1. AN ARTICLE UNSTACKING AND HANDLING APPARATUS COMPRISING A SUPPORT STATION FOR A UNIT LOAD COMPOSED OF SEVERAL LAYERS OF MULTIPLE ARTICLES EACH, A PALLET STATION LATERALLY SPACED FROM SAID SUPPORTING STATION AT ONE END THEREOF, A STRADDLE CAR MOVABLE BETWEEN SAID STATIONS, CLAMPING JAWS CARRIED ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID STRADDLE CAR FOR ENGAGING THE BOTTOM LAYER OF ARTICLES IN A UNIT LOAD TO BE TRANSFERRED FROM SAID PALLET STAION TO SAID SUPPORTING STATION, MEANS FOR RAISING AND LOWERING SAID CLAMPING JAWS AT SAID STATIONS TO LIFT THE UNIT LOAD AT SAID PALLET STATION AND LOWER THE LOAD AT SAID SUPPORTING STATION, AN ARTICLE CONVEYER LATERALLY SPACED FROM SAID SUPPORTION STATION, AND MEANS FOR LOWERING AND SUBSEQUENTLY TRANSFERRING THE BOTTOM LAYER FROM BENEATH THE REMAINDER OF THE LOAD TO SAID ARTICLE CONVEYER WHILE REMAINDER OF THE LOAD IS CLAMPED AND RETAINED BY THE CLAMPING JAWS.

8. AN ARTICLE HANDLING APPARATUS FOR RECEIVING INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES FED IN LINE ON AN INFEED CONVEYER, FORMING THE ARTICLES INTO A UNIT LOAD COMPOSED OF SEVERAL LAYERS OF MULTIPLE ARTICLES EACH, AND TRANSFERRING THE LOAD AS A UNIT FROM THE APPARATUS, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING AN ARTICLE ACCUMULATION STATION, MEANS AT SAID ACCUMULATION STATION FOR ACCUMULATING A PREDETERMINED NUMBER OF ARTICLES FED FROM THE INFEED CONVEYER INTO A ROW, MEANS FOR TRANSFERRING THE ROW AS A UNIT TO A SUPPORTION STATION, MEANS AT SAID SUPPORTING STATION FOR ASSEMBLING A PREDETERMINED NUMBER OF ROW INTO A LAYER,