, 1884-11-29
BIG HOTELS AFLOAT.
How Hundreds Of Citizens Live Luzu.
riously on the Ocean Steamers.
Tho Amount of Food Required 10
Feed the Passengers and Crew
Bed-CIofhes, and Table,
Linen-Croekery.

suddenly reappear in the flesh he would
probably evince some nstonishment at the
several improvements made In the world
since no went out OF it. But nothing, per
haps, would surprise the good old man more
than tho fact that the hundreds of people
that be might see, magnihed two fold, in the
big reception-room at the barge office had
all been brought across the ocean in one ves-
sci. Indeed, 1t is almost beyond the belief
Of the minds of to-day that more than 500
persons could DO comfortably and safely
transported in one ship a distance OF 5000
miles In a week. but such Is a reality, and a
c~onflrmatory idea Of the magnitude Of the
undertaking may be obtained from the fact
that the cost Of a round trip Of one OF these
monster transatlantic coursers range between
$40,O00 and $4,000. And the hundreds at
the barge Office are more than duplicated by
the steerage passengers at Castle garden.
The cost Of a voyage differs according 10
the speed OF the vessel" said a represents
tive Of one of the transatlantic lines, athe
faster vessels being more expensive than
the slower ones. The explanation is in the
consumption OF coal. The faster steamers
use from 125 TO 100 tons OF coal per day,
while the slower steamers use only 90 or 20
tons per day. The distance to Southampton
is about y, 100 miles, and our faster steamers
make the trip across in from seven to eight
days, and the slower steamers make it in
the neighborhood OF ten days.n
How many in a crew do your largest yes
sells carryfr
About leo mon, including officers. The
salaries Of captains are never less than 81, 800
a year, and sometimes reach 81, 1000, accord
ing to their percentage on gross earnings.
The wages Of the seamen and petty officers
average S1.O0 per day each, and the daily
cost OF feeding the crew and officers Is aver
aged at 80 cents per capita"
How much does each person on a voyage
eat In the dayF"
"oh, l could hardly tell that, but we cal
culate on allowing a pound and a half OF
meat for each person"
"Can you give fresh meats and vegetables
on every day of the voyage" was asked the
chief steward Of a large boat
20, yea was the reply. "On our big trips
we ship about 1900 pounds of fresh meat,
and we serve It daily, not only to the first
and second cabin Passengers, but to the steer
age and the crew. Should we meet with any
accident causing delay we could give the
first and sscond-cabin passengers fresh meats
and all the luxuries Of tho season for several
weeks by putting the crew and steerags pas
sengers on regular sea fare Of salt meats. We
have three ice cellars-one for fresh fish, one
for poultry, and one for meats and In these
everything is preserved"
How much ice is required for n v~oyageip
"TLe amount varies, according to the
season, from ten TO twenty tons"
How about fresh eggs; do you have hens
on boardfp
"Ha, hA, hA- Oh, no, n3t exactly. We
get hesh eggs at tho beginning of each trip,
and they are kept fresh by q patent prepara-
ton Of lime and some otherSpreserving mat
ter.p
"Buttsr-how much butter is consumed on
a voyager
between 1900 and 1.40o pounds. We use
from 1900 to 5000 cigars. Wines and beers
are not 50 largely consumed, because we keep
the price high in order to keep down intoxi-
cation
On n wen-regulAted steamer, 1t wns
learned, the bedclothes, towels, table linens.
and coverings for all the furniture are
changed every day. On a vessel Of 5000
tons 1000 naptins are used on every trip In
the nrst cabin, and about 1000 napkin are
used In the second cabin, while the sheets
number about 1000 and the towels 8. 900.
Different colnrs are used on the upholstery
and furniture every day. because OF the re-
lief a change OF roene affords TO persons who
become seasick, and also owing to the adj
ditional freshness Of the atmosphere Of the
cabins thus obtained The steamer;is newly
painted on the outside from stem to stern
every voyage, and to do this work, together
with the repairing and cleaning Of uphols.
tery, from 2 o TO 400 men are employed. The
washing Is all done at the end Of each vow
age.
How much crockery do you use in a
dayf" was asked Of the steward.
@Soinsmhere In the neighborhood Of 1000
pieces I'm the FIRST and second cabins, separ-
ately, and about 1000 pieces of glassware.
The silver OF the first c~abin-about 1000
pisces-is valued at $40, 900, and the same
quantity In the second cabin Is worth just
half that sum OF course, you know. nj
though everything is just as servieeable and
clean in the second cabin, nothing Is as elo-
giant.
Although the principal revenue ON the big
ocean tsamers is from Passengers, they ali
carry tons and tons OF merchandise, which il
generally OF a raw nature. Nearly every
transatlantic steamer obtains its wines.
canned goods and delicacies abroad,
but Of the breadstuffs and much OF the
smoked meats that they obtain on the other
side It frequently occurs that the steamer has
carried it from New York as merchandise
freight The captains say they can carry
such articles 70 the markets abroad and buy
them there as cheaply as at the home mar
kst
To load n vessel requires the greatest skin.
too; and this is another of the big expenses
that are included in the enormous cost of an
ocean voyage. And sometimes on a rush. a
cargo Of 1000 tons of merchandise has been
loaded on board n steamer within twenty
four hours A feature Of the transatlantic
freight trade is that the cargoes exported
largely exceed those imported in bulk, and
that the cargoes imported are of much more
value than those exported. Everything Is
run on military, or rather naval, discipline.
and not a profane word is ever permitted
either from officer or sailor.