The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-08-09

'TPdrFu lIlnOl I've pAA'
the general decline Of the trade and the
fact. that Buffalo has differential rates
favoring Baltimore and Philadelphia
and that New Works expansion Is re-
stricted by the general demands Of the
port this city heads the grain export
list.
The export OF grain leaves no mate
rial impression. II Ia lacking in the
aspects Of material construction. leav-
ing nothing visible but the dust OF the
departed grain licking the Shiny piles
OF recently vacated pier slips. Some of
the grain laden vessels bear away more
food than was known by the best pro-
visioned Cesar. II the grain that has
flowed to Europe from America for the
past thirty years could be ridged in the
ocean. Il would make solid road from
Brooklyn to Brest.
Ships loading In Baltimore and other
grain centres receive their cargoes from
grain elevators erected beside the pier
alps This e Impossible in New York.
Docks are so crowded that last fal' an
elevator loaded n ship by Staten Island
pier. The elevators height. IN proper
ton TO her sub-structure. renders the
Trip across he hay very dangerous
Seven floating elevators Of the In
ternational Grain Elevator Company
Dad all the local grain The elevator.
ike the reaper. was evolved through the
needs Of American industralis1n A
decade preceding the civil war the
grain shipping system Of New York was
as archaic as are to-day tho coal load
ing methods Of the coolie laborcrs Of the
orient Grain was put aboard by hand
bucket by bucket, being passed up the
ships side. Then and in he ensuing
years sailing vessels mostly carried
grain. Italian AMI Norwegian briggs
bore away much NJ our European grain.
Philip II Gll of Brooklyn built the
frat floating grain e,eva'or in 1851
When steamers replaced the sail
ing ships IN the sos elevator. were
gradually built higher So that their
towers could command gradients TO
higher deckei vessels Soon the local
grain elevating interests combined and
merged their eighteen or twenty elcva-
tors into the International COMPANY
The leviathans Of the German and other
fleets trading here demanded stu
larger elevators In the a0s the
steel age found expression in the
launching Of two steel elevators mod
ernism conjuring tho charm of the
ancient Greek civilization by naming
them the Them!s and the Isis They
are crack boats steel hulled and steel
lowered with a 100 foot attitude In
stead Of the eight boats now in com
mission New York had twice as many
fifteen years ago.
Grain trlmmers. tho men who unload
grain, have seldom figured in strikes.
Their casualties are uncatalogued by
industrial insurance agencies Trim
mers are controlled by a gang boss
under the elevator superintendent The
boss is assured that each man possesses
distinct merit allied to an unyielding
spirit. In the concrete the gang, be-
cause OF The con ract nature OF its
labor, insists that each unit must be
capable. any defect naturally affecting
the whole
Grain trimming IL possible through
the absolutism OF severe individualism
dominated by most convincing form
NJ communism. The work Is fast and
IN account OF tho speedy departures of
vessels involves irregular and pro-
longed labor spells. The dust Is de-
cidedly dsagreeable. irritating throat,
eyes and nostrils But. and here the
but" looms large, the remunera ton
IS excellent
Trimmers are paid 50 so per thousand
bushels and Sc per thousand for grain
loaded between p. NJ. and ! A. NJ.
or on Sundays and state holidaya A
trimmer on a good elevator during a
fair season averages $50 per week from
tho opening % the Erie Canal in May
until tho Ice Kings clutch closes II
in November, The Isis gang holds the
record for one weeks wage. 500 60 made
in July, 1919,
Years ago an Bltruist. possessing tenn
permanent and time determined to pub
lish q book on all available human labor
Units, hours energy efficiency. environ
ment Compcnsatlons. limited and un-
limited, and every conceivable aspect
~ mans activities formed weller of
syrnpathies within his teeming brain
New York repudlated his researches
when the statistician invaded the sphere
Of the grain gangs.
He sought and obtained permission 70
spend an entire week aboard one Of the
hest elevators on "the river as the
zone Of New York's shipping Is known
Al first tho work to him appeared quite
easy. Grain was hurried aloft IN steam
revolving buckets, riveted to belt
within an enclosed leg; then II passed
through The varying processes OF weigh
ing and screening. TO be shot aloft TO the
tower and dumped thence into the void
OF the ships hold
But as the days passed the prolonged
labor cXaCttons astonshed him The
investigator decided grain trimming
would hc out Of place among his statis-
tics lie dismissed his experience
anCrily; -.
"Tr.mmcrs' he said do NOT recog-
~ the twenty-four hour day, they
ofen work sixty hours their strength