The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1903-07-29
CLEVER STEvEDORING.
PROPER LOADING OF CHIPS
HELPS TO WIN RECORDS.
Wonderful Work Of the Man Who
slows Into the Spacious Hold Of an
Ocean Leviathan the Tons Of
Freiqht That Makes Up the Cargo.

Freight That Makes Up the Cargo.
One of the things about which the
average ocean traveller knows little or
nothing Is the wonderful work of the
stevedore. the man who slows into the
spacious hold Of leviathan the thous-
sands upon thousands of boxes and
barrels and bags and crates and pack
ages that go to make UP the 10000 or
$4,000 tons of freight of modern
steamship. frequently the stevedore
and his army of men have been at
work night and day to load the big ves-
sci and to have her start on the very
minute on her 5000 mile voyage
against storms and whatever else the
gods choose to send into the race. But,
little as the passengers waving hand
kerchlefs over the rail may know
about the loading of their steamer, the
work is as important as 1t Is interest
ing.
From the moment the last piece OF
merchandise has been hoisted out of a
hold the work of making this ready for
the new cargo Is begun Men with fire
hose throwing water under high pres
sure are sent below, and with them go
gangs of broom men, who are to clean
and scour every part Of the big COM
partment, to get 1t ready for the deli
cate and often perishable freight about
to be slowed. Standing at one Of the
mouths Of these holds and gazing into
the dusky depths below seems like
standing on the brink of hundred
foot precipice. In reality, the depth is
not so great, being accentuated by the
darkness of the pit. But In many of
the big ocean liners line long enough
to reach from the roof OF three-story
tenement to the sidewalk could be
dropped and stretched from the edge
Of the hatchway without touching the
lowest flooring in the compartment. A
ton of merchandise slowed in this vast
space looks lost, something like a. spar
row on telegraph pole. In fact, thous-
ands Of tons will have to be swallowed
by the hatchways before the hold will
be full, as 1t should be to give proper
balance to the ship.
With the cleaning Of the ship the
wagon teams begin TO appear on the
piers, and while these are unloading In
a steady parade Of vehicles on the wat
er side OF the steamship dozens Of
smaller vessels are moored ready to
disgorge their loads into the monster
ship. Barges, lighters, canal boats,
and craft Of all description are on hand
to hand over their freight, consisting
Of everything from coal. which is to be
hoisted out Of the "canalers," to wheat,
which Is to be shot into the great hold
A-om the height of towering grain
elevator.
In loading steamship the first thing
is to decide ON the distribution Of the
cargo. In the case of the big freight
vessels, where speed and economy Of
coal Is a big factor. grain and other
compact and heavy merchandise is not
slowed in the very bottom Of the hull
II Is shipped more toward the centre
OF the vessel where II will ride easy
without, however, doing much to
steady the ship. In, the case of passen,
ger steamships, where stability is an
element and an asset to the owners of
the craft, as a rule the heaviest cargo
Is loaded furthest toward the keel of
the ship, where its weight would count
like SO much ballast In preventing the
ship from rolling. When a stevedore
provides this stability against rolling
he says that he "stiffens the ship" It
requires at least 1900 tons to stifren
o big modern ocean liner.
BY far the most important contriv-
ance used in the loading of an ocean
steamer Is the grain elevator. the TALL
houselike river skyscraper seen under
tow on the lower East and North riv.
ers. AS a monster of mechanical per-
fection, and at the same time labor
saving device, which has made its in
fuence felt in the very price Of wheat,
the grain elevator, aside from its in
teresting connection with ocean steam
ers, is wonderful contrivance. This
Is towed alongside the steamer to be
loaded, and at once begins to disgorge
Niagara Of wheat or grain into the
hold Of vessel A huge iron pipe,
big enough for a man to crawl into, 10
directed down the hold, and out of It
flows two-foot stream Of grain. From
1000 to 1000 bushels of grain are loaded
by the elevator every hour. From 49,
900 to $4,000 bushels are required to
fill the hold of ship-and every forty
bushels Of grain are reckoned as a
ton.
AS the grain is turned into the hold
men are sent below with shovels to
trim" the cargo. That means the
grain must be shoveled or scooped into
every nook and crevice and evenly dis
tributed. Gazing into hold at a gang
Of "trimmers" In operation Is like
looking at men through fog at dawn.
Chan and dust fly SO thickly that un-
less a behoder is used to the impuri-
ties he would choke himself coughing.
A passenger vessel would carry from
$4,000 to 10000 bushels of grain loaded
In this way. A freighter, built for
grain carrying, would readily take
twice that amount and even more.