Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1896-01-22
LOADING A BIG LINER
PUTTING AWAY SIX THOUSAND TONS
IN THE HOLD OF A FREIGHTER.

DischarEing One Cargo While Slowing An
other-AIany Articles That Are Shipped
In Large Ouantities-The Dignity of tn.
"Chucls."
A huge cavern, dark and somber, 6
marching phalanx of brawny men, heap
ed up treasures from the four corners o1
the earth-the sight suggests ones child.
ish visions of the secret retreat of which
Ali Baba tells us, and we look in the
faces of the men to see if perchance they
carry there the ]ineaments of brigand-
distinguished from thousands to be seen
any day IN the streets Of New York.
This scene on the docks from the time
of the arrival of a freight ship until its
departure ID of the sort that compare
lively few ever So, but il well worth
the seeing of,all. We all Of us have 4
suspicion that the docks are the stamp
ing ground of certain marauders, and
every boy who reads the fiction Of his
class can tell lively tales concerning the
exploits of the wharf rats chased by Old
Sleuth, and in vague way we know
when we stop to think Of it that there
must be tremendous amount of mer-
chandise sent over seas to and fro, but
in order to realize the truth intelligent
ly one must see it as it is portrayed in a
day at the docks.
When the freight steamship Missis-
sippi, plying between New York and
London, arrived at her pier in the North
river, she had three days in which to
discharge her cargo and be again laden.
1t was overdue, and the merchandise on
the dock awaiting the vessel was COM
pactly heaped in great heterogeneous
mass reaching high to the roof. The
bulk of the 5000 tons which were en-
gagged for transport was gathered in this
long room by the water Products Of
every sort were there-the staples Of
industry, the sumptuous requirements
Of luxury, the humblest necessities, the
refnements of the sybarite. The wants
of the animal man were forcibly illus
trated by a great bulwark of 1, 800 bales
of hops, doomed ultimately to slake the
thirst of the bibulous; $4,000 sacks Of
-four, each weighing about 140 pounds;
1000 sacks of coffee, each weighing
about 150 pounds, besides mere trifle
of 300 tons of fresh meat. That unas-
Stunning element in domestic happiness
known as lard was very much in evil
dence here, being formulated. into Gu
linary monument Of 5000 % pound
pals. A sequence of ideas calls our at
tention to stolid heap near by-600
tons of pig lead.
Space would forbid an enumeration
of the dress fabrics in limitless varie-
ty, all neatly boxed and seeming some
how expectant of the European trip,
from which most of them, alas will
never return. But our interest centers
in the cases Of furs, some of which are
marked in figures that arouse our re-
spectful admiration. Here is one marked
with a dignified II, I" followed by four
ciphers and preceded by the mighty
symbol which is the secret or open
source of most human activity. The
next case also is marked $40, 900, and |
two watchmen sit upon these boxes by |
night and by day-solemn, apprehen-
sive, guarding their employers business |
with the scrupulousness exacted by a
dishonest world.
And here is sight to gladden. Orphe-
u.s. heart-a huge collection of musical
possibilities in packing cases, inchoate
melodies of the future, for here are Gu
bic feet galore Of organs and pianos.
These and an infinite variety of other
things are included in the technical |
phrase measurement goods, merchandise
shipped according to its bulk in boxes,
and the total destined for the Mississip
pi the other day was 1000 tons, each
ton standing for 40 cubic feet.
But there were other points Of inter-
est besides the dock itself. Three boat
loads of grain waited near at hand,
about %, 900 bushels, en- route for for
eign lands. Close to the grain we're its
natural destroyers, horses and cattle,
which neighed and beloved and snort
ed and paved in fine peripatetic
frenzy. These are taken in through
portfolio from the boats on which they
arrive, whence steep gangplank leads,
and they do some ground and lofty tum
bling and much whinnying and lowing
before they get safely up it. There were
247 horses scheduled, and the tally Of
the cattle was 316. The majority Of
these are located on the main deck, I
which is called, after them, the cattle
deck, but about 200 of them are put on
the upper deck, where they are given
air without stint.
The loading and unloading are carried I
on alternately. As fast as hatch is
cleared out it is filed from the materi-
ais awaiting carriage. There are several
matches in all, which penetrate the up
per deck, the main or cattle deck, the
steerage, the orlop and the lower hold.
The upper two are devoted in great part
to the cattle, while all below is filed
with stores of merchandise.
I was astonished while on the dock to
observe great pile of what looked like
ordinary large sized firewood. won
dered if by any chance the cook preferred |
a wood fire, but discovered by little
questioning that the wood was not des-
tined to end in smoke. On the con-
trary, it pursues rowing life, seafaring
back and forth an unlimited number Of
years in position Of Importance. but |
not requiring any active exertion, much
for its duty is immobihty |
between ports. These pieces of wood are
'chucks," being chucked under barrels
as wedges to prevent their rolling. Bal
last is important on board ship, and bar
rels are important as ballast. Their
is dependent on the chucks.
md hence the dignity Of chucks. New
York Herald.
Reciprocity.
((Ho~r, J;l Gvoccuw0xu 6n vUith hia |