Re: [CBQ] What could these crates be?

["John D. Mitchell, Jr." <cbqrr47@yahoo.com>]

One of the bad things about banana cars was that the heaters (both alcohol and 
charcoal burners) were suspended in the ice bunkers and generated carbon 
monoxide. You had to open the doors and wait for the gas to clear before 
entering the car. 



On Thursday, March 20, 2014 11:07 PM, "rquisenb@comcast.net" 
<rquisenb@comcast.net> wrote:
  
  
Pete's earlier posting answers my question about Banana Messenger - I apologize 
for overlooking his explanation.
Ray Quisenberry

---In CBQ@yahoogroups.com, <Jpslhedgpeth@...> wrote :

...

Bananas were moved in ice reefers from New Orleans to northern markets  ie 
Chicago, Minneapolis et cetra...shipments were cared for by Banana Messengers 
who accompanied the shipments and took care of opening and closing the vents 
and operating the heaters on the cars.
I encountered one of these messengers in the yard at Ravenna, NE one night in 
1956...He was creeping down a train with a dim "barn" lantern.
I asked the foreman..who that guy was..He said.."That was the banana 
messenger....They were recruited from such environs as West Madison St. in 
Chicago and other like environs in other cities.

BTW..just so ya know...Bananas were a commodity that actually created heat as 
they ripened...That's why the cars had to have someone to regulate the 
temperature by opening and closing the vents and lighting and extinguishing the 
heaters.  If not properly handled the bananas would ripen too rapidly spurred 
on by their own self created heat and thus spoil before they reached 
destination.
...

Pete