By Herb Mills

Page 26

In the movement of most cargoes, this tool-of which there were many styles and designs-was frequently essential. This was true both on the dock and in the hold. As might be supposed, the crowbar was another hand tool which got a lot of use, especially in the hold.

In both loading and discharge, the manner in which the holdmen proceeded was necessarily determined in part by the configuration of the deck being worked and the presence of structural members and stanchions. The stowage plan of the vessel was equally important, i.e., the location of the particular areas to which or from which San Francisco cargoes, as distinct from those of other ports-of-call, were to be moved.

Within these parameters, however, the loading of cargoes was typically the most challenging simply because "a tight stow" of the cargo had to be realized. For one thing, a tight stow and the utilization of all available space meant greater tonnage and greater profit.

At the same time, a tight and proper stow of the cargo was essential to the safety of the vessel. A shifting of cargo while at sea could only be expected to pose serious operational difficulties, if not, indeed, great dangers.

To effect a tight and economic stow, the holdmen frequently had to work within the constraints of the sheer and declivity of the deck. When odd-sized and variously weighted cargo was being handled, "an eye for the work," i.e., the ability to visually judge where a particular piece of cargo might best be fitted into the stow so as to safely and properly maintain its "face" while following the stowage plan, became particularly important.

The use of dunnage as a means of preventing shifting was always important, too, but that was especially so as the men proceeded "to go up with the cargo," i.e., to stack cargo atop cargo.

As the final step in securing an economic stow, the men would request the lightest of the available cargoes for "topping off," the piece-by-piece, hand-handled stowing of cargo just beneath the decking above. The final end: "A proper stow you could take a picture of."

With the wings of the hatch fully loaded, the men routinely began to work the square and ("their") end of the hatch. As a rule, fairly heavy cargo was loaded in the square simply because the winch driver could generally land it directly in its place of stow.

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