New-York tribune., 1909-11-01
WINE SHIPS ARRIVE
WITH RICH CARGOES.
Luely Scenes at Custom House
During Night.

Through a lane of cheering brokers
Captain Charles Mourand, of the French
Line steamship La Touraine, walked into
the big rotunda in the Custom House at
1887 o'clock last night to enter his ship,
just one four and twenty-three minutes
before the expiration OF the day when
the reciprocity treaty with France ex-
ship favored by the tariff agreement was
thus saved from the imposition of the
higher duties which are in effect to-day.
us it finished?" asked the captain after
he had signed the papers
Not until the fees have been paid"
answered a petty officer of the ship who
was with him, and who had carried the
great bundle Of papers to the marble
counter where Deputy Collector James
H. Johnson, of the marine division, wait
ed for them
Captain Mourand was the least excited
of the large crowd that had gathered
there hours before to await his arrival.
This tension was evident from soon after
noon yesterday, and at that time it
get in before midnight. She had been
reported far to the east of Montauk.
At 2:3O o'clock wireless was received
at the station at Sagaponack that the
steamship was fifty miles to the east, or
153 miles from Sandy Hook. There was
an immediate figuring to find out when
she would arrive at the Bar. P. Faguet,
the general agent of the French line, was
sure she would get in between and 9
o'clock
From 2:3O o'clock no word was re-
ceiyed until after $50 o'clock, when a
wireless message was sent from Fire
Island that La Touraine had passed there
at 625 o'clock. 1t then became positive
that she would be at Quarantine before
II o'clock, and when, at $40 o'clock,
word was received that she had crossed
the Bar, at Sandy Hook, all tension
ceased and the wait for the captain was
begun.
LA TOURAINE ARRIVES.
On the stroke of the big steam
ship poked her nose opposite Quarantine
and came to anchor. DR.. L'Hommedieu
went out for DIR. Doty, the medical Of
fcer of the port, and passed the captain.
The tug Pulver, with Mr.. Faguet on
board, went alongside. and Captain Mou
rand came down the steps without haste.
He wore a brown fedora hat, and a gray
overcoat concealed his uniform, although
a brass button shone from the collar of
his dress coat. The trip to the Barge
Office followed and then there was a
piIiNty III n Custom
Mr.. Faguet and the captain took the
tug back to the steamship soon after IL
o'clock. and the big French liner will not
leave her anchorage until this morning.
On board the French liner We're 250
baskets Of champagne, consigned to
Frederick De Barry & Co.. 9 cases of wrne
for c. Y. Willis, 1 case for c. Blum,
30 cases of liQueurs for T. D. Downing
and 200 cases OF wine consigned to
order. That was all the goods affected
by the reciprocal tariff.
But there was far more saved on the
ST. Paul, of the American Line The ST
Faul alone had more than eight hundred
cases of brandy, seven hundred cases Of
lqueurs and five hundred cases of wine.
The Baltic also had a large cargo.
At midnight the total receipts from
eight entries of goods on La Touraine
were $2,752 81: St. Paul, $16,365 68; Bal
tic, s2,615 81, a bulk collection on recip-
rocal articles of 21,73373 The receipts
for the day, including duty on goods that
came in on the steamship Chicago and
the steamship Louisiana were S324 437 73
The receipts on Saturday were s694,-
SAT Al, total for the two days of s726,-
S85 IA. On the cargo Of La Touraine the
saving in duty was about 81, 900.
Back of the marble counter at the
right Of the entrance, where were tie
first, or marine. division men, three IN
number, Deputy Collector James II.
Johnson received the manifests from the
captains. At 10 o'clock in the morn
ing Captain F. n. Passow. of the steam
ship st. Paul, drifted in leisurelv There
was an equal freedom from haste on the
part of Captain Joseph p. Ransom, of
the White Star liner Baltic, who came
in at D o'clock in the afternoon.
1t was soon after $50 o'clock that it
became sure that La Touraine would be
on time At o'clock papers for a brandy
shipment on the French liner were en-
tereut ana ti!e cashier got a check for
s87 so. The invoice was for twentv-five
cases containing about fifty gallons of
brandy, which, under the reciprocity
agreement, was assessed 81 rs a gallon.
The tariff beginning to-day is s2 60
gallon. A broker entered two hundred and
fifty baskets of champagne and saved
$500 by the operation. He said he had
paid $4,000 since Saturday morning on
champagne importations, and more than
s15O.000 in the last ten days, a saving of
about $4,000.
1t was soon after 9 O'clock in the
morning that the first entry was made.
1t was for a brandy shipment on the ST
Paul, and check for s10,O52 passed over
the counter and thence went to the office
of the law division.
The Collectors arrangements for the
convenience of brokers and importers
provide for the meeting of every con-
tingency. The law division men had
looked up the statutes and found that
Treasury decision 26,219, of December II,
1906 made It legal to accept entries when
La Touraine was reported officially as
passing Sandy Hook.
THIN DINCT JAW E.XDrpTENrT,I-