PURPOSE: To allow coke to fall continuously, to eliminate the occurrence of bridging in a hopper, to reduce a thermal load, and to enable the reduction in the size of a hopper and the elimination of segregation by particle sizes of coke in a cooling tower, by controlling by stages the opening of te gate of the hopper.

CONSTITUTION: A coke bucket 3 loaded with coke is wound down to reach point A, where it comes into contact with a hopper 2 to open a gate 5, and the opening will be W1 at point b. Between point A and point B, the coke drops scatteringly into the hopper 2. With reduced speed of rotation of a motor, the bucket 3 continues to be wound down at a low speed and at the same time, the opening of the gate 5 continues to be increased up to the opening W2 at point C. Between point C and point D, the opening is fixed to W2 for a prescribed period of time. At point D, the motor is restarted to rotate at a low speed, and the bucket 3 continues further to be wound down, with the opening of the gate being increased. The gate 5 is made to open to its full width at point E to discharge all teremaining coke, and is kept at full opening to point G to complete the charging of te coke into a cooling tower 1. The coke can fall continuously without being stopped in the hopper 2.