Wilmington daily commercial., 1874-08-13
FIRST EDITION.
The Peach Trade.

| FROM THE CARS TO MARKET-pRocEss OF UNLOAD.
ING, AND scENEs AT JERSEY CITY.
| Tribune reporter has been inquirng into
the manner in which peaches are removed from
the trains at Jersey City and the fruit put upon
the New York market. In order to obtain the
desired information he remained within the de.
pot at the Ferry an entire night noting the
movements Of the cartman, and observing the
process OF unloading. This is what he,saw, brief
ly told !.
WAITING FOR THE TRAINS.
At midnight there are few tokens of activity
about the depot at Jersey City beyond the move
ments of locomotives ''drilling" and clearing the
tracks, Half an hour later the wagons begin to
arrive, and every ferry-boat for the next two
hours continue to swell the line until by $50 on
the morning Of the visit it was over a mile and
a-half in length. There is no certainty at what
hour the trains will arrive, 80 it is necessary for
the consigneea and their agents to be on hand
oon after midnight and the time ia spent in
conyersing in groups about the probabilities of
the hour OF arrival, the state Of the markets,
dc. Until the coming of the Foreman OF the
Pennsylyania Central II. II. no knowledge OF
the whereabouts OF the train il ascertained but
soon after his arrival he begins co make copy
OF the freight bill forwarded by telegraph, which
when completed is placed in frame and
HUNG UP OUTSIDE THE OFFICE
in plain view, 80 that every one could see the
huhpoi VI cuib Composing bHb tThll, tie bIulOnb
whence the fruit is shipped, the persons to
whom it was consigned, and the numbers of the
cars containing each special assignment. Every
conSlgnee and csr1nan was able to learn at q
glance the quantity of fruit that had been sent
to each. After satisfying their curiosity, the
carmen then reform their groups and renew
their conversation of gossip, joke and expert
ence, while those who have no especial RESPONSE
bllity, go to sleep in their wagons Each carman
carries lantern on his ann, unlighted at this
tl,n haat nil
go the slides, the match is applied, and innumer-
able lights flicker about in the depot from hun
dreds of dimly burning wicks. The announce
ment OF the arrival of the train
SETS THE MULTITUDE IN MOTION,
and general rush is made for the cars, in which
the trucks join and are sometimes driven to-
gether in seemingly yinextricable confusion, wheel
being locked within wheel, while a chorus of
oaths, threats and indictments to the teams as
cend from the drivers. Order being restored,
which is usually done by the police, the work of
unloading then commences. The doors are un-
locked, the fastenlngs removed, and the baskets
are handed out and loaded upon the trucks, which
are backed Immediately under the car DOORS on
either side, or as near to them as possible.
THE TRUCKS
are one and two horse, and fitted up specially
for the transportation Of baskets of fruit and
other produce. The largest of them will not
carry more than 16O baskets, while 100 baskets
load the smaller, or one horse. The trucks are
fitted up with rails along the sides, and after one
layer of baskets has been placed on the bottom
OF the wagon, movable boards form second
hoor, upon which il deposited another layer.
while third row is flooring for the upper
tier. In this respect they resemble the
wagons used iii the orchards and i'll con veying
the fruit to the stations, well the cars into
which the baskets are stored for transportation
from the stations in the peach country to the
markets. The cars are usually chartered by one
person, and fruit only for that consignee is per-
mtted to go into them. The II. r.. Co. is not
required to unload the chartered cars, and the
work must bo done by the employees Of the con-
signee.
THE START.
Even after the trucks are loaded much time is
consumed in getting away from the cars. The
trucks are jammed in AZ closely as it is possible
to get, and it not unfrequently happens that
some one on the outside who has been forced in
to disadvantaBeous position breaks the wheel
or axle of his loaded truck in order to extricate
it. blockade ensues. Those between the
broken vehicle and the cars cannot get out and
then arises another volley of oaths with which
and the sounds Of ''gittup," 'git up" and "geet-
oop" the air rings for several minutes while
an effort s made to break through the blockade,
but usually little headway is made. In this sit
uation the moments seem like hours, for there
is the greatest anxiety to get the fruit to mar
ket, well as to reach the ferry 30 to avoid
all Of the delay possible there, the boats having
limited carrying capacity and being run at inter
walls. The sun is often above the horizon be-
fore
TaE PEACHES ARE IN MARKET.
Those who succeed in getting the fruit on sale
first usually obtain the best prices and run off
their consignments earliest, while those who are
beated frequently keep their stock till late in the
afternoon Business like time, waits for no man,
and the greatest energy is required to survive
the competition which exists.