The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-08-13

result is that bananas are now cheaper than ever, and the supply is large enough to meet the rapid increase in demand This increase has been very remarkable during the past few sea- sons. 1t is probable that this year be- tween fifteen and twenty million bunch es will be brought into this country Of this amount, nearly one-half comes by way of New Orleans one-third by New York, and the remainder through | other ports,
 It is only within the past few years that the handling of bananas has been worthy the name of distinct trade, Previously 1t was only part of the fruit trade, and, like most kinds of fruit, the banana was counted on as | good for It's season. The banana season was Ion" when apples, berries and oth- CT native fruits were "off." As time went on, however, and greater familiar 1 ity with the banana taught people that it was one of the most excellent and | adaptable of fruits, a steady demand grew up which persists the year around. | Physicians took up the banana and recommended it for its healthful and lpul anu etllcSaCNiSl litC banana has come into high favor. That is briefly why the people of the United States will eat this year some twenty | million punches of bananas, or roughly one bunch averaging two hundred ba- nanas to every family in the country. Aside from its commercial importance, the banana trade is interesting for it's picturesque feature. From the dark l hnaI Ta, ma Mavipon who pntS. the stalks where they grow, through l the colored roustabouts and white handlers who load and unload the ves- sels, the wholesale and retail dealers, to the Greek and Italian push-cart mer- | chants who sell the fruit upon our city streets, there is range of thrift and | shiftlessness, and variety of human kind that it would be hard to match In any other industry.
 The boats engaged in the banana
 trade are properly coasting vessels, light of draft, to accommodate the shallow harbors of the tropics, built for
 fair speed and great carrying capacity.
 Most of them belong to the different
 firms that import the fruit and carry
 from twenty to thirty thousand bunch es at each trip. This means from two l lO lOuI lIlllllOH DdUdlldS III every CdIRo. The perishable nature of their load re-
 quires quick work In loading and un-
 loading these boats, and there is no
 more lively or interesting scene than a
 banana vessel taking on or discharging cargo.
 At the little West Indian ports where
 the bananas are loaded there is apt to
 be the greatest excitement during the
 day or two while the vessel is taking on
 its cargo. Carts of the most wonderful
 construction come pouring in from the
 plantations, piled high with the green
 fruit, fresh cut. These cars are hauled
 by bony cattle or sullen mules, and are
 driven by lazy blacks, who loll upon
 their loads and swear Justify at their
 teams and at each other in the musical
 tones of these southern islands. The
 air Is full of the cracking of whips. rich
 Spanish oaths and an occasional invig-
 oratng Anglo-Sa injunction to
 Hook lively there"
 AS the heavy punches of fruit go over
 the ships side they are counted and
 packed away in the hold in lots of sev-
 ems or hines, according to the number
 that hangs" that is the number of
 rows of fruit on each stalk. When the
 season is at it's night, as it is just now,
 there is a grand rush to get the fruit on
 board and the work never subsidies un-
 til the vessel is filled to the matches.
 Sometimes, however, the boats have to
 coast along the shallow shores to make
 up their loads and then the fruit is
 rafted out to them in small lots on log
 rafts bound together with vines and
 poled by strappng blacks, whose ideas
 in regard to clothing are about as prim-
 itive as those of the natives of central
 Africa.
 When the hold is filled the banana
 boat wastes not moment In getting away with her cargo, and makes the
 best time she is capable of to her port
 of destination. Most of these boats are very fair travellers, and can unload the
 fruit in New York within six days of its cutting, making the trip from Ja- maica or Porto Rico to New York in three or four days.
 When the boat arrives in port gangs of workmen are awaiting to unload her As soon as she has tied up to her dock she is surrounded by trucks and light CTS, the matches are thrown open, and , the men fairly swarm over the ships sides and into her hold. If the boat is
 a large one, four or five gangs" from one hundred to one hundred and tWen- , ty-fve men, work on her at once. There , is sometimes considerable rivalry be tween these gangs, and they often make , the bananas fairly fly out of the ships , | hold in the effort to handle more bunch < es within a certain length of time thar , any of their rivals. All the work i: i done by hand. A double line of mer
 extends from the hold up through eacf | hatchway and out to the side of tht !. boat, where the big, cool-looking greer
 punches are passed into trucks or light
 CTS or cars.
 t As each string of fruit comes on deck f swung by the end of the stalks betweer t the double line of handlers, it is chased ? counted and diverted to the particula 2 lot to which it belongs, all while it is il g motion. Beside the rail sit the count l CTS who operate little automatic ma e chimes, registering the number o 3 | punches put into each load. In eacl } gang there is a crier, who shouts ou $ the number of each lot as it goes owe 3 the side, and "boss," whose principa g duty seems to be to keep things mov = ing" A member of the firm sits on thu | slippery deck and superintends tn paoaraI work while the different h1Var