The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1903-03-22
LATTER DAY SCENES
ALONG THE LEVEE
BY PAUL COOK.

To one who has stood on the levee at
New Orleans in the palmy steamboat
days Of forty years ago, the scene wnlch
the foot of Canal street now presents Is
apt to be rather disappointing.
In the old days. there would be a score
Of stately vessels where now there are
but four or FIVE. The glory OF steam
boating has departed and nearly all the
vessels that now ply the Mississippi are
freight steamers. The floating palaces OF
the sixties are seen no more, and there
are few fine passenger boats now III ser
vice.
Although the New Orleans wharf is
ouieter than in the early days, yet when
several large freight steamers are load
ing for the up-river trip, the scene OF
hustle and activity which is then pre-
sented is very interesting to the stranger.
Tho strident voice of the mate, the sing
song chant of the roustabouts keeping
time to the patter of their bare feet the
rumble of the drays and the roll of the
flour barrels, blend as the sweetest music
to the ears Of the old riverman, the
charm of which is completed by the deep
blast of the whistle proclalming far over
plantation and swamp that the "Lafour-
che" or the 'tHallette" will soon be
off.
Roustabouts at Work.
Watching the work of loading a large
steamer seems to have a fascination for
all classes of people who have the time
to spare, and there are always number
OF interested on-loollers when the rousta-
bouts begin to hustle.
Truck after truck rolls up and unloads
dry goods hardware groceries, fruit,
furniture and every conceivable article
of merchandise. Nothing is boxed, as Is
customary when shipping by rail, but
everything is dumped down In separate
piles on the levee and carried aboard
piece by piece on the broad backs of the
rousta bouts.
AS soon as the drays begin to arrive,
the work of loading commences. The
mate clears his throat gets his vocabu-
larry of profanity In good working order
and assumes the Characteristic Missis-
sippi pose, with the weight of the body
resting on the right foot, the left slightly
advanced, and his arm raised horizon
tally. while at the first word the rousta-
bouts descend upon the piles of freight
like swarm of huge black ants.
Soon there are two wavering black lines
aboard bowed under the weight of flour
sacks or bolts of domestic and the other
coming back in a tireless dog-trot for
another load. In a large town like New
Orleans, one mate superntends the work
on shore while another directs the storing
of the freight on the boat. And this re-
quiEes much skill as well as experience.
Thousands of different articles for a score
or more landings must be stored together
In perfect order so that when a particular
landing Is reached all the freight for that
place can be instantly pointed out to the
deck hands and removed without dis
turbing single sack of the other freight.
The Mates Profanity.
The mate on shore keeps a con-
slant stream Of proximity abuse and ex-
hortation. He calls nearly every rousta-
bout by his first name, but when he runs
across a new levee rat plain niger" is
good enough. The linguistic capabilities
of a steamboat mate are wN1derful, and
from the first barrel over tie gangplank
to the last one his tongue Is never still.
If a roustabout is caught dAllying, in
stantly the sharp eye of the mate has
detected him and a stream of fiery lam
guage is fired at his head Here, you
- -! - What are you up to? Get
a trot on you you triling scoundrel, and
see if you can't get that flour out of herel
Bobi Toni Step lively therel Walk up
there, old mani Here, niger, get after
that baled hay!" A constant stream of
such commands are kept up, and il a
surly negro grumbes at some particu-
larly vile epithet, the mate in his right
eous rage, fairly surpasses himself in the
manufacture OF oaths
The roustabouts are kept on a trot all
the time, even when staggering under
heavy load The work is terrific. while IL
lasts, and only a roustabout could stand
it, 1t takes anywhere from four to six
hours to load an average boat. accord
ing to the number of negroes employed.
As the mountain of freight along the
levee dwindles away under the fierce In
roads OF the roustabouts, the mate wakes
more profane, the spirits of the negroes
become enlivened, and the hustle in
creases. Finally, the last barrel is rolled
on board in that inimitabe negro fashion
and the roustabouts make a rush for the
paymaster Next the huge gangplanl Is
slowly hoisted in the air amid a chorus
of shouts from the roustabouts on the
deck and on the levee, and with part
ing blast the stately white vessel breasts
the Mississippi with her guards only
few inches above the yellow water.
Sing and Dance.
Now is when the roustabouts have |