Women carry bags of charcoal on their heads near a refugee camp June 9, 2003 in Bunia, Democratic Republic of Congo. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Did you know Castries had been a trading port since the days of Governor de Laborie (1784-89) and shipping activities were levied since 1818?
However, it was not until July 1841 that the first steam ship docked at one of the timber-piled wharves. It belonged to the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company (RMSPC) and its arrival signaled the start of regular mail services to St. Lucia.
The real impact came in the early 1860′s when merchants recognised that Port Castries could do more than handle imports and exports. Port Castries could actually generate income from storing coal and selling it off to passing steam ships as fuel for their engines. In 1861-62, the harbour was improved, and on March 14, 1863, a vessel of the Compagnie Générale Transalantique was the first ship to be refueled in Port Castries.
Soon after, enormous piles of coal brought in from Britain and the United States dominated the skyline. The transfer of coal to and from the ships was conducted by women who carried baskets of coal on their heads weighing up to 110 pounds. They negotiated the narrow, steep gang planks, boarded the ship and dumped their load into the hold. For each one of these feats, they received one coaling token worth half a penny a day and one penny for the night shift.
The male scaffold riggers and loaders were paid for their time in tokens worth six pence or one shilling. Each coaling company (RMSPC, Peter Coaling Co., Barnard, Peter and Co. and Chastanet Coaling Co.) had its own tokens, which could be cashed at their offices. However, coaling rapidly became such an integrated feature of life that Castries shopkeepers regularly accepted tokens in lieu of money as well.
Source: A History of St. Lucia by Harmsen, Ellis & Devaux – 2012
This feature runs every Tuesday and Thursday. It is compiled by daughter of the soil Anselma Aimable, a former agricultural officer and former correspondent for Caribbean Net News, who has a deep interest in local culture and history. Send ideas and tips to doublea@candw.lc.