Antonio Basilio Caragol

ANTONIO BASILIO CARAGOL

AL0NG prominent in international commerce and more recently in the shipbuilding industry is Antonio Basilio Caragol, president of Manuel Caragol & Son, Inc., of 127 Water Street, New York. He was born and educated in Liverpool, England. His father, Manuel Caragol, was born in Cuba of Spanish parents. His mother, Josefa Calcano y Sanabria, was born in Venezuela, of Spanish and Italian parents. Mr. Caragol's maternal grandfather and his brothers were in the diplomatic service of Venezuela and represented that Government in many foreign courts.

Antonio B. Caragol from the age of sixteen was with shipping firms in Liverpool, and had charge of the Spanish Department for Ross, Skolfield & Co. there, and went to Spain as their representative. Later he entered the traffic department of Compania Trasatlantica, at Barcelona, Spain, for four years.

When his father, Manuel Caragol, died about ten years ago, Antonio B. Caragol came to New 1 ork from Spain to take charge as president of the business of Manuel Caragol & Son, Inc. He has also, for the same

period, been freight agent of the Compania Tras-atlantica. He is president of the Garton Corpora-tion. Owners of the schooner "Manuel Caragol." He has created a great business in the importation of Spanish olive oil, and has had a large share in demonstrating the superior quality of the Spanish product in this commodity.

Mr. Caragol is treasurer and a member of the executive committee of the Standard Shipbuilding Corporation of Staten Island, New York, which during the war was actively engaged in building several 7,300-ton steamships for the Government, as well as mine-sweepers.

Since the creation of the Spanish Commercial Delegation, Mr. Caragol has been its official New York representative with full charge of all matters appertaining to shipments from the Atlantic Coast, and through his efforts the traffic with Spain, after a period of almost absolute stagnation, was brought up to date, and shippers were

able to obtain space without delay for such cargoes as were available. The headquarters of the Spanish Commission are in Washington, D. C.

Mr. Caragol is a British subject, but took out first papers of American citizenship in June, 1917, after this country entered the war.

He is a director of Spanish Chamber of Commerce, New York Delegate of the American Chamber of Commerce for Spain; member of the New York Produce Exchange (since September, 1908), the Maritime Exchange, Merchants' Association, Chamber of Commerce of the United States, Traffic Club, and the National Marine League of the United States of America.

Mr. Caragol is an enthusiast upon the subject of better commercial relations between the United States and Spain. He is convinced that the recip-rocal trade between the two countries can be greatly improved, to the advantage of both. Few men are so well informed in regard to the resources and products of the Iberian peninsula. He has been most active in making these resources known to the American business world.