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illets and Slings Are Used on Los Angeles Pier at Los Angeles has developed an advantageous use of the fork type truck for handling general cargo on a steamship terminal. Pal- lets or platforms 4 feet by 6% feet Te: McCormick Steamship Co. are used. The nature of their con- struction is shown in the accom- panying illustrations. The trucks used are of the high lift truck type, with the platform partly cut away and forks attached. Cargo is received from trucks directly on to the pal- lets. AS seen in one of the illustra- tions, the empty pallets are piled approximately as high as the floor of the truck to facilitate the handling of the cargo from _ truck. This method appeals greatly to truckmen because their loads are unloaded quicker and with less fatigue than when the packages are placed on the floor of the terminal. The truck- man estimated they would save a half hour in unloading the truck and trailer. Lifting and Moving Loaded Pallet When a pallet is loaded the fork on the electric truck is run under the pallet which is lifted clear of the remaining pallets and taken to place of rest in the shed. One decided ad- vantage of this method of receiving cargo is that a truck can unload or load at any place in the terminal and not necessarily at the particular place where the truck load is to be deposited. This reduces congestion and delay and has a good influence from the standpoint of holding and increasing traffic over the line. Box cars can be unloaded by plac- ing of the pallets in the car after the doorways are clear as the trucks have a short turning radius so they may enter cars without difficulty. When the steamer starts to load, the truck picks up the pallets and places them on a_ platform sling which is on a fifth wheel type trailer. The usual trailer train consists of three trailers which are hauled to ship side by a gasoline tractor. The wide apron on the McCormick ter- minal gives plenty of room for the tractor trailer train to maneuver. The sling is attached to the platform sling and the slingload hoisted into the ship. The empty pallets are placed on empty trailers until a load is accumulated when they are hauled into the shed to be used MUUTTULUETUTUTTLLEUV HUTT TE TUG TEETH is Cargo stored on pallets. Electric truck picks up loaded pallets and places on truck or trailer for hauling to shipside. ee cd Bid od : . ood ae i ; ee 3 AUUUNUUIUUU TCU VEYA OT TTL EH again. The same is done with the empty platform slings. Bulky freight, barrels and many other kinds of general cargo are handled on the pallets. Sacks of alfalfa meal and other cargo are tiered on pallets but flour is piled on the floor of the shed be- cause the flour receivers object to rehandling the pallets. The pallet method of cargo handl- DETTE LL LIUA LEME CULT LLO CUAL Electric trucks quickly take empty pallets and _ plat- form slings back to the shed for re- loading. UTUVTHLELUOATULUALUUCLALEULOGLLCLOARCULAULE MARINE REview—September, 1931 ing reduced stevedore costs, and also reduces damage in addition to the traffic advantages mentioned. A special type skid has been de- veloped for handling rolls of news- print paper. The skid is fitted with two cradles which tilt so that the rolls may be placed in the scoop at the lower end of the cradle and then pulled back on to the skid so that the rolls are horizontal. Another interesting development at the McCormick terminal is a rope sling with a special pulley attach- ‘' ment which reduces the wear on the rope sling to a very large degree. It is estimated that $400 per sling per year is saved. A visitor at the McCormick termi- nal at Los Angeles is much impres- sed by the cleanliness of the termi- nal and the general neat appearance of everything. The cargo is well piled, the gear room is in order and not cluttered with junk and an array of every kind of gear under the sun. This condition on the McCor- mick terminal is due to the terminal agent, M. A. Richley and Capt. John Echlund, the chief stevedore, who have co-operated successfully in terminal housekeeping. It is found that good terminal housekeeping is not only good to look at but it saves money in avoidance of waste and reduction of accidents. Discarding equipment which is eco- nomically obsolete and replacing it with the best is true economy. Ship designers need to give con- sideration to the effect that hori- zontal brackets, longitudinal string- ers, and other places where dirt can collect, because holds frequently have to be washed out and swept down and places where dirt can col- lect increases cost and causes delay in this work. A barge line on San Francisco bay uses the screw type conveyor to load and unload sacked sugar. 43