The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1895-06-14
LOADING COTTON.
Tho Work of Negroes on the
Steamships Down South.
Great Skill Required in the Handling of
the Heavy BaIes-The Men Always
Cheerful and Singing While
Labor.

1t is problem in mechanics to load
a cotton ship to fill every cubic foot of
freight room with the awkward rec
tan%uar balcS-and some men are 50
much more skilled than others in this
science that it often makes Il difference
of 400 or 800 bales in a 2.0OO-ton ship
and that amount of loss ir the profit of
the voyage. Therefore. the stcvcdorcs
and Scrcwmcn receive big wages. per
hapS the largest that are paid to
negroes anywhere in the world. for
most of the lnngshoremcn in the South
Atlantic are Of that race. says the Chi
cago Record.
In New Orleans they are nearly all
W hitc men Italians Swcdcs and Irish
mcn-aud the riots that we read about
i'm the papers were due 10 the introduc-
tiou of negro packers and scrcwmcn
from Galveston to take the place of the
whites.
The >crewmen are divided into gangs
of five, with q foreman, and the whole
are under the direction of a chct
-tcvcdorc. who is usually white man
and acts aS superintendent of the dock
Each gang occupies a hatchway Of the
steamer. and five men are all that can
conveniently work in such a narrow
space.
The cotton comes from the planta-
tiou on the ears or upon flatboatS Tn,
bales ar they leave the plantation are
loosely packed - generally four feet
highland the first thing when they
reach the dock il to tumble them int,
a hydraulic press. which reduces Their
bulk 10y ouc-nalf and makes it possible
to pack twice as many in the hold of Il
steamer.
The truczmen pass back and forth
between the pile Of bales and the ship
iu Il procession. rapidly and in perfect
time and it is an awkward and ''wuth-
less niggcr." a. the foreman said. VIII,
ever touches a bale with his hands
Some Of them put on jaunty airs.
strike attitudes, and introduce fancy
steps a~ if they We're at Il cake walk.
particularl~ when spectators are watch
ing. but that iS unprufe>siunal, and the
serious and self-respecting trucl,nIn
totes his bales" without trying to at
tract attention. They sing a. they go.
but for the life of me l could not catch
the words. and when in an interval |
asked one tn repeat the VERSES ho re
piled:
..L,y amt none. Dat wuz jes' d,
truckers song"
The refrain sounded like "Oh rio rily
ph. oh rio rilv ola" and it was evidently
n.,tI,i,,, lint ,rii,b.rf,h It app,.,r~ tu;f
tI,,. several ,,.,p,r. have. tb,ir. own nor.
ri,,,l,r snnGs and indeed from what
lb,. f,r..,nan t.Id me that the. words
.,-,r,. u,.i.,lly without meaning. or sim.
ply series Of rhythmical sound, with
denominations that rb,-ncd. invented H.,
,,,r,,. ono. of their numb. and ,unr +,
familiar airs
M. t,,,,I-,,,,r, J,.ops tb, I,l,..,t tl,,
..,I,,,..,f+b.J, ,r t. i H., i.,l,
IL. b.,rdI.- - bis trr.I, avon. ,I,.
.,,,r,,.al,.s nf the. vessel. then :, man ;,J
iu.ts -b,.,r~.,r,plin,sir.,n and ,1,ur,, g, ..ja.
nal To the. ruoIneer at the .,,in,Ilu>,-.
win, turps his lover and hni,tinsr fine.
L.,I. int, tba air lots II swiftly d,yyn
INTO tb. hold yyher,. the. five. artists are
waiting 10 pacl, it away.
II i hot work below. and the packers
and s..r,.,vrneu are, usually barcfnntc,i
and naked above the waists. while per
.,piration rolls down their massive
muscles. Each ha, a hook in his hand,
and they seize and toss the 90 pound
bales as u Japanese iugmlcr plays with
plates.
Five hooks are in the cotton the in
Stant it touches bottom. and they seem
To work like slot machine. for one
does not pull one way and another an
other. but by united, simultaneous ct-
fort the great package Il lifted. and
drops into the very place where the
boss wants it to go.
Then at intervals they get out a big
iacllScrcw that must weigh 800 pounds
and crowd the bales together until the
hold of the ship il one solid mass On"
end of the jacilScrcw II placed against
a bale and the other end against
piece Of heavy oak timber four or hv"
inches square. Whlch - h"tcIi'l 10 Keep
the screw from Shipping ana can he IN
etincd against ihe Nid" "i IN" snip OF
one Of its stdnchI"n"- -" that good
purchase may he obtained Inc screw
- worked by Il d"unle crank ana one
man holds 1t IN position Whlle the other
four turn Ihat operation Il called
HoNlhE up
All tins II done l" ihuNi'ii accom-
PauImcnt-l suppose h'&r" always
sings when lac works N-bnt the songs "i
the Scr-wmen are dif"rrht from Ii"N'
Of the trucSmen, ana th" AR that goes
with the ia"kScrew II not the same That
Is sung when the screWmen are placing
an" bale IN position
=, tho. ,-...,,. lint ,ybiI,.