come from The oil refineTles OF tina,
city