158 CARGO TRANSFERENCE AT STEAMSHIP TERMINALS. 
Lighterage-Freight Movements.—The lighterage freight may be divided 
into two classes, that which passes upon the pier from the lighter and then 
to the ship either directly or after temporary storage, and that freight which 
passes to the ship from the lighter located alongside the vessel on the 
off-shore side. On account of the slowness in unloading off-shore lighters, 
there is generally much congestion in the slips. 
From the above, it will be seen that berthing facilities must be provided 
for lighters alongside the piers, the best location being on the opposite side 
of the pier from the steamships, or if there be room, upon the same side. 
Where piers are 350 or more feet in width, as at many European ports, with 
two sheds, a space between and railroad cars, it would be difficult to truck 
lighterage freight as is being done in this country. 
There are different movements of handling, depending upon the kind 
of traffic. Thus, inbound cotton on account of the many marks passes upon 
or over the pier and not to lighters on the off-shore side of the ship. Much 
is held temporarily awaiting lighters, but eventually it is almost all placed 
upon the lighters alongside the piers. Inbound copper in mattes, strange 
to say, passes over the piers for immediate or final lighterage. Both 
copper and cotton are assorted and distributed as each comes from the ship. 
Such freight as dried apricots, etc., each box weighing twelve and one-half 
kilos (28 pounds), is placed on the piers without first assorting, but is after- 
wards separated according to marks and also according to the different 
brands such as ‘“‘choice,’”’ “extra choice,’’ etc. ‘To assort 2,000 boxes of 
dried fruit into five piles requires six or seven men including the foreman 
for two hours, costing from 13 to 15 cents per ton. When mechanical 
methods are employed, this assorting can be done between decks saving 
most of this expense. 
Lumber, especially southern pine, is difficult and expensive to handle, 
the expense amounting as high as 75 cents a ton. There is much to be 
learned in studying at separate localities the movements of different kinds of 
freight, among which can be mentioned bags of rice, barrels of spirits, cases 
of dry-goods, furniture and a long list of others. All of this, as well as the 
stevedore’s work, must be known before the mechanical methods can be 
recommended. 
In the United States, export freight is hoisted from off-shore lighters 
by man-power, steam winches on lighters, and by dock or ship’s winch; 
from other lighters alongside the pier, by handtrucking across or along the 
pier floor by manual labor to within reach of the winch and then hoisted; 
dray freight is unloaded on places upon the pier floor as directed by the floor 
men, and then, after being selected by the stevedores is trucked to the ship’s 
side and hoisted by the winches. 
