St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1903-03-21
COALING SHIPS Ply HAND.
Men. Wonten and Children All Take
Part In the Work in Nasas-
aka. Japan.

/
Part in the Work in Nngas-
| aka. Japan.
| There are few sights more novel or
more interesting in the far east than
the coaling of ships at Nagasaki, Japan.
| All ships outgoing and incoming stop
| here to fill their coal bunkers, and it is
not unusual to see vessels of a dozen
| nationalities at anchor in the pictur-
esque harbor, says the Washington
Star.
Nagasaki is a coal country famous
throughout the cast. and the supply
seems to be inexhaustible. The city is
not pretentious by any means, being
built on the seAcoast at the foot OF
chain of hills. While it is one of the
largest cities in Japan, it never came
into promine ace until the early part
Of the sixteenth cetury, when the
Portuguese and Spaniards settled
there for the purpose of carrying on
| trade with visiting vessels. The har-
Dor is not only picturesque, but per-
fectly safe in the hardest kind Of
weather, and in the early days was
favorite refuge for ships that had en-
countered bad weather. The approach
to Nagasaki is through number of
beautiful and quantity shaped islands.
many of which boast lighthouses, and
through channel perhaps quarter of
a mile wide and an inlet which extends
for three miles. The hills surrounding
the harbor are mass of woodland, and
the intense green reflected in the water
forms picture the traveller never for
nent and wealthy merchants of Naga-
saki are in these hills, for here there is
always pleasant weather with constant
ocean breezes.
But Nagasaki received it's greatest
notoriety commercially during the
Spanish-American war; for here all
transports stopped for coal and war
ships of other navies found it coLven-
lent to make this place coaling sta
ton. Before Admiral Dewey sailed into
Manila bay Russian warships were the
most frequent visitors, and to-day the
visitor is confronted throughout the
settlement with signs printed in the
Russian language.
The coal business is in the hands OF a
syndicate, and an immense trade is
done there each day. The quality of
coal is good for steaming purposes, and
the captain of our ship made the aston
ishing statement that the shipcould be
coaled at Nagasaki by hand cheaper
and quicker than it could in San Fran
cisco with all the modern machinery.
did not marvel at this after had seen
the people go to work.
Before the ship came to anchor it
was surrounded by sanpans (the native
boat), each one loaded with human be-
ings ranging in age from IS years to
the babe of as many days. These boats
seemed to spring from the very ocean
itself, so mysteriously did they appear.
In few minutes greatlong boats filled
with coal were ''sculled" alongside. In
an incredibly short space of time every
portfolio was manned by platform,
and men, women and children swa rmed
over the ship like swarm of ants.
Stationing themselves in long rows'ex-
tending from the coal barges to the
bunkers Of the ship. they started an
endless chain of small straw baskets.
each containing about 20 pounds of
coal. On several occa sions' l timed the
baskets as they came over the side of
the ship and counted 6S in one minute.
Everyone of the coolies was immacu-
late in spotless clothes when he started
to work, and each wore about the head
handkerchief to protect the hair
from coal dust. There were thousands
of baskets, shaped like bowl. and as
fast as they were emptied into the hold
of the ship they were returned to the
coal barges to be refilled. The work Of
returning the baskets was the part as
signed the children, the eldest not over
ten years of age. For this work they
received three cents per day. The men
and women, and the latter outnum-
bered the former, two to one (and they
proved the better workmen), received
ten cents per day and a little Chow
as the food is called, at certain inter-
walls. The passing of the baskets seemed
simple process, and they did not APP
pear to be firing. They were always
cheerful in their work, and smiled and
cracked jokes among themselves con-
tinually. At intervals the men who
filed the baskets in the coal barges
were relieved, for this is the hardest Of
the work, andno one seemed disposed
10 take an unfair advantage.
In the evening it became necessary
r. increase the force. and the passen-