The Winslow mail., 1911-03-18

dividual banana might be worth
q anything at all in the land of it's
III origin, where, nevertheless, it is
vegetable, fruit and staff of life
together for it's raisers, that notion
fees forever and always once you
drop anchor off the great docks of the
banana shippers on the American
isthmus
You may have found the place in
spring If you came in at times when
banana loading was not on; but, ar
rive here with the steamer that comes
for the bananas, and you will never
quite forget what transpires.
Typical of such point Is Almirante,
up the river from Bocas del Toro,
province capital of the baby republic.
The wharf here belongs to the fruit
company. So does the four miles OF
railway running inland and SO do the
plantations out there. The vista is
pretty one as one makes landing at
the edge of tropical forest, with lit
tie thatch homes such as are met
with near Colon.
are arriving. One sees the green
fruit inside, leaves tightly packed be-
tween. There are eight cars in this
first train, these of the stock car"
sort, and gray painted save for the
sign announcing this as the Chiriqui
railway, or again, it may be the Chan
guinola. Another great train with
&c In, ho dicfo
On the dock officers of Almirante in
white duck are assuming charge A
negress, too, is selling yams. Some
hardy tourists are crossing a bridge
over an inlet of sea to where there is
another great warehouse. Stacks of
supplies lie all about, for the fruit
company has here a commissary, from
which it supplies it's dependents over
miles of banana land Outside there
stand huge tanks for catching the
drinking water Above slopes the roof
of corrugated iron.
The loneliness of this little station,
at the heart of the swamps, is almost
the plantation, far off across that
swamp. Over it lies series of one
room huts, tenanted by the negro
workers of the station. These are of
sloped roof all, and built upon piles.
Behind them is the forest. A few
hundred yards up the track there is
another settlement. Of the red+roofed
gray buildings. each of one room
There some of the newcomers already
try to buy monkeys.
Already the great crowd of banana
workers picked up by the steamer at
Bocas are at their labors. Cars are
run in position so their doors are di-
rectly opposite like entry into the
ship. The doors are opened wide and
inside the cars innumerable green
punches are piled close on the sides.
The edges Of the car then are tucked
with green leaves.
There is just room for darky to
get foothold. He reaches out bunch
of the fruit, takes it between his two
hands and then tosses it to two COM
rades standing just next the door
They reach 1t to another two near by;
these hand it to two men on a table
platform on the dock. From the steam
er two steps hang down, each sup
ported by rope, and on each there are
pair of men. They throw punches
one to the next and on to like
pairs into the bowels of the ship
Such gang is at work now at four
places against the sides of the vessel.
One comments on the quantities of
green bananas fallen off, trodden
upon, wasted. You sit on the pier,
thumbing native lily and watching
these men. One car of 425 punches is
just opened. Steps up the one man
to take place inside, then the two
pairs for the DOORS then the three
At once a human elevator is formed
and the bananas pass in like chain.
Now and then spirit of mischief
seizes and one man will go fast a pur-
pose to crowd the work at the TOP and
so block them.
Then comes a cry of "Fatch!"
Wait" we would put it; all are
blocked for moment and they laugh
at the joke.
Things are full swing now. and as
the work takes on speed, more, ever
more, bananas fall, but to be wasted
1t makes one recall how, in the days
of the generation just passed, a sin
gle banana was luxury.
On the plantations as soon as one
boat is gone they begin cutting for
the next boat, the cutting being by
punches.
Other odd fruits could be exported