Two things I hated as a young man at sea and that was loading bulk wheat and coaling the ship, prior to loading either we had to cover the vents close up all doors, windows, portholes, cover electric motors, close all the skylights on deck. No matter what prevention you took the dust always managed to find its way inside the ship covering everything with a fine powder. It was even worse in the tropics as the ship heated up internally and made life unbearable below decks without ventilation.
The ss Waratah loaded coal on board in three ways, directly down the hatches on deck, through coaling port doors on either side of the ship and by lifting coal up onto her boat deck with four derricks ( cranes) on the deck solely for that purpose. The coal hauled up onto the boat deck was then tipped in to the two hatches on that deck, one aft of the funnel and one in front of the funnel. Canvas covers were put over the rails to prevent any damage to the teak railings and to prevent coal pieces landing on the deck below. As each basket of coal was brought over the rail it was place on a wooden trolley and wheeled to the intended hatch on a set of tram lines laid down on the deck. Each basket was counted as it arrived by a tallyman for the coal contractor and also by a member of the ships crew. One basket weighed one hundred weight (112 pounds- 20 baskets= 1ton).
Coal being loaded aboard a Japanese ship, using the same method as that of the Waratah.
In the picture we see coal being loaded on a more modern steamship through the top deck, this hatch is directly behind the funnel. Note on the left we can see the hatch boards and a canvas cover laying on the closed engine room skylight. As the coal is tipped in there are men standing on the sides below ready to trim or spread the coal evenly in the bunker.
ss Waratah, if you look up at the boat deck you will see two derricks at the side of the funnel, these are two of the four derricks on the boat deck used for lifting coal onto that deck.
In this picture we see men coaling the ship through the side coaling ports or doors, a set of lines were attached to the ship with running blocks and ropes which allowed the coal bins to be hauled up and the coal poured down the chutes to the trimmers down below who levelled of the coal for stability. On completion of coaling these doors were closed after sealing with red lead and tightened up from the inside by crew members who had to crawl into a small compartment and an uncomfortable body position to do so. Engineering officers relied on the trimmers word to say the ports had been properly closed and were watertight before informing the deck officer the ship was secure. Being below the main deck line and close to the water if they were not sealed properly water ingress was a danger and has resulted in ships taking water and causing a list. The question was raised in Court as to whether the Waratah had her ports properly closed up, of course we shall never know.
Due to my editor of my book insisting that the book should be a single book and not Volume 1 and 2 as I intended, condensing it into one book is taking more time than previously thought, however I shall inform the readers as the time draws near to publication.
Due to my editor of my book insisting that the book should be a single book and not Volume 1 and 2 as I intended, condensing it into one book is taking more time than previously thought, however I shall inform the readers as the time draws near to publication.
