Japanese Coaling Girls

Horowhenua Chronicle, 25 October 1916, Page 2

Japanese Coaling Girls

An interesting sight i„ the harbour of Nagasaki, Japan, is the coaling done entirely by girls.

Big coal barges bear down upon a ' p "* 14 "PProaches the shore, and aa soon as it comes to anchor a rough lad. der is placed between the vessel and the foremost barge. On each rung a girl takes hor place.

Men in the barge quickly shovel the coal into shallow baskets, holding half a bushel each, to the eound of a inonotonone chant and these baskets then pass from, hand to hand, up the living ladder with marvellous celerity. Each girl eiezes one and swings it straight up in front of her. above her head 1 , where it is caught by the next girl. Down a. second. ladder, likewise packed with girls, the empty baskets pass in similar manner back into the barge to be refilled. Barge after barge is emptied in this way. The monotonous chanting never ceases; the living elevator goes on hour alter hour, with its ever-ending stream of baskets, until the vast bunker is full, when the ladders disappear as if by magic, and the 6hip is ready to proceed on her voyage. A big mail steamer will "bunker" 2300 tons of coal in six hours and a half." an average of 353J tons per hour —an almcst incredible record.