Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-07-22
MELONS BY THOUSANDS.
SCENES AT THE STEAMSHIP
WHARVES on SAILING DAYS.

SCENES AT THE STEAMSHIP
WHARVES on SAILING DAYS.
Moving the Watery Fruit from the
Fields to the AKarIlet-Loadingi it from
The Wharves TO tho Vesseis-e4'O 900
Melons Waterways ShipmeBts-Three
Hundred Melons to One Passenger.
."Leben, twep, thirteen, fo'teen, tai
lee,V counted two score Of dusky melon
handlers on the Ocean steamship ComDa-
ny's wharf yesterday. A long train was
standing under the shed, and crowd Of
negroes were busy transferring the thou
sands OF melons from the cars to the
steamship Chattahoochee.
The season is alittle past its height, but
great many are still being shipped. On
sailing days everything is hustle and
hurry. a small regiment Of 'lOngshore-
men is employed in unloading the cars Of
their luscious freight and slowing away
the fruit on board Of the vessels. one
hundred and titty-iive carloads were re-
ceiyed last week each containing from
HOO TO 1000 melOns-l,2O0 Is about the
! average.
The melons are piled in the cars in
rows, one upon another, the bottom OF the
car being covered with dried grass, RE
straw, or s0methln" of the kind. In 1u-
loading they nre first placed on tracks
and wheeled out on The wharf and plled
! up. Each truck has a large woe box
! fastened on. A few handfuls 81 drled
grass are thrown in the bottom Of the
box.
COUNTING THE ltUlT.
Generally two truckers are put to IN
loading a car. One is lied ut time ny
| two men ia the car. WIZ handle the iruit
carefully and count alternately; One
man. IA he places melon in the box.
SINGS out .soue.D an. the other as be places
| the next one i'm c9-ts out two" Fifteen,
whether large o,small, make a load, and
the trucker wheels them out as a clerk
/ TALES.
II takes frym 40 minutes to an hour to
unload "A AR, The railroad companies
have thednlOading to do, and they pile
them il great piles on the wharf. The
! stoauoaip company takes them from the
whP and loads them on the steamers.
Tr counting process is repeated, and a
Iue Of trucks is kept running up and
iown the gangways. Il makes double
work taking the melons from the trucks
and putting them down on one side OF a
pile, and picking them up from the other
side and carrying them on board the ship.
The workmen do not kick, however, as it
gives employment for extra men.
MOVING IN HURRY.
Every one moves in hurry. Dozens
of trucks glide rapidly past each other
winding in and out among the crowd
and threatening every minute to collide.
A hundred thrOats are counting and
Yelling at the same moment, and with the
rumbllng of the trucks, carriages, 'busses,
and express wagons, make scene Of
noisy activity without confusion
The melons are slowed away between
decks forward and AFT. Running the
trucks down the ''after gangway7 may
not be very thrilling to those who do II,
but it is decidedly vigorous exercise.
truck loaded With fifteen melons, weigh
ing from 20 to 40 pounds apiece, does not
stand still on an inclined plane that has q
fall Of inches in foot. Three negroes
stand on each side of the gang
way and catch at the truck as 1t
shoots down. They do something in the
way OF checking its speed, but the darkey
who holds the handles has to take pretty
long and unwillingly rapid steps to keep
up. All he has to DO is to ''steer'' his
load, and keep it from running into and
over empty trucks waiting TO come up the
gangWay. One thing he never forgets TO
do, aud that is 10 duck his head az he
darts through the hatch. No matter how
much of hurry his truck may be in. he al
ways dips" in the same cOmical and hastY
way as he shoots through the opening in
the steamers side. def jerk at the
handles and the truck brings up at the
pile that is rapidly increasing.
PILED ON THE DECKS.
The Chattahoochee's deck was
covered or feet deep
with deep green, light green, striped,
round, oblong, and oval melons from all
parts OF the State south of the Central
railroad. Naldosta and points in South
and Southwest Georgia contribute the
greater part. Each lot is kept separate
| and fenced of, as IL We're. from the others.
They carry well, aud reach New York
and Boston markets in prime condition.
Very few comparatively are broken. Two
| or three dozen were laid aside yesterday,
and the tempting red was to the wistful
| eyes OF the swarm OF pickaninnIes as load
| Stone to steel filings. There We're two 10
every broken melon, hut they sat chatter
ing on boxes and barrels feastng only their
eyes. Half dozen white helmeted police
We're all about, not watching the cracked
melons in particular, but keeping an eye
on everything. No one is allowed to cat
the melons when they fall and burst.
! There would be too many dropped.
All of the broken ones are thrown in an
empty car and hauled out on the line
/ four miles and thrown away. The picka-
niunies lament the waste and eXtrava-
I gance daily, and watch their opportunity
| TO lessen il by sneaking one away when
! the 'cop's" back ia turned.
The ChattahOOchee carried out II, 800
! for New York in the afternoon. and the
| William Crane GOA for Baltimore. The
| former had 80 passengers aud the Crane
| p, about one passenger 70 200 melons.
| Knocked Down by q Runaway Horse
Between aud O'clock last night a