[CBQ] Bananas

[STEVEN HOLDING <sholding@sbcglobal.net>]

In the Tampa, Fla area the "Unit" was a stalk which the hand was cut off of.
Bananas were imported in just about every port.  A nice print is by Fogg of a 
set of GM&O FA's pulling off the Mobile docks .  My young son is an ORT and 
moves bananas from Freeport Tx into Houston.
Many of the railroads fought over the traffic from water to inland 
distributions sites with Minor C. Keith of United Fruit fame( his wife was the 
original Chiquita used in the trademark) even bought his own railroad the 
Atlanta and St. Andrews Bay Railway to get the line haul money of the haul with 
the Plant System(ACL) out bidding him moving the fruit from Tampa cheaper.  May 
LST's were bought surplus and used as Banana Boats after WWII with the convoy 
industry developing canvas belts to move the stalks from the holds to the dock 
for rail or truck movement. In the early '60's we bought them direct from the 
dock for a nickle a pound.  Those that were too ripe for movement inland.
Today in my sons case he says they trans-load the containers to trucks so the 
reefer containers can be returned for faster shipment.  Similar to the banana 
crates of old.
There also use to be hampers for green beans and egg crates and chicken crates 
for live birds besides the cream and milk cans moved in the baggage sections.
Steve in SC