Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1909-02-03

Un lle &
Gold Coast. J
BIT ALBERr W TonMAN, G.
Observation-Disclosures
In Capt, Cyrus yarnum's parlor
corner stood Kroo spear, Its long,
slim tip bristIing unpleasantly with
rusted hook-llke twists, and two odd.
1orked-shaped paddles five feet long.
The captain caught my glance wan
derang toward this sheaf OF cnrios.
Positively the worst spot ever
anchored OF that's where these
came FROM said he. There's NO
end OF yellow fever and cholera ports,
roadsteads open to wind and sea.
Ravens with reef-bound channels and.
shifting bars. But the Gold Coast
hasn't any harbors at all.
3 Ten years ago, made cruise in
6he old bark Cornelia to the Gulf Of
Guinea i shipped colored crew.
thinking they would stand hot wealth
: er better than whites. We were the
Z ffrst American sailing vessel to carry
Case oil to the West Coast, twenty
eight thousand wooden boxes. each
containing two flye-gallon cans.
AM - a,
March 1sth,. after an .nneventful run
OF forty.five DAYS. There we spent
almost two weeks dischareing cargo.
The sandehoals compelled us "a. en-
Choir several miles out. and lighter
\ our oil In the boats 81 the Kroo
Aoys. : ~. 3 ,
tall, strong fellows they are. these
Kroo boys. black as q tar-kettle. and
muscled like prize.fghters They
can dive like ducks and swim like
bonitos. Without them YOU couldn't
beach a box, bale or barrel on the
Cold Coast. They're jabbering.
laughing. happy-Eo-lucky lot generally.
but bulldogs for holding a grudge.
eve broke out the oil for, Cape
Coast Castle, took our coneignee
aboard, and made sail for Saltpond.
= few leagues farther east. That
drst night was a wild one. We were
/ Jogging along at a two-knot gait UNI
der lower topsails. with no rain and
little wind; but the low. inky clouds
were alive with lightning. The sea
4 rI.o a
dipped In phosphorus
I'VE hooked our anchor into the
sand five miles of saltpond. Though
north and west winds prevailed, the
heavy roll from the southeast trades
kicked up a fearful surf. It was a
hard place to land cargo.
The ground-swell wouldn't let the
Kroo boys load alongside; SO they
say ten feet of, holding to rope
from spar forward. Two single
whips from the topmasthead and the
yardarn hoisted the oil from the
mold. five boxes at time, and swung
u out over the rail. Lot of cases
were smashed. As only twenty-five
could be safely slowed in each boat.
and as single round trip took con-
siderable time, It was slow work.
fet we landed several hundred boxes
dag.
q went ashore with the consignee
n the frst boat. leaving my mate,
Henry Billings, the only white man
abroad, to send in the cargo.
-Now the Gold Coast abounds In
gray parrots, the highest-pricefi
birds on the market, worth ten dol
lars and upward in New York. They're
much quicker to learn than the green
ones, and aren't 80 ugly-tempered.
l.d planned to buy several dozen, as
q little speculation on my own 40.
count, SO I'd brought out eight bags
OF corn to feed them with, and built
a big cage over the bobby hatch. i
was ashore at Saltpond five days;
and, with my consigneess help |
picked up a hundred grays at four
4 iehillings apiece. +
,.At last / was ready to 60 back
to the cornelia. made final pur.
cnAse OF three rope hammocks at my
consignee's store, got my custom.
house papers, said, good-by to every.
body, and went down to the beach,
There high and dry lay the boat that