Evening star., 1909-04-11


during trip to and from the
Pnilippine Islands; but no sight is stranger
more interesting than the way the Japanese
coal transport in the harbor OF Nagasaki
Those who were familiar with modern meth
ods of coaling steamships in country
were rather amused with the slow methods
adopted in Manila, where the coal is carried
aboard on the backs of the Cinnamon, if the
vessel is unable to dock, from scows placed
alongside.
But the methods used in Japan began by
amusing and ended by amazing U.S. for it Is
done by passing from hand to hand small bas-
kets containing the coal. Nagasaki is an un-
pretentious town snuggled at the foot of ridge
of hills right on the lovely Nagasaki Bay. The
bay is one of the safest for vessels, being
entirely landocked. You enter the harbor
through series of narrow straits with nu-
merous small islands studding the waters on
every side. Many of these islands have light
houses perched on their very tops, and their
sides. covered with woods whose green, reflected
INTO the water, made scene never to be tor
gotten bv those of US who had spent many days
at sea with nothing but water, water every
where" The wealthy classes have their homes
top of these hills and there enjoy the cool
breeZes at all times
The anchorage arrangements are about as
odd as the coaling The harbor is very narrow,
and space must be economical, and to do this
fixed anchors in place to which vessels are
moored. Our pilot conducted our ship up to
large red iron buoy IN the top of which was a
a chain from the transport, and we were at
anchor. No running out and rafting of the
chain as the huge anchor fell from the bow, as
was customary in other harbors in which we
had been. These red buoys are arranged in
hines and at sufficient intervals to admit OF the
free swinging of vessels at anchor and to avoid
colliding.
Human Chutes at Work
THERE is an army quartermaster stationed
t,1a jo$n
Of arrival of transport and the approximate
amount of coal she will need, he has this coal
ready on huge scows to be placed alongside as
expedItiously as possible. On entering the ex-
treme end of the harbor and an hour srun to the
anchorage, the pilot station is passed and from
here the quartermaster IS notified by wire of
the passing of the ship. As as the quaran-
tine officers (they are most dapper little -medi-
in much gold braided uniforms) have COM
pleted their examination of all aboard the
scowloads of coal are established alongside at
all cargo ports. Light stagings really flights
of steps already prepared are quickly placed in
position over the ships side by the swarms of
little Japanese and women who cover
like the good old Saint Nicholas, said not a
word, but went straight to their work.
A line of these active little women (they are
the ones who do most of this kind OF work. is
formed so that the members face one another
almost IN a double line and very close together
along the deck of the scow, one on each step of
the ladder, and so on clear to the end where the
coal IS to be deposited. On the scow are two
shoveers fmen) to each line These fill the
small baskets, which grabbed by other
men and handed or tossed to the nearest woman
who pass them to the next, and along the line
they fy.
The basket hardly touches the hands of one
before it is into the hands of the next They
stand SO close together that the passing is not
longer than the movement of carrying the
hands from one side OF the body to the other,
where the hands of the next neighbor are ready
to continue the movement" as is said in the
army. Back and forth go these hands in regu-
lar machinelike movement hardly ever ahead of
time for the next basket, andseldom late. Occas-
ionav large lump comes along not in basket
This results in laughter and merriment, particu-
larlv if its weight causes some less strong than