Loading Cotton Onto Vessels By Hand... 450 Lbs A Bale???

Lisa Murphy

Corporal
Joined
Feb 16, 2019
Location
Washington State
I was researching how cotton was loaded onto blockade running vessels for transport and came across this photo. It appears that cotton was loaded BY HAND (or rather by back, bicep, and thigh), each bale weighing 450 or more lbs. GEES! Is this right, or were winches etc. used as well? Anyone know? (This is clearly NOT a blockade runner -- could not have run away very fast...)

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Per the website where I found this, "This image shows the steamboat "City St. Joseph" docked on the waterfront in Memphis, Tennessee for the unloading of cotton." No date attached.
 
I was researching how cotton was loaded onto blockade running vessels for transport and came across this photo. It appears that cotton was loaded BY HAND (or rather by back, bicep, and thigh), each bale weighing 450 or more lbs. GEES! Is this right, or were winches etc. used as well? Anyone know? (This is clearly NOT a blockade runner -- could not have run away very fast...)
We grew cotton when I was a kid. Then the "optimum" bale was 500 lbs in weight. It usually took about 1100-1200 lbs of raw cotton to get the 500 lb bale after ginning. If it were too much less or too much over weight, you were penalized. The bales are very compact and yes, heavy!
 
We grew cotton when I was a kid. Then the "optimum" bale was 500 lbs in weight. It usually took about 1100-1200 lbs of raw cotton to get the 500 lb bale after ginning. If it were too much less or too much over weight, you were penalized. The bales are very compact and yes, heavy!
How were they lifted???
 
450 divided by 2 men is 225 lbs per man. Not uncommon back in the day. Or as the above pic shows 3 men per bale would be 150 lbs per man. Easy peasy. Looks like they are just rolling them on the ship. Or off.
Easy-peasy for you, maybe? Can't say as I've ever lifted, rolled, pushed, pulled, or otherwise moved 150 lbs. (Of course I am not very big.) And to get it wedged properly into a hold, or pulled OUT of a hold -- a dead lift. I bet there were a lot of injuries.
 
Right out of high school I packaged oil and permanent. I rolled barrels of oil at about 450 pounds per barrels, permanent at around 600 pound per barrel. I did it by meself. Tip them up and roll them on the rim. The 600 puond ones were hard to sit back up if you rolled them on their side.
 
Right out of high school I packaged oil and permanent. I rolled barrels of oil at about 450 pounds per barrels, permanent at around 600 pound per barrel. I did it by meself. Tip them up and roll them on the rim. The 600 puond ones were hard to sit back up if you rolled them on their side.
Ok then... clearly at 5'1" and barely over (whatever) lbs I have been deprived of such vigorous experiences. Roll by hand it is, then. I'm impressed, but here goes -- my blockade runner will be loaded by back, thigh and arm. Thanks!
 
I was researching how cotton was loaded onto blockade running vessels for transport and came across this photo. It appears that cotton was loaded BY HAND (or rather by back, bicep, and thigh), each bale weighing 450 or more lbs. GEES! Is this right, or were winches etc. used as well? Anyone know? (This is clearly NOT a blockade runner -- could not have run away very fast...)

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Per the website where I found this, "This image shows the steamboat "City St. Joseph" docked on the waterfront in Memphis, Tennessee for the unloading of cotton." No date attached.
It appears that the "rolling" effect was administered. I am small but I can roll over 200 pounds easily as long as it's not up hill.
 
The bales would be rolled and if you look at the picture of the steamboat, on the deck was mounted a jib boom crane which used a set of claws (much like ice tongs) to lift and stack the bales or other cargo.
 
The bales would be rolled and if you look at the picture of the steamboat, on the deck was mounted a jib boom crane which used a set of claws (much like ice tongs) to lift and stack the bales or other cargo.
YES!! I see it now. Excellent. That solves the problem of getting them out of the hold. Not a dead lift or a three-man heave.
 
YES!! I see it now. Excellent. That solves the problem of getting them out of the hold. Not a dead lift or a three-man heave.
The holds on these shallow draft steamboats were often only 3 or 4 feet deep, so much of the cotton and other cargo would often be stowed on deck.
 
There is a "rhythm" to the rolling of a heavy object even a squared one like a cotton bale.Once the bale is started on the roll you keep the bale rolling. Dont stop, that would require dead weight lifting to start the roll going again. That's where the back muscles come in ,It can be done but why? It's so much easier to just keep the bale rolling. Oh when it did come to lifting most if not all boats back then had a winch called a Capstan. These were operated by several strong backs. On a CSA $20.00 there is an image of a sailor leaning on a Capstan. I'll attempt to show that image on the following post.
 
There is a "rhythm" to the rolling of a heavy object even a squared one like a cotton bale.Once the bale is started on the roll you keep the bale rolling. Dont stop, that would require dead weight lifting to start the roll going again. That's where the back muscles come in ,It can be done but why? It's so much easier to just keep the bale rolling. Oh when it did come to lifting most if not all boats back then had a winch called a Capstan. These were operated by several strong backs. On a CSA $20.00 there is an image of a sailor leaning on a Capstan. I'll attempt to show that image on the following post.
Would love to see it.
 
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