In early summer, the salty sea breeze blows into the docks on the east coast.
America in the early twenties was in the middle of the Roaring Twenties.
As a country with a sparse population and having to rely on immigrants, the metropolitan New York is very lively.
Right now at the port pier.
There are passenger ships here full of people from all over the world, but most of them are cargo ships.
Cargo ships transport cheap raw materials from all over the world to this dock in New York, using this city as a transit point for shipment to various cities in the United States.
Then each city will sell various types of processed high value-added commodities, such as clothes, cars, etc., to the world.
Thanks to the isolationism that followed the First World War.
The city of New York ushered in the golden period of economic development earlier than Europe.
In the huge warehouse next to the dock, a dozen large animals were busy loading and unloading bags of wheat under the scorching sun.
Their mission was within three days.
Forty thousand bags of wheat, totaling four thousand tons, were loaded into the cargo ship.
The shipping fee for a bag of wheat is 5 cents, and 40,000 bags of wheat can be paid for 2,000 U.S. dollars. The average income per person can be 100 U.S. dollars.
It sounds easy, but the money is not easy to make.
A bag of wheat weighs one hundred kilograms, and it takes more than one hundred meters to get from the warehouse to the dock.
If you only take one bag at a time, you have to go back and forth at least seven to eight hundred times a day.
Even if you worked twenty-four hours a day, it would be impossible to accomplish this task.
So the longshoremen would find a thick board, place the sacks of wheat on top, and carry them on their shoulders.
Not counting planks, at least 800 kilograms of wheat must be transported at a time.
Because of this, this work has almost stringent requirements on the strength and physical fitness of workers.
Anyone who can find a job at the docks?
Generally, they are giant animals such as elephants and rhinos, which are not the best among large animals.
For example, among these dozen animals, there are five elephants, eight rhinos, and a strong North American buffalo.
But the most surprising thing is that there is actually a polar bear here that is supposed to live in the cold polar regions!
His name is Bell, and he has beautiful hair.
Not yellow-white, but a cold white like snowflakes.
Apart from the different coat color, Bell is very tall.
The average height of a polar bear is two meters four, and some particularly outstanding individuals can reach a height of three meters. Bell's height reached an astonishing five meters four, and his weight was more than three tons!
The hairy palms are enough to cover the chest of an adult male.
In the group of dock workers.
Even the African elephant, the king of land, is one height shorter than Bell, the polar bear.
Bell is a white monster with endless power.
Even African elephants can transport up to two and a half tons of wheat at a time.
But Bell could carry three tons of wheat on his shoulders and walk like flying.
So there's been a rumor going around the docks.
If this was the age of cold weapons, damn humans wouldn’t have such terrible weapons as guns.
The cold white behemoth will definitely become the king of New York!
It's a pity that there is no if in this world.
Humanity not only has copper bullets, but also high explosives, and even tanks, the real kings of land warfare!
So Bell will not become the king of this city. He can only work as the hardest porter at the dock, earning a salary that is cheaper than that of black people.
As for humans?
Not far from the port, there is a house similar to a highway toll booth.
He has light blond hair, gray-blue pupils, a standard aquiline nose, and is wearing a white-brown suit and a blue tie around his neck.
His name is Brown, a standard white American.
Today is his second day working here, with a weekly salary of three hundred and eighty dollars.
The content of the work is to sit in a chair, smoke a cigarette, drink a few cups of coffee, and briefly record the workload of these dock workers.
But Brown never records; he asks the animals to record themselves.
Favorite thing to do every day.
Just looking at these behemoths, he clumsily held a slender and smooth pen to record in his notebook how many bags of food he carried on his back.
Whenever this happens, Brown will laugh, light a cigarette for himself, and say arrogantly:
"A bunch of stinky beasts from out of town are coming to New York to beg for food."
Brown likes these big guys to be angry but look helpless.
As usual, I was sweating profusely and writing twelve in my notebook while looking at a three-ton rhino.
Obviously you only need to write +12, but Brown insisted on asking the other party to write standard English spelling.
And after the other party finished writing, he would mockingly scold him:
"You brainless idiot, my neighbor's three-year-old kid can write better than you."
This upset Ernie the Rhino, who was a strong rhino.
But thinking of the children at home, the burden of life forced him to bow to this weak human being.
For Brown's behavior?
At some point, Tom appeared beside him and frowned. He warned the other party:
"Okay, just say a few words less."
Brown's eyes widened and his gray-blue pupils were shocked:
"No, my man, are you talking to these beasts?"
Tom shook his head. He took out a pack of cigarettes from his white shirt and threw one to Brown:
"I don't speak for anyone, but you have to understand that there are no cheaper workers in New York now. Even black people, they still need to pay three hundred dollars each for a week's work."
Brown got the job from Tom.
Of course, it wasn't that he drove away Tom. Brown didn't have such great ability.
The real reason is.
Tom worked very well, and the boss decided to give him a more important position.
He got the job because his sister was one of the boss's mistresses.
A warning for Tom, the old-timer?
Brown curled his lips disdainfully, looking disapproving:
"Didn't it mean that scientists invented a tool cart that can save labor?"
Tom thought for a moment and flicked the ashes of his cigarette:
"You mean...forklift?"
Brown nodded quickly and looked at the animals working hard not far away with an expression full of disgust:
"Yes, this is it. It uses mechanical power to drive these beasts away from the dock."
In the United States in the 1920s, newspapers were the main means of news circulation.
As for the TV?
Sorry, this high-tech technology will have to wait until next year, when it will be invented by a British electronics engineer.
Therefore, the newspaper industry in this era is very prosperous and is a well-deserved media giant.
In addition to celebrity tidbits, there are also politicians' ideas and various new inventions.
Tom learned about the invention of the forklift through newspapers.
To be precise, it should not be called a forklift, but a truck tractor.
A tool driven by wheels that can move goods from one place to another
Because it has two forks, it is also called a forklift.
Last year, Yale improved the bike with a hydraulic lift and larger forks.
Unlike Brown, an arrogant guy.
Tom was interested in technological developments, especially during the Roaring Twenties.
With the advancement of science and technology, all walks of life in society are booming.
Tom's vision for the future and his ambition to get rid of his status as a poor man made him eager for all valuable news.
Because of his own work, he is very concerned about the progress of these large machinery.
So when Brown naively stated that he wanted to use forklifts to replace the group of dock workers headed by animals?
Tom shook his head, flicked the cigarette ashes, and looked up at the huge freighter in front of him, his eyes flashing with longing that others couldn't understand:
“Forget it, the cheapest forklift costs $8,000.
Moreover, it is expensive and easy to break, so the boss will not pay for it.
Know that these animals are cheap and there is no need to insure them. "
Tom's words successfully made Brown laugh. He clapped his hands and praised loudly:
"Although I really want to say that he is a bastard raised by Bichi, I have to say that this Bichi did a good thing."
Tom shrugged. He patted Brown on the head and gave him an expression that all men understand:
"Okay, man, these animals are not without their benefits. For example, their women are cheap."
The United States also has a chain of contempt.
White people are the highest and black people are the lowest, but black people look down on animal people.
Brown smiled happily, thinking that Tom's statement was very interesting. The ewes in the Black Goat Tavern were indeed very tasty:
"Haha, man, I love that."
In this way, the two chatted for a few more words.
Tom patted Brown on the shoulder, took out an envelope from the men's handbag he carried with him, handed it over, and then pointed at the animals not far away:
"I have something to do here, so I'll leave first. This is their salary for this trip."
This made Brown's eyes light up, and he couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth, revealing a mouth of yellow caries:
"Thanks, my good friend Tom, I promise to hand over the money intact to these beasts."
Tom didn't say anything, just smiled and waved his hands.
And the moment he turned around?
The bright smile on his face instantly faded and was replaced by a look of disdain.
Although this position of warehouse manager does not make much money, it is better than being free enough.
Tom was originally intended to be left to his nephew, but Brown got it.
If Brown was honest enough, Tom would say nothing.
He is a smart man, at least he has to wait until the boss gets tired of playing with his sister.
Only then will I find a way to get rid of this guy.
But things are different now.
This idiot actually thinks that all animals should be submissive and hard-working in front of humans.
His thinking is too arrogant and too old-fashioned.
The white masters two or three hundred years ago thought so too, but what happened after that?
Can you believe that these damn black people actually have the right to vote!
Although most people don't like these animals, don't forget that these animals also have the right to vote.
Idiots like Brown can't see the times.
He will definitely be swallowed up by the times, and in the end not even the dregs will be left.
Besides that, it's normal to look down on animal people, after all, white people also look down on black people.
But don't forget this is the port of New York.
A busy place that needs to withstand an extremely high workload.
Can you withstand such high-intensity work?
Just these huge animal people.
Rhino, African elephant, North American bison, which animal is docile?
If these violent beasts go crazy, they can tear everything apart!
More importantly, unlike elephants and rhinos, which are relatively docile herbivores, here is a real carnivore——
The white bear "Bell Iorek"!
