The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1915-01-16
Record is Made in Preparing
Steamship Wavelet For
Sea
SHIPMENT CONSISTS
OF 2,125, 900 FEET
Vessel Started Taking This
Big Cargo Tuesday Nc
ing and Despite De
Receiving Cross Ties
sci Was Ready to Proceed
to Sea Yesterday Morning

Pensacola has established a record
for loading cross ties ON vessels. "a
total of 2,125,00O superb ial feet hay-
ing been slowed on the British steamer
Wavelet in three and one-half days.
or just twenty-seven hours of actual
working time.
The work was done by John ri.
Christie and Frank Rivers, stevedores.
who loaded the ship consigned to the
Pensacola Lumber and Timber Com
pany.
This steamer arrived on January II.
under charter to the timber and lum-
Der firm above mentioned The cargo
on hand, when the steamer arrived.
consisted of 1,7OO000 superficial feet
on cars and lighters. ready ia ba
worked on the vessel. At 7 a. m.
Tuesday the work was started, work
being finished at II a. m. yesterday.
TIE 10th. inst, or actual working time
put tWenty-seven hours.
In the work, the steyedores were
greatly aided by the L. & N. railroad
company Keeping switch engine on
hand at all times, practically no time
having been lost in making switches.
One day there was not sufficient cargo
on hand to permit of the work going
along as fast as it was possible to
carry 1t, and thus the time for finish
ing the steamer was considerably
heightened.
When it is considered that bad
weather 1nterfered to some extent
with the work, and also that some
little time is necessarily lost in the
shifting of cars or lighters, and the
possible shifting Of gear. from one
side of the ship to the otIerif cargo
was to have been taken from lighters,
the Leaf is all the more remarkable
ARRIVED MONDAY.
The Wavelet arrived last Monday
Just about noon, too late to be rugged
up for work. The following couple
Of days the weather interfered to some
extent with the rapid work which the
stevedores went after, and it was ex-
pected that the steamship would not
go to sea before Monday, or Sunday at
the earliest. But the ties actually radned
into the ships matches, and quite rs
fast as they were dropped into the
several holds, men down below were
slowing the ship. There was no fault
found with the stowage, despite the
rapid manner in which the cargo
went into the vessel, and Thursday
night when it was announced that
the steamer would be ready for sea
before noon of yesterday, some little
doubt was expressed even by those
who were engaged on the vessel. The
last stick, however, was in the ship
long before noon of yesterday, and
shortly thereafter the steamer went
down the bay, beginning her voyage
to English ports with London as one
of her known points of destination
Rapid dispatch has been given
quite number of vessels at Pensa-
cola within the past month or more,
beginning with the steamship August
Belmont, which was loaded SO quick
ly that some doubt was expressed
even by shipping men that the
steamer had not been filed to her ca
pacity.
The seven vessels which loaded
with oil cake here were also given
unusually quick dispatch, not one of
which, it was asserted on the docks
yesterday, remaining in port, IL the
cargo was available, more than one
whole week.