Coal dust adhered to the perspiration-drenched skin and clothing of men shoveling soft coal in the radiant heat of a hot boiler firebox.

The black gang are the members of a ship's crew who work in the fire room/engine room;[1] they are also called stokers or firemen.[2] They are called "black" because of the soot and coal dust that is thick in the air in the fire room/engine room. The term began being used in the days of coal-fired steamships. The term is commonly used in the United States Coast Guard and United States Navy to describe personnel in "M" and "B" divisions.

References

  1. ↑ Santos, Michael (2002). Caught in Irons: North Atlantic Fishermen in the Last Days of Sail. Rosemont Publishing & Printing Company. p. 64. ISBN 1-57591-053-5.
  2. ↑ "Titanic's unsinkable stoker". BBC. Northern Ireland. March 30, 2012.


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