The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1892-06-03
WORLDS FAIR CITY.
a Budget Of Entertaining Gossip
About Life in Chicago.
The shipping Interests -"Dock Wallop-
ers" and Their Peculiar Habits-Queer
Residence of a stranded Mariner
Columbian Exposition.
Especial correspondence


CHICAGO, May 23.-There are some
phases of life along the Chicago river
and lake wharves that very few be-
yond those Immediately concerned ever
take note of. If this were said of big
seaport city one would reply it was nat
ural; the great shipping interests
would of necessity evolve a life of
their own. Chicago is not generally
looked upon even by our own citizens
as a great marine city. Yet it is fact
that it is the biggest port in the United
States. with the possible exception of
New York. Measuring the Importance
of a port by the total tonnage of the
vessels that enter and clear during a
season Chicago is the greatest harbor
of this continent Fully two-thirds of
Chicago's carrying trade is done by
water, and its carrying trade is the
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 will account for the ex-
istence of little world by itself along
the docks
1t is a strange sight to q novice that
presents itself during n tramp along
the docks on n fine day. Scattered in
shady corners, along lumber piles and
under the bridges lie hundreds of hui
man shapes, to all appearance lifeless,
sleeping off an excess of work or of
drink. Here and there you find 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 ''line-boat,"
as the steamers of the big transportation
lines are called. In an instant all the
lifeless 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.
The 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 shifting to another
dock, but there is practically no inter
mission.
The work goes on at rush till the
boat is loaded and 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
rs 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.
Such is the life of the ''dockwallOper"
or 'longshoreman.
At the lumberyards the work is bet
ter systematized. The ''lumber-shov-
ers" have n union and practically con-
troll all the lumberyards If a load OF
lumber arrives the owner sends to the
headquarters of the union and gets
his quota of men. They are
well disciplined and work at
certain we'll established rates. They
are big, brawny men. and they handle
the lumber in such fashion that it seems
to glide from one point to another al
most as if possessed of intelligence and
self-locomotion, so natural and easy Is
its progress. The work done the men
| draw their pay and disappear as quietly
as they came. There is trouble only if
lumberman und ertakes to employ
men outside of the union. But this Is q
rare occurrence.
Speaking of scenes along the water
front reminds me of that veteran, Capt
Streeter, known as the squatter. Here
Is q character that has often figured
in the newspapers on account OF
his determined resistance to some
of the wealthiest and best-known citi-
zeus. who tried to GUST him from his
land on the North side. Many time
| have the Farwells and Fairbanks tried