The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1913-10-16

can easily recall the time when the
bananas place as commodity of
food in the northern climates occu-
pied the cellar position among the
staple fruits Of our markets. In
deed, it was regarded as curiosity
in many quarters, and the fact
that its small traffic was confined to
the sporadic trading of the hum
bier class of push-cart merchants
composed mostly Of the foreign ele-
ment of our cities-in particular
Italians and Greeks contributed to-
wards giving it disdainful reputa-
ton and naturally converted it into
vehicle for the sings and quibs of
our professional humorists.
There are two vivid instances in
modern times which stand as living
refutations of the old belief that GER
tain enterprises were unworthy of
our time and application-the Banana
and the Moving Pictures. / recall
In both instances that a personal ac-
quaintance who had been surprised
by entering into enjoyment of an un-
expected legacy, cast about him for
means of putting his newly acquired
money to work. He was advised to
invest the bulk of it, first, in the
banana importing business, then as
Stunning tangible proportions in the
south; and second-in after years,
he was importuned to enter the field
of the Movies then in it's lnfan-
cy and crude state. Gu both occa-
sions he declined; giving as reason
that he considered them too slow
and, besides, beneath the ethics Of
business; he could relish the thought
of waiting ON the nickels and dimes
to come in : in a word, he was after
big things. That fellow in common
with others today rues the day and
moment that he allowed the oppor-
tunities mentioned to pass him.
Not over thirty years ago an Ital-
ian emigrant landed in New Orleans
and conceived the thought Of en-
ploying his small amount of capital
in conjunction with that of two or
three others of his countrymen, to
purchase small steamer of some
six or seven hundred tons burden
the old City of Mexico" cast off
vessel of the then important Alex
ander & Sons, line of steamships ply
ing between New York and Havana.
The vessel in question had been rel
egated to the bone yard of marine
has beens, so there was but little
trouble in obtaining it at price
within their limited capital, and,
thus prepared, they Immediately
started making trips between that
port and Central America, combining
their cargoes entirely to bananas.
The venture then involved consider
a5le risks, not only on account of
the strict quarantine maintained
against those foreign ports in the
United States, but as well as the fact
that modern methods of refrlgera-
ton and other means of arresting
the deterioration Of the fruit while
enroute were totally unknown.
However, despite all handlcaps of
this nature; their close buying from
the natives of those localities visited
who little dreamed of the possibili-
ties in store for the product that had
been from time immemorial permit
ted to grow uncultivated, enabled
these pioneers of the business to land
at New Orleans highly remunerative
cargoes, which they easily locally
disposed of.
The marked success attending the
Macheca brothers and confreres
from the start of the undertaking
naturally attracted the attention of
others. and two brothers-the Vac
caros- countrymen of theirs, enter
ed the field in competition and from
the beginning reaped rich harvest.
The news of this success soon reach
ed the north, attracting the attention
of capitalists who began to see in it
rich possibilities. Among such, a
group in Boston headed by Arthur
Preston of that city's financial CEN
ter Estate ST. went deep into de-
tails and figures, and the result was
the formation of the United Fruit
Company, with rather limited be-
ginning of chartered foreign ships;
the home port decided upon being
Boston and then, as now, the termi-
i ,al l>oix,os Al IL