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Animal cargoes to the States ( Chimps etc)

3K views 7 replies 6 participants last post by  Erimus 
#1 · (Edited)
I was A/p on the Salaga in 1956 and expecting a nice easy turn round to the Uk and get married in the July. In the event we were routed to the States and made our way back up the coast to Freetown. By this time we were fully loaded with passengers apart from a Captain Williams a retired ED skipper I believe, He had booked space for a variety of small animals, These were mainly chimps and snakes, There may have been more. They were in cages and boxes and stowed in the forcastle. The apprentices were given the job of cleaning and feeding them for I assume a small dash. I had a look at them a couple of times but they were not my scene really. Capn Williams brought one chimp out for the passengers to see and all in all things went well. Captain Williams lived in Freetown and collected these animals over a period and when he had a batch over to New York he went. I believe he had a contract with "The Trefflich Bird and Animal Co". I was told that there was a chimp on a regular US TV show which was one of his.
It would be interesting to know if anyone else had a zoo aboard,
ps. I got married in the November

On a similar theme people may remember Reg Hughes. He was a straight faced tease and leg puller. He was well known in the pursers dept. One States bound trip I believe he sent a cable to Elders New York to Charlie Causey, The Agency meeter and greeter. Charley told any purser if he came back to New York bring African artifacts and animals. He would sell them for big bucks. Half way to New York Reg sent Charlie a cable saying "Have on board one elephant. Can you dispose". The reply went back - confirmed. Eventually they docked with a somewhat agitated Charlie waiting on the quay . Reg pointed to Number 2 hatch and said in there. More agitation and more hilarity from Reg and his assistant. Of course the truth came out and Charlie didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Reg was a great chap and could well have made this uo. Who knows. Poor Reg crossed the bar after working for the big brewery in Blackburn. Happy days.
Bob Appleton
 
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#3 ·
A bit more to my original post. The brewery in Blackburn was Daniel Thwaites whose beer was an acqired taste for me. Reg was also the originator of the EPC (Ex Pursers Circle) which met in ***berland Street Liverpool'. Fred Griffiths put out an EPC newsletter for many years.
Thanks Eric for Mister Moke. Was there a Mister Ed ?. Bob
 
#5 ·
Go to the Elder D section of Paul's excellent site, click on 'anecdotes' and read Richard 'Paddy' Coyne's tale of the chimps which I ghost wrote for him many moons ago.

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#7 ·
Monkeys to the States ex. W.Africa



People today wont believe the "Strange" cargoes we used to carry. My grandchildren are fascinated when I tell them a "story" which Appbob's brings to mind.
It was my first trip to sea - as Cadet Engineer - in ED's "M.V. Shonga".
We left Tilbury at the end of August 1960 on what turned out to be a "Double-Header" - Uk - West Coast -USA -West Coast - UK. Amongst other things, we had a cargo of monkeys. They were "caged" in what amounted to Orange Boxes with wire netting on the front, about 12 monkeys to a box. The "cages" were stowed in no .3 'Tweendeck on top of the Palm Oil Tanks (I can't remember if we had a cargo of palm oil...)
There were three Cadets Two Midis and myself. Being a "First Tripper" I was the Junior, but , be that as it may, it was our job to take care of, and feed, the monkeys.
It would have been about mid-to-end of October that we started the trans-Atlantic passage to Philadelphia, our first US port. If my memory serves me well, we had a good trip, weather-wise, so there was no reason to expect that one morning, when we cadets opened our access to 3 'tweendeck, a whole bunch of monkeys would jump out on to the deck.
I cant remember how many got free but it was a lot, and they got everywhere, including the engine-room. We manged to recapture them, but one somehow got itself right to the top of the foremast and wouldn't allow anybody to get close enough to "sack" him. He died, probably from cold and starvation. What his "relatives" were used for I have no idea, but, with the benefit of hindsight, maybe he was better of going the way he did....
 
#8 ·
Not US cargo but once in BISCO days we were asked if one of our vessels, en route to Port Elizabeth, could 'drop in' at Takoradi on collect some high dignitary and a collection of animals, including at least one elephant as deck cargo!
The request had come through Foreign Office circles and had to be looked at with some caution......did we do it?....No, this particular vessel was diverted into Port Etienne ( as it was then) and a much later vessel sent for the cargo of manganese.

geoff
 
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