Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-12-06
COCOANUTS.
Their Sorting on the Pier-A Bakers Lot
The Ships that Bring Them.

A little lead-cologed steamer, drawing
no more than nine feet of water when
loaded, lay at pier near Coenties slip.
People familiar with shipping would
have said at a glance that she was in
the fruit or some such trade to the Span
ish Main on account of her size and
looks. A gang of men were lifting
bushel baskets full of cocoanuts over
the low hatch cOmbing amidships and
sliding them along greasy planks to-
ward another gang of men on the pier
the low tables made of planks laid on
top of cheap barrels. Three baskets
could be accommodated at one time on
each of the two tables. A man before
each basket picked the nuts up, one in
each hand, and knocked them together
lightly, and then either tossed thsm IN
to a big coarse bag which II man held
open before the table, or tossed them to
heap on the pier. Those thrown to
the pier were spoiled more or less, some
of them being so far decayed rs to
break open. Those thrown into the
bags were sound. The light tap told
the quality of the nut to the inspector.
Each bag held hundred, and as soon
as filled it was drawn to one side and
had It's mouth sewed up by man who
used needle nine inches long and soft
jute Irvine for thread. Other men
gathered the spoiled nuts into bags and
loaded them into covered wagon that
had nothing painted on it to Indicate
its ownership. A reporter who watched
the men found that from five to seven
nuts were rejected for every bag that
was filled. One of the workers, al
though kept busy either passing along
the full baskets or the empty ones back,
found time to talk. He said:
This vessel brought $4,000 of the
nuts from Baracoa. We began on them
at Z O'Clock this morning, and will
have them all out by O'clock. We
are paid by the hour at 'longshoremen's
rates. The boss took the contract to
discharge the cargo at sixty cents a
thousand"
what is done with the spoiled
ones?n
They are sold to that man (indica-
ting man by the unmarked wagon) E.
He is baker and confectioner. He
says they make better and cheaper
fire than coal. Rather curious, though,
that only bakers and confectioners
should have learned what good fuel
they are"
The nuts were slowed loose in the
hold of the vessel, with nothing to keep
them from shifting in case the steamer
got heavy lurch during gale on her
way to port. A merchant who was
familiar with the trade said:
I'VE import from 100000 to Is. 000,-
600 cocoanuts year. On an average
u per cent of them spoil on the way.
About one-half of them come from
Baracoa. San Bias is the next port of
consequence. The little steamers are
driving the schooners out of the bust
ness, although the heat of the engine
rooms is detrimental to the nuts. Six
years ago there was not single steamer
in the Baracoa trade. In 1881 there
were Isl schooner cargoes brought here
from Baracoa. In 1882 there were five
steamer cargoes brought-all Ameri-
can. The schooner cargoes rose to 221
in 1888, besides Ia Yankee steamer car
goes. The next year the British tramp
entered the trade, and IN two years cut
the schooner cargoes to 48, while the
number of steam tramp cargoes rose to
81. The Yankee steamers barely held
their own with 16 cargoes. 1t is a case
of the survival of the fittest. The fact
is, the steamers, although flying the
British flag, are in great part owned by
American capital. Cocoanuts at Bara-
Goa cost 2 cents each, delivered on
board the steamer free. There is very
little freighting done, the steamers and
cargoes belonging usually to the firms
ENGAGED in the trade IN Y SaLn