The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1904-03-25
VOLUME XXXIX, NO. 8

familiar with the general details and
dimensions of coal tow aud coal boat,
but few people outside of those whose
business throws them into intimate as.
ISOLATION with this industry. realize or
know anything of the life led by the
deckhands who put together the acres
of floating fuel that come down the riv-
er 10 Cincinnati. Louisville, Hickman
and then on 10 points below. Nearly
all the tows which pass Hickman come
from Pittsburg although few are
made up at Louisville.
The chains.used to fasten the barges
are about eight feet in length, with a
peculiar hook ON each end, known
among river men as gooseneck. The
bane of the deckhands life is to carry
these chains from one end of the tow TO
the other. The distance Is plenty
enough 90 make man grow tired un-
der the weight, and walking is none the
best. The chains are known AS the
'Jewelry" and when the mate yeIls for
"more jewelry there and be mighty
quick about it" there Is generally ne
cessity for several commands and spe-
cific ones at that before the deckhands
move.
When the tow is all in place and
hltched securely together. two fats Of
coal for use as fuel for the steamer are
hitched to the side of the boat. When
the tow is under way. the deckhands
pass the time away by carrying coal
from the flats to the boiler room. Asa
! great deal of coal is used on trip the
] men have quite bit of diversion and
time does not drag slowly by.
! On a towboat of ordinary size, the
crew is made up of the following: Cap
tain, mate. Waterman. iwho is usually
second mate J two pilots. two cooks,
flunky, four firemen, two engineers.
! lamp trimmer and from IA to 25 deck
I hands. The men work in shifts. usu-
ally remaining on duty six hours and
I sleeping SIX hours alternately.
Quite fund of knowledge is neces-
( sary TO be first rate riverman. The
4 captain Of boat, as a matter of course
j is familiar with every foot of the navi-
4 eating course on the river. He also un-
derstands the hitching of tow down to
the finest detail. the action of the en-
II gines in fact the captain knows. .ii-
I isss6at 2 boat and boating. tow and tow
Ming; for if he didrsf things would run
smooth but very short time.
The pilots work in shifts. From time
to time. when hItehing a tow, they call
through megaphones TO the mate, offer
/ ing suggestions as 10 the arrangement
of the coal boats. 1t is tIresome enough
N TO pilot a boat. but IN the summer time
j the task Is a most pleasant one. despite
; the fact that great vigilance is required
at all times. Steaming down the river,
4 feeling the boat and fleet of barges an
4 swerIng to the hand is exhilirating
= enough to keep its novelty always. In
the winter time the task is rough and
trying one but its pleasantness in the
( summer repays for the inconvenience
I of the winter.
The deck hand is not always particu-
II lar about the kind of work he is to do.
u He ships for the money there is In it,
and if he can avoid passing coal frem
the flats INTO the boat he is a happy
3 man. When not passing the coal there
is plenty TO be done on the feet. Sy-
! phon lines, connected with the engine
- room in the steamer are run into the
pump holds of the barges to keep them
- clear of water. There is always more
or less leakage into coal boat, and the
deckhands must always be on the alert
/ to keep the holds pumped clear. And
then there are dash boards to be erect
i ed on the front barges of the feet and
several of those on the side. The dash
= boards add height TO the sides of the
barges, to keep the swell of water that
e results from moving through the wa
ter at fast speed, from rolling into the
barges.
!, None but the largest boats take tows
: OF coal to New Orleans. The smaller
. J lOWDOdlS DrluB Tue coal 10 OinClnudIl.
/. Louisville, Paducah and other down
/, river cities. and from there south to
New Orleans they are taken by down.
river steamers, The deckhand has a
comparatively easy time coming up the
river A tow of empties Is usually
! brought back, and there is little more
to do than pass coal, AS the watches
= are divided into four shifts for every
II "a hours. the work is not SO hard.
Tue novice often wonders whether
o it pays to ship coal by river when the
n railroads would take it South much
Q quicker. The question is fully answer
: ell when il is said that one coal boat
hauls nearly. if not altogether as much
coal as a whole train. The large boats
,. take as many as 5 boats, five and SIX
barges, which hold nearly as much as a
II boat, and several flats at one time. Of
IL ten this size Of tow is increased greatly.
according to the number OF towboats
s available at quick rise, and the a..
l. mount Of coal that must go out quickly
or lay in the harbor for several months
Is until rise permits 1t to 90 out.