Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1895-06-23
LOADING COTTON.
Tho work of Negroes on the
steamships Down South.
Great shin Required In the Handbag OF
the Heavy iiales-Tho Men Always
Cheerful and singing While
at Labor.

- NokNO 80 AAA
freight room with the awkward rec
tangular bales-and some men are so
much more skilled than others in this
science that it often makes n difference
of 400 or 500 bales in n 2,00o-ton ship
and that amount of loss in the profit of
the voyage. Therefore, the stevcdorcs
and receive big wages, per-
haps the largest that are paid to
negroes anywhere in the world. for
most of the longshoremcn in the South
Atlantic arc of that C says the Chi
cage Record.
In New Orleans they are nearly all
white men Italians, Swedes and Irish
men-and the riots hat we read about
in the papers were due to the introduce
tion of negro packers and scrcwmen
from Galveston to take the place of the
whites.
The scrcwmen are divided into gangs
of five, with n foreman, and the whole
arc under the direction of n chief
stevedorc, who is usually n white man,
and acts as superintendent of the dock.
Each gang occupies q hntchway Of the
steamer, and five men are all that can
conveniently work in such n narrow
space.
The cotton comes from the ~planta-
ton on the cars or upon flatboats. The
bales as they leave the plantation are
loosely packed generally four feet
Highland the first thing when they
reach the dock is to tumble them into
a hydraulic press, which reduces their
bulk by one.half and makes it possible
to pack twice as many in the hold of n
steamer.
The truclSmen pass back and forth
between the pile of bales and the ship
in II procession, rapidly and in perfect
time, and it IS an awkward and with
less nigEcr," as the foreman said, who
ever touches n bale with his hands.
Some of them put on jaunty airs,
strike attitudes, and introduce fancy
steps rs if they were at II cake walk.
particular when spectators are watch
ing, but that is unprofessional. and the
serious and self-rcspccting truclsman
totes his bales" without trying To- at
tract attention They sing ms they go,
but for the life of me ! could not catch
the words, and when in an interval |
asked n to repeat the verses he re-
piled:
"L~y amt none. Dat wuz jes' de
truckers song"
The refrain sounded like "Oh rio rily
oh, oh rio rily oh" and II was evidently
nothing but ~gibbcrish. 1t appcars mat
The several gangs have their own par
ticular songs, and l judged from what
ilic foreman told me that the words
were usually without meaning. or sim
,'lv Il series of Thythmical sounds with
examinations TINT rhymcd, invented by
some one of their nnInb and sung TO
familiar airs.
The trucliman drops the bale at the
edge of the dock, or losses il by n jerk
of the handles of his truck over the
Cnnwuics Of the vessel; then n mar adj
justS the grappliugiron and shouts u sig
nal to the engineer 81 tho windlass.
who turns his lever, and, hosting the
bale into the air, lets it swiftly down
into the hold, where the five artists are
waiting to pack it away.
1t is hot work below, and the packers
and are usually barcfootcd
and naked above the waists, while per.
ipirution rolls down their massive
muscles. Each has II hook in his hand,
ana they seize and toss the 5O0-pound
bales us a Japanese jugglcr plays with
plates.
Five hooks are in the cotton the in
slant it touches bottom. and they seem
10 work like a slot machine, for one
does not pull one way and another an
other, but by united, simultaneous cf-
fort the great package is lifted, and
drops into the very place where the
boss wants it To go.
Then at intervals they get out n bio
lncHscrcw TINT must weigh 500 pounds
aal crowd the bales together until the
ioid OF the ship Is one solid mass. One
n Of The jackscrcw is placed against
u bale md the other end against II
piece of heavy oak timber four or five
inches square, wir;vi. is notchcd to keep
the screw from slipping, and can be in
ciincd against the side of the ship or
II OF its stanchionB. so that a good
purchase may be obtained. The screw
Ia worked by n double crank. and one
man holds il In position while the other
four turn. That operation Is called
''nosing up
All this 10 done to u musical accom-
panimcnt-l suppose II negro always
sings when he worlss-but the songs of
the screwmen arc different from those
of the truclsmen, and the mir that goes
,"ith the jacltscrcw is not the same that
Is sung when the are placing
the bale in position.
These stcvcdorcs have work only
about six months in the year, but while
they arc Mt 1t they receive good pay.
They work by the picce-tllat is, so
much money for storing away SO many
bales, and the foreman, who gets the
job and %eclccts his associates, gets
onc-half more than they.
During the cotton season, for i2 or Ia
hours worl;. lie will average $3.50 n day
and they tj, if they are sliillfnl and en-
prgetic. The truckers hrc paid by the
hour, and make from $i,25 to si.50.
between Seasons the scre,ymcn en-.
gIgc in other occupations, cultivating
gardens, doing plantation work, or fol-
lowing any trade that they may have
learned; but they uro universally re-
gardcd us superior beings. like bull.
fighters In Spain and baseball players
in the United States.
a bale of cotton weighs from $50 Ia
500 poundD. and skillful packers can
get from 5000 to 10, 900 bnlcs in II 1909.
ton ship. The number of bales II shin
will carry increases rapidly with itg
TONNAGE. Foo rxnmp1p. n IOlD-tnY nIir