Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-01-20
VESSELSAT THE PIERS
How Cargoes Are Loaded by
Steamers.
CARE In DRESSING A SHIP
ski1ied Men Employed to Do the Work,
ana Freighters Must be Handled With
Dispatch, IA Steamers Are Ex-
pensive While Idle.

rev persons have a clear conception
or the amount OF labor required to put
cargo aboard an ocean teamship;
nor have they amy idea of the skill re-
qlrred to- lCao one of the liners that
ply between Newport News and .Eu-
ropean ports.
Time and again every day vessels are
reported through marine channels to
nave sailed with a general cargo
abroad. but how that general cargo
s gotten aboard the average citizen
knows not. neither does he care Cues
li1n landSman and he will tell you
that the exports are dloisted on deck
by nouns of steam derricks, and
dumped into the hold That is as far
as his knowledge goes ON this subject
he does not realize that as much care
5 taken in storing cargo as in dis
tributng the furniture about the finest
mansion in the city. He has a vague
idea that all that is required is that
the cargo be dumped into the hold the
matches beaten down, when the ship is
ready for sea.
Never was man more mistaken A
ship under these conditions would be
no more ready to leave port than the
interior OF house is preSentable after
the furniture has been dumped" where
ne men who move choose to place it.
The comparison is about the same
Just as much care must be exercised
m dressing" ship as in dressing a
mouse; more, in fact, for many good
ship has been sent to the bottom sim
ply because she was not properly trim
med
In Newport News, as In other seaport
towns. there are men who are experts
IN the arr of loading ships. They are
known as stevedOreS. and are engaged
n the same line of business as are the
famous longShoremen of Great Britain
These men make q study of loading
vessels. They have their officers. They
are graded. There are those who do the
ffsii,d work. and there are others. who,
because of experience, are experts and
10 the directing. As the tons of freight
are lowered into the hold of a ship
there are men there to receive it, move
It att, or forward, as the case may
require, but above all, there is a man
below to trim" the ship. The cargo
must be SO distributed SHAT the vessel
VIII be on AN even keel Too much
weight must not be thrown forward
nor aft. The weight on the starboard,
md port must be e7qual!Zed, and above
all, the freight must be 50 securely
stored that it will not shift.
Every ,brt of available space must be
occupied. and everything tween decks
!narst-be fast. For the cargo of a vessel
20 shift. or get "adrift" during a heavy
haps that can occur. The ship is bound
20 list to the side on which the greatest
weight happens to be thrown, the va
liable goods are thrown about, and m
variably damaged as the vessel rolls
Ind pitches.
1t is next to impossible to secure
cargo that has gotten adrift. as long as
L storm lasts. In the first place it is a
perious undertaking to uncover the
matches If the SSa is boar ding the ship,
md even if this is done the crew is eX-
posed to great danger if ordered below
10 make fast tons of freight that are
being pitched about with every roll Of
the craft.
Thus it can be esasily un,le rstood that
It requires a master hand. directed by
he brain of an expert. to guard against
she possibilities of the cargo getting
ndrift at sea. To the stevedore is con-
Signed This duty. After the freight is
lowered into the hold it must be stored
with 4 View to economizing in space,
and above all. it must be placed with
perfect security.
This work must be done quickly.
While ship is in port she is an eX-
pensive artlci~. The object of her
owners is to keep her on the move.
Every day she remains inactive she is
cunning up a bill of expenses OF hun
Slreds of dollars without earning a cent.
AS she is only valuable when cruising.
It is the object of everyone interested
N her to get her ont of port with all
possible dispatch. A vessel belonging
"Ae>AA
day.
AS soon a the day force Of stevedores
have completed their allotted tasks the
night men take their places.
When a ship comes into port her
matches are lifted, and her cargo
'.yanked out" i'm "a jiffy. and no sooner
is this ashore than she loads again,
clears ami safs-aM accom- plished in an
:ncreditably short time. When "a vessel
is in water ballast this worthless cargo
is easily gotten rid of, and when she
takes aboard a cargo of grain the steve
dore does not play such an important
part, but at all events the steamer must
go to sea on an even keel. and with hsr
largo as snug as bug in rug" else
there will be trouble for the captain
and crew when the ship runs her nose
into the first gale of the passage.
Owing to the superior facilities at
this port owners OF steamers prefer to
send their vessels to Newport News,
as they are handled with dispatch.
At present there are a number of for
eign freighters, schooners and barges
in port and all OF the piers are en-
ployed.