Feliciana sentinel. [volume] (St. Francisville, La.) 1877-1892, 1892-06-11
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WORLD's FAIR CITY.

WORLD'B FAIR CITY.
A Budget Of Entertaining Gossip
About Life In Chicago.
Rhe shipplng Interests =" Dock wal1op-
>rs" snd Their Peculiar HabIts-Quee1
Residencs Of . Strasaed Mariner
Columbisn Exposition.
Especial cotsespondeAce1
CH1cAso, May .s.-Thefc srs some
phases of life along the Chicago river
and lake whsrves that very few be-
yond those Immediately concerned ever
take note of. If this were 'sAid Of q big
seaport city one would reply it wa. nat
ural; the great shipping interests
would of necessity evolve life of
their own. Chicago is not generally
looked upon even BY our own citizens
as y great marine city. Yet II II = fact
that it is the biggest port in the United
States. with the possible exception of
New York Measuring the Importance
of port by the total tonnage of the
vessels that enter and clear during
season Chicago is the greatest hsrbor
of this continent. Fully two-thirds OF.
Chicago's carrying trade in done by
principal business of the city. Even
the thirty and odd railroads that enter
Chicago do not do as large a share Of
the carrying business as the lake
marine.
These facts w ill account for the cx-
istence of = little world by itself along
the docks. .
1t is strange sight to novice that
presents itself during a tramp along
the docks on a fine day. Scattered in
shady corners. along lumber piles and
under the bridges lie hundreds Of hui
man shapes, to all appearance lifeless,
sleeping of an excess ,ot work or of
drink. Here and there you find a group of
them beside stack Of boxes or barrels
of goods, freshly unloaded from
steamer. shooting craps,' or discuss
ing in loud tone the merits Of Various
boats. In the midst of their talk there
comes from the lake near the mouth of
the river the heavy blast from the
steam whistle of some big 'Hinc-boat,"
as the steamers Of the big transportation
lines are called. In an instant all the
lifelcss forms are full of life. Another
blast Of the whistle and they know by
the sound what boat it is, and they
rush to the dock where she will tie up.
Tne big hulk comes in slowly and is
made fast along the dock. The agent
has engaged the men who will unload
her. The work begins at once, and
forty or fifty men work with scarcely
an interruption for their meals till the
load has been landed. Then begins at
once the work Of shipping the new load.
There may be d shifting to another
dock. but there is practically no inter-
mission.
The work goes on at rush till the
boat is loaded aud ready to start on an
other trip. 1t may last twenty-four or
thirty-six hours. and the men work all
the time under the greatest physical
strain. They get good wages as soon
a; the job is finished. then retire to
some shady nook and sleep for twelve
hours or so, unless they first invest their
earnings in liquor.
,ch is the life of the .'dock- wallopcr'
or 'longshoreman.
At the lunberyards the work is bet
ter systcmatized. The ''lumber-shov-
ers'' have a union and practically con-
troll all the lumbaryards. If load Of
lumber arrives the owner sends to the
headquarters of the union and gets
his quota of men. They are
we'll disciplined and work at
certain we'll established rates. They
| are big. brawn,y men. and they handle
the lumber in such fashion thatit seems
to glide from one point to another al
most as if possessed of intelligence and
! self-locomotion, so natural and easy is
it's progress. The work done the men
draw their pay and disappear as quietly
= -
tumbcrman und crtakcs to employ
men outside of the union. But this is a
rare occurrence.
| Speaking of scenes along the water
front reminds me of that veteran, Capt
Strectcr. known as the squatter Here
! Is a character that has often figured
! in the newspapers on account of
his determined resistance to some
of the wealthiest and best-known citi-
zens. who tried to oust him from his
land on the North side. Many n time
have the Farwells and Fairbanks tried
! to drive him out, aided at times by the
| police and bodies of workmen. Capt.
| Streeter drove their men away at the
| point of revolver and he still holds the
| fort. The opposition of the property
| owners is easily accounted for. Amid
! their palatial homes along the lake
shore there lies at the foot of Superior
street a battered old hulk of a vessel,
| high and dry, several hundred feet from
| the water. It is an unsightfy thing,
| and serves as a dwelling to the captain
| and his wife. Mrs. Strceter is as much
an original character as the captain,
and can swear hard as any old sea
| dog.
| Fifteen years ago the Rutan, owned
! and commanded by Capt. Streeter, was
stranded at the foot of Superior street.
The captain made no effort to float her
! but remained in the boat. Each suc-
cessive storm carried her higher up the
shore till she was landed beyond reach
| If any ordinary storm. The property
| oupers in tho peiphborhood began tr