Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1888-01-05
AMONG THE SWEETS.
How Sugar IL Handled OH the Spaci-
GUS Levee mt New Orleans.

NOW that the DuSy seasoh ~ opening,
the levee will soon become the scene OF
hustle and activity. says The Nea0 Or
leans Times Democrat. The whistle of
steamboats,. the yelling of boss steve
dores. the whOoping of drivers as they
back up to load and unload freight,
cracking their whips about the ears Of
the mules or raising wells along their
sides with the lash. the jam of carts.
wagons, and floats. always heralds the
approach of winter on the levee and
the resuscitation of trade. From the
middle of October until the balmy
breezes of spr.ng are about softening
into the airs of summer the work on
the levee is almost continuous.
The principal commodities handled
are the staple products of the state
cotton. sugar, and molasses.
A hogshead OF sugar is IL huge ar
rangement of slaves. hoops. and heads,
weighing. when filled with sugar. from
eleven hundred to fifteen hundred
pounds. The cooper-shop and the
plantation together produce the hogs
head of sugar. When the cane has
been cut and pressed. and the juice
boiled into sugar. the sweet stuff is
packed into the hogshead. put on
board steamboat, and shipped to this
city, consigned to the factor represent
ing the planter. On arriving at the
landing the sugar is unloaded on the
warf, where it is allowed to remain for
twenty-four hours, and even longer
when room is plentiful. Then, if not
hauled away. it is rolled into the sugar
sheds at the expense of the owner.
Open-kettle sugar is sold to the deal
er on the levce. The factor is the SELL
er. whether he employs broker or not.
The majority of factors have the serv.-
ces of broker to attend to the sales on
the landing. The first-hand factor or
broker only sells in lots, and the bids
are either made openly. as the buyers
gather around the hogsheads, or the
sugar is sold on private offers if the
price proffered is the highest.
The party selling the sugar generally
does the sampling, either in person or
through clerk or other employee.
This is done by means of long steel
instrument known as the gimlet. which
is run through the bunghole down into
the sugar, twisted about, and drawn out
full of the saccharine matter. This
operation is performed several times,
until sufficient quantity is obtai ned to
clearly show the quality of the article.
These samples are piled up for the time
On the hogshead they are taken out of
rthe critical examin alton of the buy
er. After they have answered the pur-
pose they are put into little paper bags
and kept by the broker or dealer as II
type for reference, OF sent to the con-
signee.
1t is while the sampliDg process is
going on that the buyers gather round,
each in his turn making his offer. The
bu, or generally attends the sales to
personally inspect his purchase, but
sometimes sends for samples. and then.
on receipt of his goods. compares them
with the samples furnished him.
Although the first-hand broker sells
but round lots, in case of damage of
any portion of II lot of it showing up as
an inferior grade. he takes reduced
price for it; still the buyer must take
the entire lot. Secondhand brokers
sell in any way. by the whole or broken
lots.
Clarified sugar is sold by sample in
sugar-exchange. The supplies are col
ected and taken to the exchange.
where they are spread out on the tables
for the inspection of buyers.
After the su gar is sold it is wcighe d
and gagged and $ then ready for ship
ment after the first cooperage. 1t is
swung from the scales by means of
large hooks that catch on the chimes
of the hogshead so that when the beam
is pulled down the hogshead is lifted
from the ground and the weight
ascortained. Four men usually con-
stitute the weighing gang, together
with the clerk taking the records of the
weights. These hogsheads as gen.
eral thing run from LOO to 1,50C
pounds, but in weighing open-kettle
sugar the figures give the 5 and 1C
pounds. Thus, if hogshead weighs
l,2l4 pounds it goes down as 1.21(
pounds. Then IL per cent is knocked
off from the gross weight. In clarified
sugar the actual weight goes.
When the hogsheads have been
coopered the boss drayman or his clerk,
with his teams. appears on the scene
The sugar is marked. rolled on the
floats. and hauled to its destination in
the city or to the point of shipment, il
case it is being forwarded to som,
other port. domestic or foreign. Til,
low float is driven up close to the lot
to be handled, q skid Is hooked into tn,
iron brackets ut the side of the float