Wichita eagle., 1888-03-08
WHERE SHIPS UNLOAD.
A GREAT RESERVOIR FULL OF THE
WORLDS WEALTH.

a Peep Into the Mile of Warehouses
That Line the Water Front of Brook
lyn-How the Modern Caves Of Aladdin
Are Filled.
The most prominent object that attracts
the attention of the passenger on the fulton,
Wall or South ferry is the long line Of ware
houses that stretches along the water front OK
Brooklyn. Back of these warehouses rises
the bluff upon which the leaders of Brooklyn
society have built their residences, and to
which they have given the name Of Brooklyn
Heights. In the mansions luxury reigns. In
the storehouses commerce masses all that it
can command to fill the lap of luxury The
piers extend ont to tie channel, several hum
dred feet in front of the storehouses. These
are all of brick, and vary from 800 to 500
feet in depth. They stretch in a practically
continuous line, broken only by the ferry
slips, for five miles, beginning with the En-
pire stores, above the great bridge, and e2-
tending beyond the Erie basin.
The buildings are not absolutely fireproof,
but their walls are so thick that fire cannot
spread from one to the other. The ceilings
are low and the ground floors are dark Iron
shutters are the rule. There are 200 feet Of
them altogether. There is an appearance Of
great solidity about the buildings They were
evidently built to Withstand the assaults Of
time, and to hold secure what is given them
to keep. Not particle of characterization is
to be discerned from one end of the long line
to the other. The object for which these
buildings were erected is not display, but Sc
curity. Here are the riches Of the metropo-
lis awaiting its order.
WHEN THE SHIPS COME HOME.
When the ships of the merchants come in
from foreign shores they unload their freight
upon the piers, and it is rolled back into the
deep recesses of the cavernous depths of these
immense warehouses. If the merchant wants
money he takes his warehouse receipts to his
bank and puts them up as collateral If he
wishes to deliver or ship the goods, his re-
ceipt commands their production on demand,
and they come forth, as the water spouts
from the pipe when the faucet is turned, or
the light answers to the touch of an electric
button.
Great archways let in the stout Percherons
with huge drays, which cart away hogsheads
and crates, bags and bundles, bales and boxes
in an almost endless procession. AS these
carry away goods, gangs of longshoremen
roll on the piers other goods that have been
hauled up out Of the holds of sailing vessels
and steamships. From the tops of the slender
masts float the flags of nearly all nations,
least OF all in number being the Stars and
Stripes. The red flag, with cross of ST.
George, is most numerous. The tri-color is
prominent, as is also the red, white and black
OF Germany. Others are the black, yellow
and red of Belgium; the red, with white cross,
Of Denmark; the yellow, with red stripes, of
Spain; the blue stripes, with yellow cross
and cross in corner, of Sweden; the white,
blue and red stripes of Russia; the yellow,
red and blue stripes, with seven white stars
on the blue, of Venezuela; the red with vel
low cross, of Switzerland; and, most rare of
all, the white and blue stripes, with white
and blue cross, of Greece. The private flags
of the owners display strange devices, some
having tigers, lions, crosses, letters and the
like
The piers present busy scene. An army
Of custom house inspectors and weighers in
their white caps calmly survey the scene Of
which they are indisputably the monarchs
A glance at the labels on their caps enables
one to easily distinguish them from the Ia
borers. The latter are stalwart5, with brawny
arms, broad chests, bronzed faces, and sturdy
limbs. AS they trundle the boxes, bales and
bags down the piers they dump them in little
spaces chalked out for different owners
Pools Of molasses and carpet of sugar grains
waste enough sweetness on the air to tone up
the hapjacks and coffee of the whole Sixth
ward
FROM STRANGE CLIMEs
The weighers' assistants knock off the
boxes from great chunks of what looks like
sawed Of elephants legs. 1t is crude rubber
THAT has just arrived from South America,
and has just scraped acquaintance with rep
resentatives Of the same kin from Australia,
Central America and Africa. The finest
comes from Para, in 4zO-pound boxes When
cut into it looks like canned meat.
As bags of coffee by the hundred are rolled
down the piers from the ships, other bags of
pungent aroma slide down with loud swish
from the upper stories of the warehouses,
through long, steeply inclined chute of can
vas. This is so strong and coarse, and the de-
scent is so sharp, that laborer who essays an
easy passage finds himself in need of new
seat to bis trousers at the bottom
The deep keel ships from Calcutta and Ma
Mia bring huge quantities Of jute butts, bam-
cries. The Mediterranean line brings fruits
and skins, the Jamaica ships bananas, the
Rio de Janeiro vessels coffee and rubber. CO
Goa and hides. Odors float about Of tama-
rinds, cinnamon from the East Indies, cloves,
allspice, vanilla beans, bananas oranges,
lemons, Goldfish, guano, figs, raisins, mace,
tea, sugar and chocolate. Here is cochineal
in ceroons made Of skins, also indigo Hogs
heads Of molasses spread over acres, and
sugar IN mats, boxes and hogsheadD fills ware
house after warehouse.
AMen besmeared with tar stir up with huge
paddles great caldrons of boiling pitch. A
team of horses joys lightly along with load
piled to great height. 1t is cork with the
bark on and looks like saw logs Another
truck follows with bales of Goldfish, and an
other with hides heavily coated with lime.
Over a great pile Of rock salt the bowyprit Of
4 ship, rising and falling with the billowy
tide, swings its Tapping sail to and fro like
The trunk Of an elephant. In the warehouse
opposite black cat meanders over a great
pile of sulphur, while a group of 1ongshore-
nen play penny ante on the planks.
There is one picture shat is very pretty. |
The importers of oranges and lemons have !
arranged their fruit for inspection by buyers. |
The boxes are piled in tiers that rise from the |
loor Of the wharf to the top Of the ware |
house. The covers Of the boxes are have |
,eeu removed and the boxes laid upon their |
ides. The fruit is wrapped in pink. purple, |
white, red and striped paper. Circles have |
been cut out from the wrappers, so that seq
nents of the oranges and lemons contribute |
heir bright cclors TO the great rainbow. 1t /
S sight worth crossing the river to SEE
A great ship, with bowsprit extending far
ver the wharf, has a sea- serpent for figure
read Another has dragon, one female,
mother a sailor boy. Here is general, there
goddess, here mermaid, there seahorse.
here is an endless variety Of strange devices