The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1897-02-20
IOADING A BIG LINER
PUTTING AWAY SIX THOUSAND TONS
IN THE HOLD s. A FRElGRTER.
DischarginE One Cargo While Slowing An
other-Many Articles That Are Shipped
Ia Large Ouantitics-Tle dignity Ct tie
"Chucfs."

SkAuShS.
a hugo cavern, dark ard solEber. a
marching phalanz Of brawuy men, heap
ed up treasures FROM the foar corners Of
the earth-the sight suggests ones child
lsh visions q tle secret re,EeaJ u w4icl.
Ali Baba tells rs, and we look il the
faces CT the men tosee i perchance they
carry there the l~inearlents Of bricand-
age. Bat no, these men arc lot to bo
, distinguished from thousands to be seen
any Gay IL the streets CT New York.
/; This scene on the decks from tl3 tip1o
of the arrival Of a freight shin until l,s
departure Is Of the sort tfat
lively few ever see. bat is we'll worth
the seeing Of ali. We all Of Us have n
suspicion that the docks ere the stamp
Ing gr0Gad OF certain ma-aUCcrs, ard
every boy who reads the fiction Of his
class can tell lively tales concerning tile
exploits Of the wharf rats chased by Old
Sleuth, and in g vague way we know
when we stop to think of it that there
must be i tremendous amount Of nor
chandlse sent over seas to and fro. but
III order to realize the truth lnteliiaent-
~ one must see it as it is portrayed il 4
day at the decks.
When the freight steamship Missis-
sippi. plying between New York and
London, arrived at her pier ii The North
river, she had three days il which to
discharge her cargo and be again laden.
It was overdue, and the merchandise Oh
tie dock awaiting the vessel WAS com
pactly heaped in d great Heterogeneous
mass reaching high to the roof. Tho
bulk Of tie 5000 tons which were Ell
gagged for transport was gathered III this
long room by the water. Products OF
every sort We're there-the staples of
industry, the sumptuous requirements
Of luxury, the humblest necessities, the
refineInents Of the sybarite. The wants
OF the animal man were forcibiy illus
trated by q great bulwark of /, 800 bales
Of hops. doomed ultimately to Stake the
thirst of the bibulous; 7,00n sacks of
flour. each weighing about lao pounds;
1000 sacks Of coffee. each Weighing
about $50 pounds. besides a mere trihe
Of 900 ton of fresh meat. That unas-
Stunning element il domestic happiness
known as lard was very much in evil
dence here, being formulated into a Gu
liDary monument of 5000 % pound
pals. A sequence of ideas calls our at
tontion to 4 stolid heap near by-600
tons Of pig lead.
Space would forbid an enumeration
of the dress fabrics in a limitless varie-
ty, all neatly boxed and seeming some
how expectant Of the European trip,
from which most of them, alas! will
return. But our interest centers
III the cases Of fGrs, some of which are
marked III figures that arouse our re-
spectful admiration. Here is one marked
with a digrifed H. 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 SO. 600, and
two watchmen sit upon these boxes BY
night and BY day-solemn, apprehen-
size, guarding their employers business
with the scrupulousness exacted by a
dishonest world.
And here is a sight to gladden. Orphe-
rs heGrt-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 intini to 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.
Bat 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 fer for
eign lands. Close to the grain were its
natural ~destroyers, horses and cattle,
which neighed and beloved ana snort
ed and paved in a fine peripatetic
frenzy. These are taken i'll through a :
portfolio from the boats Oh which they !
arrive, whence a steep g~ansplark leads,
and they do some ground and lofty tuni- +,
bling and much %whinnying and lowing !
before they get safely up it. There were
az horses scheduled, and the tally of
the cattle was SIC. The majority of
these are located on the main deck,
which is called, after them, the cattle
deck, but about 900 Of them are put on
the upper deck, where they are given
air without stint.
The loading and unloading are carried
on alternately. As fast as a hatch is
cleared out it is filled from the materi-
ais awaiting carriage. There are several
matches il 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 il great part
to the cattle, while all below is filled