People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1894-07-20
SLOWING AWAY A CARGO
CARE NECESSARY IN LOADING
AN OCEAN STEAMER.
"Stihening" Ship-Loadlng GraIn-DIs-
posal of Fruit, Provisions, Etc.-Im-
mense Amount of Coal Carried-Steve-
dOres and 'Longshoremen.

W pOTJ duu mas ulSem parked DaSseQ-
gers, baggage and freight, the first
care OF the stevedore in charge of
her loading for the return voyage is
to give her interior thorough over
hauling and cleansing. From bot.
tom to top. he superintends the work
Of washing out the holds where
canned provisions are to be stored,
and of lining with mating those
wherein grain and flour are put, and
the labor of preparation goes briskly
along until all is in readiness for the
new cargo
Then begins the varied and pictur-
esque process of loading the ship.
10 those unfamiliar with the sight.
the details are bound to be full of
interest MOored to her pier, her
huge length stretching out into the
larbOr. her vast interior Invested of
all she has brought from foreign
'ands, her machinery idle, her Off
,ers and crew busted in a multitude
of petty duties, and a small army of
longshoremen getting ready to be-
gin operations upon her, the vessel
easily suggests some great aquatic
monster lazily awaiting its feeding
time, and not much concerned either
as to the character Of the food to be
put into its many yawning mouths.
When the loading is fairly begun,
the ship and its immediate neighbour
hood are busy places, indeed. On
the wharf assorted merchandise by
the carload is being unloaded and
piled near the ship. and teams by
the dozen are adding their contents
to the immense mass.
By the water side lighters of
grain, coal, hay, -four and provisions
are either fastened to the vessels
side, or anchored some little distance
away, waiting their turn to hoist
their contents aboard. Engines are
putting, ropes are tugging and der
ricks are lifting heavy freight of
every description to the ships deck.
The sounds OF truck. wheel barrow
and winch are heard everywhere,
and the orders of stevedore and
'oreman and the answers OF their
'ubordinates mix with the general
din.
Large vessels have four or five
holds, and a distinction is made in
storing the cargo in them. Grain,
rom its compact and dead weight,
s reserved mostly for the center Of
the vessel, while cured provisions
are packed as far forward and as far
aft as possible for their better
preservation from the heat of the
ships fires In some vessels, like
the great Cunarders, which carry
passengers as we'll as freight, the
heaviest weight is stored in the
lowest hold; this is to steady the
ship, and is called in the technical
parlance of the stevedore "stiffen-
ing" the ship. 1t takes about 1870
tons to "stitfen' a great Cunarder,
and when this is done the lower hold
is fastened and battened down, and
work is begun on the next.
To watch the loading Of grain,
either from an elevator or lighter,
into one OF the mammoth vessels en-
gagged in its transportation, is to
witness one OF the chief operations
If the worlds commerce, says the
Boston Herald. 1t is carried in long
pipes, with generally funnel. shaped
movable appendage at the end, which
8 shifted by means Of rope from
)ne part OF the hold to another,
according as the stream of grain
ills up the spaces reserved for it.
The grain flows into a vessel with
The noise and velocity of torrent,
md sends dense volume of dust
md chat upward, obscuring the
depths beneath and making the fig
Tres of the men attending the stow,
lge below look like dim ghosts in the
Using mists.
Another important feature OF the
oading Of great vessel is her coal.
lis customary to take on as high
Is POO tons of a surplus over the
actual necessities OF the voyage, and
hence the bunkers OF the vessel are
he charge of special gang Of men.
some vessels load their coal overall
out the majority take it through
openings at the sides. Large "('
ihaped pockets, which run direct t.
he bunkers e let down at eact
side. and around them IRE bull
= ;tagiugs, on which a couple Of mel
: are stationed to dump the coal from
luge buckets. hoisted by engine
rom lighters On the wharf side
;he coal is wheeled in barrows b,
Two men up shelving gangway, ant
turned into the bunkers direct.
, Considerable caution is necessar,
> IN the storage OF sack -four. A
-four will absorb every strong odo
, in its neighborhood aboard ship, tn,
, care OF the stevcdore or his forema
S directed to keeping it apart from
al strongly smelling substances
such as leather or cured provisions
Apples and cheese also requir
special thought, and are stored onl
> where the necessary ventilation ca
be given them. Hence they are no
put in the lower holds. which ar
fastened down for the exclus on Q
all air and smell. The steamer wi
take whatever is to 60 and has
a variety OF goods according to tn
S season, the great food staples Away