Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-05-06

the wharves which are filed with coffee
and into which coffee is being brought 10y
the thousands OF bags. The streets Of this
section are narrow and dirty. They are
hied with wagons and cars loaded with
coffee
You can hardly get through the streets.
mere are scores of half naked men trot-
ting from the cars to the warehouses with
great bags on their heads and scores Of
negro women down on their knees sweeping
up the coffee out Of the cohbleston,. str.,ots
where ii has dropped In order that they
may wash It and sell II again Each Of
these street cleaners has n sieve I'm which
she puts the coffee beans as she picks
them up. shaking out the dirt as she works
l am told that many Of the women make a
beans.
Stop moment and watch the men "a
they unload the coffee. Every bag Is tested
| before II is taken into the warehouse, The
tester mas little TIN pipe as big around IA
a broomstick. with a sharp point ON the end.
He Jalbs this irto a bag and in q brings out
a handful Of coffee. A glance at the beans
tells whether they are according 20 sam
pies, and II rot. the rest OF the load il
carefully watched.
Notice how the men carry the great bags
on their heads. Each bag weighs r.
pounds. but they stand straight up under
mem ana walk on as brskly as though
they were carrying feathers.
BaEginH the Coffee.
But let us follow them into The ware.
| AA'AS'- 1 ne car ltNdh WHICH II no" btllA
handled is IN all sorts ef bags aud II has
to be repacked for shipping. We walk
| through long aisles with bags Of coffee
piled on each side from the floor To- the cell
| ing and come into hall whore the floor j.
covered with great piles Of green coffee
beans.
At each pile are a dozen half naked negroes
! III their bare feet. They are scoolinE mp IN"
coffee in bowls much lik. bread bowl and
pouring Il into the bags. We hear the
scratch. scratch. scratch of the bowls as
they touch the floor varied by the sound
of the laughter OF the men at work Now
| they burst out in song. keeping limo with
their scoops as they sing. A. soon "a bag
| is filled IL is dragged off to pair OF scales
to be weighed. Il is next handed over II
the sewers who sew up its mouth. leaving
enough vacant space at The top that ia may
pack well il the steamer.
In other factories the baE-inE H. done hy
machinery. and in all the work ro,s on in
a husness-like way.
Each Of the big American esiahlishT,n ts
of Rio handles vast amounts of coffee in a
year. Its manager must have good hus'-
ness ability and he a sharp trader. iIc mist
he good Judge of coffee and must know
how To take advantage of he rlS" and Tan
of the market. Each establishment la- i'S
coffee expert. who can tell by the cy" and
Lose just what the coffee i worth. fiS
judgment is usually passed without grind
ing or burning thu berries. Samples q
about a pint each are spread on, "n llue
paper, and the coffee expert VIII put his
price on each grade by looking At. hau1linE
and smelling the samples.
At the Coffee wharVes.
The most Of the coffee is shipped from
what are known az the coffee whary's.
The scenes about these are among the most
interesting of Rio. Come with me and look
at them. We jump upon "A car containing
about three tons Of coffee. IL is hauled 10y
two mules who drag it over the street rail-
road through one narrow street after an
other down 10 the bay. We stop at the
wharves where a gang Of negroes stand
ready to take in the bags. They back
themselves up against the cars and balance
the great sacks on their heads. They carry
them in on the trot. and We hear the thul!
thud, thud! OF their bare feet they -
over the floor They run, for they are paid
by the piece and not by the day. Each man
receives one cent and a half for every bag
he brings in, ana the best OF the w"rkmen
make from thirty~tiyc To forty dollars a
month. which are very high wages here,
The Coffee SteaIers of RIO
What lot Of policemen there are every
where. At the ends of the wharves there
are soldiers in uniforms to keep order. \
customs house officer is always Oh hand To
see that nothing goes on or off the ship
without paying duty. and there are many
private detectives. a close watch has to bs
kept to guard against stealing Tor tho
wharves are great places for thieves.
The detectives have to look out for steal
ing below the wharv"s We'll
above them. for sometimes thieves come
in boats under the wooden floors and
stop Just below of the big piles
Of bags. With an augur they make a
hole through the floor, then "A piercer
or pipe is stuck up through the hole
and into a bag that the coffee p0urs
down through the pipe in a stream o. 'hs
boat In short time a half dozen bags
can be emptied, and if this is taken from a
large pile no one will be the wiser unless
the detectives spy the men under he
wharVes.
Stealing is also done by the negroes who
load and unload the coffee They come 10
their work with piercers in their sleeves.
Then, by deXterous thrust they drive the
piercer into bag they are carrying II
in on their heads and allow some of tho
coffee to roll out down their sleeves 10 their
waists. This they do with one bag after
another as they can during the day. gong
off, as they say, for drink now and then
To secTete their stealinEs. Such thefts,
however, are wall known. and the men are
carefully watched. Some OF the men work
half naked and others have their sleeves
rolled up 10 their shoulders. Thieves are
at once arrested. aud the factors pay large
sums, | asa told for detectives 70 watch
such matters. FRANK q. CARPENTER