The Minneapolis journal., 1901-11-30


and the stacks pour forth clouds of blind.
ing. smoke The unloading buckets, one
Tor every hatchway, each having a ca
pac1ty OF ton run like huge spiders
along the carriages, dumping their loads
automatically. Two men are required for
each bucket-one stationed on the hatch
way and the other where the bucket is
dumped. The full bucket speeds toward
the second man, who by a motion of the
hand, directs the engineer as to it's desti-
natlon, and when 1t is in its proper place,
he opens the catch with a crowbar. the
bottom falls down and the load falls into
the car beneath. Releasing the load so
changes the equilibrium that the bucket
swings over, the bottom is snapped shut
ana the bucket at once returns for another
load. The hatchWay man signals to the
engineer by motion Of his hands with
regard to the raising or lowering Of the
Ducket In the hold. The diggers. eight in
each hatchway, work like imps and.
stripped to the waist, shovel the POWDER
like ore into the immense iron recep-
tacle. The bucket swings down at the
order OF the hatchway man and at it's ap-
proach he cries a warning to those be~
low In his patois:
'Buh-kah! Watchouti"
Whereat the men below do watch out.
since one encounter with the iron mon
ster would seriously injure if not kill
one Of these brawny shoveIers. Each
hoist operates four buckets. The buckets
are hrst lowered to the cargo, when the
men Immediately begin filling them,
which they do fast enough to keep the
hoists working cons tantly.
On account Of the difficulty Of retain
ing foothold on the loose ore, which
makes the handling Of the buckets awk-
ward, hole large enough TO contain
both buckets and men is at once dug
straight down to the floor of the hold.
Here goodly surface of the floor is laid
bare, when the buckets which are each
set on three small but strong wheels, are
easily pushed about.
Brawny Men Are They,
And here at these docks the work goes
on day after day-dig, shovel hoist and
carry-and above the din is heard the
warning shout Of "Buh-kahi Watchoutt''
The Drawn of these wharf rats is some
thing astonishing to behold. Every man
Is an athlete, the muscles Of whose arms.
shoulders and back stand out like knobs.
And there they shovel all the liyeIong
DAY and sometimes far into the night with
bodies bathed in sweat and copper-col-
ored from the red and greasy ore which
Desmears everything it touches Rough.
uncouth specimens Of humanity they are.
not troubling themselves over the use oi
either soap, water or towels, despite the
CRIME in which they work
When the cargo Is about half DISCHARGED
a special engine on the ship begins pump
Ing In the water ballast which Is neces-
sary to keep the screw well under water
in case the ship returns to Duluth Eight
Scarcely Is the unloading and taking OF
water ballast accomplished, when the
whistle sounds five long booms-the call
for tug 1t is no small task, backing
one OF these iron monsters out and facing
her right about on her way One tug is
lashed to the bow and another to tb.
stern, the ship runs her own engines slow
ly and the whole majestically slips away
from the pier, backing out into the open
harbor when a series of short toots tells
the tugs Trey are no longer wanted. An
swering toots are given, ropes are hauled
IN, the tugs puff away, the captain signals
full speed ahead -" the harbor bar ia
crossed once more, and the ship is out in
the open seas again.
Cleaning Up the Ship.
Then begins the cleaning and scrubbinR
OF the besmeared ship and the task ia
pushed to completion, no matter what hour
Of the day or night When the hose,
brushes and brooms are finally laid away,
one might eat meal from the deck every4
where, so spotless 1t is.
The crew is usually divided into three
watches whose vigil is four hours each the
captains watch-although he may name a
substitute in easy weather-the mates
watch and the second mates watch. Dur
ing the day, after the morning securing,
the deck hands go to work at painting.
polishing brass, mending rigging and such
duties. Their life is not q hard one.
They have comfortable warm quarters
and good meals, and as rule are content
with their lot. OF course, some captains
therein lies a chance OF possible hard
ship
When the ship reaches her destination
she is met by/a tug with instructions as
to what dock she is to make to receive
her cargo, and scarcely does she come to
a stop in her appointed position when tho
ore begins rafting into the hold.
Loading at Duluth.
Duluth has one of the finest ore-Ioads
ing docks in the world erected at a cost
OF two million dollars. 1t is 700 feet long
and 100 feet high and is provided with
immense bins into which the railroad cara
running on tracks overhead dump their
loads. Each bin has leading from It a
movable iron trough fifty feet long and
three feet wide. These troughs are set
on the dock at intervals corresponding
TO the distance between the hatchways on
the ship-for all freighters are alike In
this respect. When @ ship comes for her
cargo, these troughs are let down, ona
into each hatchway, and in trioe the
ore comes sliding down through them
and into the capacious hold at the rate OF
ton Il minute for each trough. 1t takes
from five to seven hours to load one Of
the big fellows. SO that a ship may
make port at 9 in the morning, receivv
her cargo. discharge her water ballRstt
receive stores for the cooks galley and
10 @reo u. A IN he aPt
And so the routine goes on. from thR
opening of navigation in May to its closA
in December.
Anna NJ. Chamberlain.