Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-10-12
A LOAD OF BANANAS.
A NIGHT SCENE ON THE COAST
OF JAMAICA.

How the West India Darby Works -
Torchlight A Lively Time at the
! Wharf Cutting or the Stems The
| ventilatins tunnels.
! Shortly after dark the banana loading be
/ gan, and nothing connected with the fruit
] trade IS more picturesque and romantic than
the loading Of banana ship, particularly
/ when the work is done at night. There was
the hong wooden building in which the ba-
( nanas were stored, with an uncovered board
platform about twenty feet wide between it
and the wharf at which the ship lay A
hundred darkies, perhaps more, were loung-
ing about waiting for the work to begin
and there is nothing in which the West India
darby comes out so strong as in waiting for
the work to begin. A big torch was lighted,
and the fame of it made the platform as
light almost as day Lanterns were hung
about inside the building, and through the
open doors could be seen great piles of ba
nanas stacked up like hay; and all green, for
they are cut in the unripe state, and should
not, if they are properly managed, be more
than just beginning to show a few yellow
streaks by the time they are landed in New
York
A dozen men went to work and dashed q
wide plank to the side OF the ship in such
position that it made platform large enough
for two men to stand on, about four feet
above the wharf and the same distance below
the deck. The cover was taken of the for
ward hatch and several men were sent below
to stow away the punches as they were passed
down. Other men were stationed between
the rail and the hatch to pass the punches
along. Men and women carried the lunches
from the shed to the ship and handed them to
the men on the hanging platform. An in
spsctor was constantly on the wharf keeping
sharp eye on every bunch ard rejecting ali
that had any blemlsh or were under size 4
coIored man with sharp CutlasS stood aDout
midway between the shed and the ship, and
with a dexterous blow cut the long and use
less stem from each bunch az it was carried
past. Thus each bunch went through five
hands in its short journey from the storage
shed 10 the hold of the ship: First girl or
man picked up bunch from the great heap
in the shed, put it on her OF his head, and
carried it to the men on the hanging plat
form; they passed it to the man on deck, who
in turn handed it to the men in the hatch
way, and they gave it TO men still deeper in
the held, who slowed it away where it was to
remain till it reached New York.
The order to beg in work instantly turned
the quiet wharf into one of the liveliest
places imaginable. Twenty men and girls
MADE a rush for the Ehed and came out one
after another, with punches of bananas on
their heads, hurrying as if their lives de-
pended upon making quick time The two
men on the platform, as they received the
punches. called off the number for the tally
keeper, who made mark for every bunch
received. Then began musical but monot-
Onous chorus that lasted til the last banana
was on board. The men on the platform re-
ceived the punches alternately, first one and
then the other, each one as he handed his
bunch up to tho deck calling out number
that never went beyond four. First the
right hand man cried Wan" in voice that
might have been heard on the other side Of
the island. Then the left hand man Two"
And the other one ag Gin, Three" and the
left hand man again, -Four" and then
the first one, 'Tal-lee," the tally" coming
out every TINE five times louder than any Of
the others Then it began again with the
''one," two" three and 80 on, till in a
short time the tally keeper had rows of
marks reaching across the broad pages Of
his book Occasionally some Of the workers
started up song and the others joined il.
The whole scene was typical OF life n
the tropics, with the awning stretched over
the passengers deck to keep of the night
dews, tie darkies at work by the light Of the
big torch, the pleasans smell OF the bananas,
the soft warm air and tho negro songs. Ii
was tropical cargo that we had through
out, with 500 hcgsheads OF sugar In the hold,
a great weight Of mahogany logs and SOTO
hides and tobacco In "a short time the whole
wharf was covered with the cut of ends Of
banana stems, and these had frequently to b.
swept away. Two or three times Somebody
grip failed or his foot slipped and bunch o.
bananas came down on the wharf with Q
th1d and broke TO pieces, only to be thrown
overheard without ceremony. II seemed i'm
possible for the man to keep swinging lis
cutlass in the midst Of that hurrying crowd
without nicking somebody's head, or at least
topping OF an ear or two; but he evidently
understood his business, for no such accident
happened, and the cutlass never descended
without bringing with It one Of ths cut of
stems 1t would have been impossible, Of
course, for such crowd Of West Indian col
ored people 10 work together without some
wranghng and quarrellng, and In such casss
sway at SUCH . rate that Q pitched battle
seems imminent They take j; out in soold-
ing, however, and rarely or never cene 20
blows over their work
This went On from O'Clock 70 IL, with q
racket tina; made eissp impossible In t5oSe
four hours 600 lunches Of bananas were PIT
In the hold, and moro would have bean taken
II more had been ready, bot another steamer
bad bean loaded the day before, and mad
nsAriy enpaed he ssoTehoasA The slowing |
away t. he hod is work that requires ex- !
perienced handa Carehg work thsre would |
rsal. IN . spoilsd cazgo before tbs ship |
reached h-r destination. They have TO be a. |
carefully packed - lady, trunk, and 80 a. |
ranged tia. the cir VII reecn than - uaeh /
as possible A fruit seran7sf - . marvel IL /
the way Of pipss and veroAt0s and Ill scTts |
Of ccurivaoces Ter keeS3ag bananas n good /
condition TIA deck Ct tie Airo. Is soon ~ /
We had bananas 81 board. became . wilder /
Cess a great iron veuzhssnz eunneas- ssch 1
Is high a. q mans bead, a-d each rs-zzforced l
win cAnvas azma, sprsaA out 70 eaten rs
hreeza
Oh tbs or hand, vhen TIE ship reaches |
higher ls0scds O. hex nnrtkvard voJagA /
tee veuf1atcss Ezyc - Be taken away AID
TIE bod hesaed with kean pipes TIE At.as
6s<srsshtu c<,uzxsnr - n xnsnca a. uruSHcf,