With utility poles of 11 crossarms and ten wires on each this NOLA (and the recent prior) waterfront scene must be a near-record for that sort of thing on Shorpy. If that's the old Jax Brewery in the background far left, then this isn't too far from where one of the tourist riverboats was docking in Aug 1985. After our group had eaten in one of the Jax establishments we arrived back at the nearby parking lot just it time to get blasted by its whistle/siren. Short of jet engines at airshows it was about the loudest sound I've encountered.

It wouldnt be much fun painting the funnel with soot from the boilers raining down all over you.

Proteus was lost in a collision off Cape Hatteras during WW1

I sure hope this is a picture of the Proteus unloading because sending those barrels and crates down that 45 degree ramp could be fun.
Pushing those crates and barrels up such a steep ramp, not so much.
I do see one rope set up for hoisting objects and people inside the ship for guiding it in the hatch. But mostly I see people pushing.
No cranes to load this thing at all.

I'm guessing those crated Singer Sewing Machines on the right were topheavy, considering nearly all of them are stacked upside-down.