The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1909-03-10
some VERY QUEER CARGOES
FIVE THOUSAND CATS ON ONE
VESSEL AND STALE EGGS
ON ANOTHER.

One of the queerest cargoes on
record, 900 cats-was on a ship
which sailed from Hamburg recently,
bound for Yokohama. Mice are a
great nuisance in Japanese towns,
and the harmless, necessary feline is
conspicuous by her absence. There
fore, the 5000 are to be distributed
about the country to increase and
multiply until the mice vanish.
Many queer cargoes have crossed
the seas, writes an English traveller,
and perhaps the oldest was put
aboard the Thomas Brooks. the first
vessel that flew the Cuban flag after
Cuba became an Independent repub-
lie. This consisted of a little circus,
the star" member of which was an
elephant, and its destination was
British colony. The elephant was
not very big one, but the steam
ship was particularly small When
he was induced, after much trouble.
to descend into No. 1 hold thew
found they couldn't put the matches
on, for his head and back came
above the deck level, and his trunk
waved to and fro, taking a friendly
interest in the legs of passing sailor
men. If ne threw his weight to one
side or the other the ship took an
alarming list to starboard or to port.
However, the old boat waddled
safely over 100 miles of the peace
full Caribbean and got to port. Then
the real trouble began The colony
has very elaborate customs tariff,
but when the officials drew up the
schedule they did not contemplate
the arrival of elephants
You must pay duty for him as
cattle on the hOOf, said the land
ing waiter.
NO" retorted the circus proprie-
tor. According to your scale of
charges he may come in free under
two headings-either as a domestic
pet or an article intended for edu-
cational purposes. "
The elephant was put in bond in a
large warehouse filled with casks of
rum while the dispute was referred
from the landing waiter to the col
lectOr general, from the collector
general to the colonial secretary. and
from that official to the governor.
and thence to the attorney general.
and his eXcellency's privy council
While all this was being done bv the
telephone the elephant amused him
self by smashing those casks of rum
and hopping up their contents. Be-
coming exhilarated he proceeded to
wreck the place; and then a deputa-
ton of worried officials besought the
master to do what he liked with the
beast, so long as he took it out of
their way.
The government of Haiti once
sent warship to Kingston, Jamai-
ca, to fetch a cargo consisting of
20 male and 20 female John Crow
Vultures. In spasm of reforming
zeal the black statesmen had decided
TO establish a street cleaning depart
ment for the town of Jacmel-which
needed it badly. Human labor was
too expensive; but they had heard
what good scavengers the Kingston
John Grows were, so they sent to
ask the colonial government. as a
special favor, to catch a few for
them. 1t was done, and they we're
put aboard with due pOmp and cere-
mOny.
But 100000 BOBBY eggs from the
Pedro Gays, where the birds assem-
bic in millions to lay them, proved
about the worst cargo. They we're
taken on a schooner to be sold for
the negroes consumption at various
West Indian ports. A good many
hundreds got broken aboard, and
We'll, they weren't exactly violets!