DUMPING WOOL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 85, 3 January 1908, Page 2

DUMPING WOOL.

——■ » —i SUMMER IN 1 THE WOOL-SHEDS. " ', , PRESSING BUSINESS, j! ~'.Yello sickly yellow—sunshine* fills -thi- • • groat 'sheds,. afid tho still, stuffy.atmosphere * ■is:: aggressively permoated with: the: smell .'.of-" :> |:!rcasy Svool under thbnnflu6neo::of - ; summer.lieafc. -lho gang'look asif-they cohld l • be pushed-into-a 'seat l easily/-and : given •<&: ■■long.- I 'drink, but- they ■ Stand Up to it list. J lossly, and ■ mechanically movo tho-bales i! , about; -.'Thero is,.a young man walking Over ' •.the- top'of'.'a j'egimont ohbi}les; doing sowo • ■ artistic •work' 1 under' "the' l iik , flucnco of-profuso perspiration;.' 'Outside in'; ' tho lumpAr, With: contentmeht,-; slept audiblyvm tlio isunslime.--. ."ISvo' meii'.'' rolled, bales Mp to thtf'.jpress near - thtf: door—one, reste'd- pensively."on hisrtruck.-and ' looking sat, a; black', speck, in. Ltlip' blue jof ..the:-: harbour visiblo through-thovdoorsji said: I. -. wonder whether that's;.a duck orja bottle? "i ] ; The last -word acted liko . magic. ;..:Thev »ll»v hfid .a- look; and after •one-'and'.all- had .de-r - .voutodly.-wished was wlusky; they; returned .. to work, knowing, perfectly ithat; it .wis 'ii' bit; of. burht ,;^woodv lt hbt ifo/.t'allc.?" Tho tower tablo of tho press was lowered, ; aiul .two ioose;.bales; were*.fitted-in;,.then ;afc' ; the itouch' of' a lever by the .old maii hehind • the bales, sank to the level 'of tho floor of the" . shcdj..\and '.'two , otherfl . we're-, -A leVor is'tpuchedj'and the sides are squeezed ; passionately.'; Another lever' is pulled, oyer,' and up comes the lower table, crushing arid scruncning tho .four wool bales against'the iihinovable top until it groaned aria, Squealed:'-' in;its'; agony. Onb'bale really, .got'its wool.' . out at 'the : treatment it /received,, .but .it p seemed as if it was only a tear'i'h;the' guiiny. ,: When one thinks',, that ithe." iiiasimum ,'pres- ■ siire'has.'.bcen■ 'exerted another, lover is'" touched, '.and^'',tW s "'^c^t''Tcdlum^ t ..jam'''tlie) » : 'fleeces into'- still leisspace,; whilo 1 - the'• men * kfeep the biles ,in position "with stout ;leyer-, : ' bill's. :■ , 1 ' .'■ : ■' When it; is impossible, to recogniso' that '; there : are two bales the one dump,' the 'j lumpers thread band-iron through *' tho , grooves of'the tables above and below,'.cross- , "irig. them .ill, the,act, and 'connecting'>thein '; .tip- with' small: iron-;studs. ':The: lovei'{isi'put ;! oyer, the: pressure is relieved'with ;: a',crack, . aiid is taken, by the iron: .bands) which' seem" f qiii.te equal'.to* the, strain..'. Soinetim'eS"'they ; I burst,. and then—Well, you ; ;• liko ' anything else, the band is 'as stfong as its'weakest • spot. -. The ;dumped'bales' are , ' -tipped, off !thd press are stacked away in the shed until .the: ship's ' ; hold .is ready to receive them-. - Diimping ' • wool ,is trying work in' hot weather; but tho men take "it pretty leisurely on the wrhole,'.