Name/Title
PaperEntry/Object ID
R2022.38.02Scope and Content
Photocopied article (one page only, second page not included in donation) from "The Columbia Shipmate" titled In Recognition of Faithful Service by W. R. Larkin where Nicola "Nick" DiBenedetto was interviewed in honor of his 52 years of service for the Boat Docks of the C.L.&W. Railroad Company in 1949.
The article overviews the journey Nick took to come to Lorain from Italy and gain employment at the Boat Docks. He was born in 1879. "Nick recalled his first job was loading ore from storage for shipment. The ore was loaded from stockpiles into wheel-barrows, wheeled up a ramp and dumped into gondola-type cars, which were then used exclusively. The ore unloading facilities consisted of six steam operated machines, each having three buckets. The buckets were lowered into the boat one at a time, loaded by men down in the hold working with shovels. While the loaded bucket was being emptied into railroad cars, another bucket was being loaded. ... This type of machine was used at Lorain until the present Brown-hoist Rigs were constructed in 1911."
"Nick had a little smile on his face when he told about loading coal boats at night, using coal oil torches and candles for illumination, being buried with coal while down in the hold of a boat trimming coal. This was during the time when Whirley's were used to load coal. This operation involved loading buckets by hand that were placed alngside loaded cars of coal. These buckets were then hoisted and dumped into the boat."
Recalls WWI war time years and how that impacted his job, recalls impact of Spanish Flu amongst employees, Armistace Day, 1924 tornado and damage to the Ore Bridge,Acquisition
Accession
2022.38Source or Donor
Burke, Kathleen V.Acquisition Method
Donation