Willis walked down one of the city wharves. He was going to see his
father, Mr. Sutherland, who was one of the men employed by the State
Harbor Commissioners in repairing wharves. The piles that supported
the wharves often needed renewing, being eaten by teredos. Sometimes
the flooring of the wharves sagged and needed restoring to the
former level.

Willis liked to see the pile-driver with its big hammer. He marveled
at the air-pumps with which sagging wharves were raised. Perhaps
three air-pumps at a time would be stationed over as many "caps," as
the twelve-inch timbers under the wharf's flooring were called. The
pumps, being worked, would raise the caps and hold them until blocks
could be shoved underneath. Then the pumps were worked some more,
and other blocks put under, till the wharf was restored to the
required level. Great screws such as are used in raising buildings
were also employed under wharves sometimes. There were rocks under
some wharves, and water was under others. Whichever it was, Willis'
father often had to go under the wharves and climb around among the
caps and stringers and piles, repairing.

Seven or eight other men were employed like Mr. Sutherland. It was
mid-forenoon, but Willis saw that three or four of the men were not
working. They were idling around the engine of the pile-driver, and
were eating something that Willis found to be cooked crabs.

"Where's father?" asked Willis. "Under the wharf, working," answered
one man. "He thinks the State's looking after him every minute."