The Story

The U.S. Government's Cargoes - An Accounting.

COPY - TRANSLATION     
 

Naples, Jan. 11, 1909.

Bunav, Washington.

Referring to your cablegram of 7th request following provisions shipped Carmania for delivery to CULGOA January 28th at Gibraltar quantities in thousand pounds beef 220 mutton 15 pork 40 veal 30 frankfurters 15 sausage 15 bologna 5 turkey 15 lunch meat 5 chopped beef 3 fresh potatoes 300 onions 10 barreled ham 50 assorted preserved meats cut [sic, corrected later to 15 1] butter 15 sugar 25 fresh eggs 15,000 dozen Reply requested

SPERRY

 

NARA, RG 143, File 105669.

On January 11, 1909, Admiral Sperry had requested that 793,000 pounds, or 396.5 tons, of provisions be shipped to the supply vessel Culgoa at Gibraltar. The Navy shipped pretty much everything he had requested. Although originally to be shipped aboard Cunard Line's Carmania, these provisions were ultimately shipped one day later aboard the Republic.2

But, there are various accounts as to the amounts of provisions that were actually shipped, and lost, aboard the Republic. In articles that appeared prior to the news of the collision, both the New York Times, January 23, 1909, 4:1, and the New York Sun, January 23, 1909, 9:2, reported that the Republic had carried 500 tons of supplies for the US Navy Fleet. On the same date, the New York Herald, 9:6, said that Republic's Navy cargo was "more than 500 tons." After the collision, the Journal of Commerce, January 26, 09, 1:2, reported that 421 tons of fresh provisions for the Navy were lost aboard the Republic, and precisely re-stated the Navy's data for the quantities of items lost. However, the Journal of Commerce's total tonnage is, for some reason, fifteen (15) tons greater than the Navy's internal net tonnage for its shipment of food stores. The New York Times, January 25, 09, 3:5, too, increased its figure for the loss of Navy cargos from its original 500 tons to 650 tons. The New York Herald, Jan. 25, 09, 4:2, also reported that 650 tons of cargo was lost by the Navy. And, finally, in the resulting admiralty action filed in the US District Court against the owners of the Florida, the US Government claimed a loss of only 406 tons - net weight - of food stores. These discrepancies between the newspaper reports of the U.S. Government's cargo, and its internal documentation and claim, are of interest.

Journal of Commerce3U.S. Claim     
Net Weight3		Unit, Net  Gross Weight3Unit, Gross  
      
816 Hind quarters beef*211141 lbs. Fresh Beef162.17 lbs./quarter122362 lbs.149.95 lbs./quarter 
486 Fore quarters beef*included in aboveaverage fore and hind91383 lbs.188.03 lbs./quarter 
280 carcasses sheep*13128 lbs. Fresh Mutton46. 88 lbs. /carcass13408 lbs.47.89 lbs. /carcass 
554 boxes pork loins*40890 lbs. Fresh Pork73. 8 lbs. /box47863 lbs.86.39 lbs. /box 
340 sides Veal*24814 lbs. Fresh Veal72.98 lbs./side25494 lbs.74.98 lbs./side 
600 cases frankfurters*15000 lbs. Frankfurters25 lbs./case18500 lbs.30.83 lbs./case 
600 cases pork sausages*15000 lbs. Pork Sausage25 lbs./case18000 lbs.30.00 lbs./case 
205 cases bologna*5022 lbs. Bologna24.5 lbs./case6457 lbs.31.50 lbs./case 
87 cases turkeys*14904 lbs. Turkeys171.31 lbs. /case16644 lbs.191.31 lbs. /case 
205 cases lunch meat*5000 lbs. Luncheon Meat24.39 lbs./case6435 lbs.31.39 lbs./case 
84 cases chipped beef, in tins3000 lbs. Chipped beef35.71 lbs./case3750 lbs.44.64 lbs./case 
1,147 barrels potatoes     
991 crates potatoes		301508 lbs. Potatoes141.02 lbs./brl-crte330840 lbs.154.74 lbs./brl-crte 
100 crates onions10000 lbs. Onions100 lbs./crate11700 lbs.117 lbs./crate 
250 tubs butter*15250 lbs. Butter61 lbs. /tub18000 lbs.72 lbs. /tub 
500 cases eggs*15000 lbs. Eggs48.75 lbs./case30500 lbs.61.00 lbs./case 
526 hlf. bbls. Smoked hams47449 lbs. Ham smoked90.21 lbs. /half brl84160 lbs.160.00 lbs. /half brl4
420 cases corned beef, in tins20160 lbs. Beef corned48 lbs./case29400 lbs.70.00 lbs./case 
222 cases bacon, in tins15984 lbs. Bacon72 lbs./case22644 lbs.102.00 lbs./case 
250 cases hams, in tins6000 lbs./ Ham tinned24 lbs./case10000 lbs.40.00 lbs./case 
167 cases salmon, in tins8016 lbs. Salmon48 lbs./case11690 lbs.70.00 lbs./case 
250 sacks sugar25000 lbs. Sugar100 lbs./sack25125 lbs100.50 lbs./sack 
      
TOTALS     
9080 Packages     
421 Tons		812266 lbs.     
[406.13 Tons]		 944455 lbs.     
[472.2275 Tons]		  
 

 :

 

What Else Might Have Been Shipped, in Addition to the Identified Food, to the Supply Ship Culgoa?

In addition to carrying articles of food, these ships form a sort of express service to the fleet, delivering requisitioned articles of equipment, even to guns, for which there is space. They frequently carry ammunition supplies, a large magazine being provided in each ship for the purpose.     
 

Supply Ships of the Navy     
Importance of Auxiliary Vessels to Our Fleets     
(Includes: "Sectional view of the U. S. supply ship Culgoa")     
Scientific American, January 29, 1916, p. 122.

 

FOOTNOTES

1A Western Union telegram, dated Jan. 14, 1909, stated "Cable Dept. says from Napoli. Our 73/11 Bunav assorted preserved meats 40 butter 15 sugar 25 fresh eggs mouhrum [code for 15,000] dozen reply requested." NARA RG 143, File 105669.     
2We have not found any explanation for the change in shipment from Carmania to Republic. The change may be related to the dates of closing for the 1909 4-1/2% Russian Loan, originally scheduled for January 21, 1909 (the Carmania's departure date), but the closing date was delayed a day.     
3The quantities of each item were stated in the Journal of Commerce, January 26, 09, 1:2. The Memorandum for the Bureau of Supplies and Accounts, January 25, 1909, NARA RG 143, File 105669, also stated the number of packages, as well as Net Weights and Gross Weights for the Navy's cargos.     
Three Navy Department, Bureau of Supplies and Accounts, Memorandum Bills of Lading were located at NARA, RG 143, within File 105669. Bill of Lading 2321 was issued for the refrigerated stores, marked by an asterisk above. Bill of Lading 2322 was issued for the potatoes and onions. Bill of Lading 2276 was issued for the remaining items which were carried as regular cargo. The Bills of Lading included the number of packages and gross weights.     
The Journal of Commerce, Memorandum and Bills of Lading were consistent with one another in their descriptions of the Navy cargo, EXCEPT for the 421 total tonnage identified by the Journal of Commerce.

4This item produces an anomaly. The difference between the Unit Net Weight and Unit Gross Weight for the 160 pound half-barrels of smoked ham suggests that an empty half barrel - by itself - would weigh an unlikely 69.29 pounds to ship 90 pounds of smoked ham, when the barrels and crates used to ship potatoes weighed only 13.72 pounds for their 140 pound contents, and the boxes (gold coin) and kegs (gold bars) used to ship gold weighed only 16 pounds for the 144 pounds of their contents (A keg of gold bars also weighed 160 pounds). The possibility that this anomaly may be attributable to a gold bar shipped-in-kegs shipment is discussed at Other Cargos, Gold and Silver Bars, infra.

* "The items marked with a * were forwarded in the [Republic's] refrigerator plant (415146 pounds) at one dollar ($1.00) per hundred pounds, amounting to [a shipping cost of] $4151.46. The balance was forwarded as regular cargo (529309) at 22-1/2 cents per hundred pounds, amounting to $1190.95, making a total freight charge of $5342.41." Memorandum, Ibid. 3. The refrigerated cargo is also confirmed by Memorandum Bill of Lading 2321, Loc. Cit.

 
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