New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-08-15
now PEACHES COME TO THE CITH
ARRIVAL OF THE PEACH TRAIN.

ARRIVAL OF THE PEACH TRAIN.
SCENES THE FERRIES AND AT THE STATIONS
HOW THE FRUIT is UNLOADED.
The peach trade in New-York City is, IN eood
part midnight business. Hundreds OF men ni, !,
their sleep at night in order tha1 ,r ,It
peach-eatinR public may have its favorte 1I,I h
fresh on the breakfast tables. TO Gvc .ne
readers of The TRIBUNE some idea OF the way w
which peaches get from the Delaware and Maryland
and New Jersey orchards. reporter one night "f'
to the station of the Pennsylvania Railroad IN Je'
sey City to wait for the arrival of the peacn ,r.
AT this time in the peach season the trucks peeh w
gather at the Cortlandt Street Ferry about IL D. III.
The drivers look sury and sleepy as tney epIue
down West-st in numbers which fill the large ielrv
boats on every trip. Their only company going o'c.
consists of few mllkmcn. who go "'
the same hour to meet the " milk-irain." =,
When the fcrryboat reaches the other side the
drivers wake mp and wake their horses up also, ior
they frequently toward the peach yard IN oruer
leading to 1t, so as TO be nist 10 s orr;T a.
an s%0 hour our before the train. which gets
in about o'clock Some of the drivers sretch
blanket across their trucks and trv to eaten lew
minutes sleep while others assemble III some hesgn
boring rum-shop 10 make the time pass s"it NY
MANY trucks are often used by one firm alone ana
are under charge OF " boss carinan, VINO h's
the numbers of the which he expects
lie finds he cars and then sets his men To work "A
bulletin IL posted np every evening giving ,he
number of cars to arrive and telling to whom tney
are consigned the information being telegraphed Ill
advance of the tram. go -.
Meanwhile the peaches are still toting along. on
their Journey from Delaware and Maryland. lhey
are picked in the morning then loaded I'D 'hs c,pg
cars left at each station and about noon the tIalh
comes along and picks up all these Loaded cars
until they amount to about twenty "hen
another train Is made up; 10r, aIlhouuen ~; Wy y
whole arrival is generally called the peach IRAN.
there are often four five trains OF about twenty
cars EACH Each car Is generally loaded 10 the cen
ing and holds between 300 ana GU baSkets. e D.Ie
DAYS receipts frequently amount 10 forty OF hity
thousand baskets. As the train time approaches
the drivers and leaders collect together forming
crowd of one or two hundred, each ploVlueu WIN a
lantern. They could make crcdlihhic iorcni'en'
procession if they were not hOpclesSlY dsOI kahIeu
The scene is weird one IN the night, WIN engines
putting savagely about. and the crowd OF rugged
faces half illuminated by he lanterns IN the back
ground are the unknown wlldS OF New-JcIseN, WI"
the dread pOssibilies of bulldogs and mosquitoes
But the sport is yet TO come. A lantern Is seen
swinging far down the track, and the cry spfeausI
Here she IS" The drivers run for ther trucks, ana
as the train rumblcs by. spreading a smell OF
peacnes as il goes, the buss-trucklnen note
The car numbers and shout their orders to the
drivers Now the trucks make n charge from dozen
directions toward n common centre DRIVING III the
dark ~ not very pleasant TO a tired ana sleepy
driver and when collisions occur tud tney are al
most inevitably there Is apt to be contest III pro
family which must bring deeper blush 10 the
red checks of the country bred peaches
Trucks now rush up and down the lines OF cars ana
il is dangerous TO stand where truck can possibly
come The horses partly revealed by tie 1lIttih1
lanterns look huge ard hidcOus i'll the dark, and
the opparitlon of one of these l ,6OO-pOunders
coming " head on" few feet distant Is app 10
make one Jump 10 the lcDgtH vi MS aDii'S' '"'
bosses are running around to find their drivers,
and the drivers are hard pressed to lind the
bosses" aud when they meet they have prooapiN
both forgotten the situation of their cars.
| But at last they get TO work, doors are broken
open without ceremony, ana the peaches are
| handled quickly until the truck IS full One hun
| dred and twenty baskets make good load for a
| one horse truck, and they weigh about 3,ooo
| pounds Boards are laid over each tier OF baskets.
and the load Is built up five or six baskets hlgh'
AS the trucks get their loads they start on at tro
for the ferry and considerable rivalry exists as TO
which shall get the first load over to the ctY. On
the ferry boat the mlkmen, with their cans freshly
filled, again keep them company so mar tue ppat
such trip might be called Dig ulsn Vi peaohe'
and cream. . ,
Arrived on the New-York side the trucksare I'M
loaded as quickly as possible at the different stores,
and then sent back for more loads. The work gen
orally continues till Wight.
y The cartlng Of the peaches makes fair business
for a number Of men. The regular price is 4
| cents a basket; ont Of this they must
| nav ferry fare drivers wages, and the usual
| expense for horses and stables, The drivers work
for 81 day during the peach season. ana thelr EN-
blowers generally give them their breakfast In adi-
| ton on account of the extra WORK. safes pegih
almost as soon as the first loads reach the city Inc
first buyers are the home Spectators or 1obDers,
who are on the lookout for the best lois.
Abont o'clock the grOcers and st0rc-k Keepers are
around looking for choice fruit, and later i'll the
dav tho licensed vendors come to pick no the cheap
remnants. Shippers 10 the country buy early or
late. according as the receipts are nght OF heaV}'
loading the cars from Jersey City to the New-fiaVen
Railroad, 10y means of floats
Yesterday morning sixty cars OF peaches arrived
Tie market was generally better than most OF last
| week Crawfords sold at r % To ~ Old MIX
ons 81 10 81 %; common grades, 10 cents 10 Tl'