Omaha daily bee., 1916-07-30
FLOTSAM AND JETSAM
Wreckage of the Sea CAST Up
at Dieppe Sold at Auc-
ton Each Year.
REGULAR BUYERS ATTEND

Correspondence Of The Associated Press)
Dieppe, July 24.-Flotsam and Jet
sam cast up by equinoxial tides and
sold here by auction under maritime
regulations that date from the time
of Colbert, reflect each year the de-
structive force of nature in fury at
sea, In ordinary years it is small
wreckage that observation-disclosures
salvage from sailing and fishing YES
sells such as pieces OF rigging, fishing
nets, broken rudders, barrels OF tar
and so forth, but the wreckage wash
ed ashore on the coast Of Normandy
has lately gone beyond all previous
records.
Jagged wounds in pieces of ships
hulls showing the traces of torpedoes,
barrels, casks, cases, more or less
Clipped, dented, or crushed by con-
tact with the sharp reefs, with cord
age and smashed cabin furniture,
life-saving belts, bales Of rubber and
cotton, barrels of oil and molasses.
casks Of tallow, with a conglomera-
ton of apparatus and paraphcrnalia
such as none but a mariner could
identity or connect with any rational
use, were collected in one lot along
with a baby's cradle and a beheaded
doll. The cradle was almost intact.
the body Of the beheaded doll was
blaekened as if by powder.
There are regular buyers Of the
flotsam and jetsam of this coast, who
come here every year to speculate
upon the seasons disasters. The
miscellaneous debris Of an average
year has acquired a certain value
that none bur these experts would
ever venture to get out of it. This
year, in harmony with the general
movement, nearly everything brought
war prices. There were some rare
commodities in the salvage and there
was sentiment.
The industrial alcohol, rubber, tai
low and oil went to unprecedented
prices, other miscellany that would
have been comparatively neglected
in ordinary years was readily turned
into. money.
Mostly from Havre.
The buyers come mostly from Ha-
vre, but this year many came from as
far as Paris. The industrial alcohol
went to merchant from Armentieres
who is still trading with soldiers there
under continual bombardment. Al
cohol is rare along the front. With
the cask bought by the man from Ar
mentieres the soldiers in that sec
ton will be able to heat their ra-
tons.
Life belts and buoys as a rule 60
begging with buyers from the inte-
rior, This year there was a taker for
every one offered. A belt that re-
sembled one Of these white wreaths
sold in Paris for the decoration of
graves, with the inscription, IS. S. Lo-
mas, London" upon it, a belt to which
some life had chung to the last
moment of physical resistance, no
doubt, brought the unheard-of price of
10 francs. .
Gangplanks, ships boast and lad
ders, along with cabin furniture and
bunk clothing, brought only the av-
erage auction price, but the smaller
debris-things no landlubbcr can ex-
pect ever to find useful-were snapped
up by the buyers from the interior
if they showed the slightest evidence
of having gone through one Of the
sea dramas of the great war.
All this wreckage, gathered along
the coast by customs officials, inven-
tored and classified, is sold after the
legal lapse of time, if unclaimed be-
fore. The proceeds, less the import
duty" are held for thirty years in the
treasury OF the Marine Invalids, and
definitely acquired by that charity
only if no one establishes claim up
on il in the meantime.