Grand Rapids morning telegram., 1885-01-06

How Travellers Live on Ocean
Steamers.
The Cost Of Raining rrkBs-Atlantie steam
ships-Tbe Quantities Of Food Con-
sunaed-ssoyernment and Dis-
eiplins Of the Crews.



suddenly Feappear Ia the flesh be would
probably evince some astoulshment az the
several improvements made IN the world,
wisely remarked reporter. But nothing,
perhaps, would surprise the good old man
more than the fact that the hundreds OF
people hat be might see, magnihed two
fold, iD the big reception room al the barge
Office had ali been brought across the ocean
ia one vessel. Indeed, it Is almost be-
ycnd the belief Of the minds OF to-day
that more shan half a thousand persons
could be comfortably and safely trans
ported in one ship distance OF three thou
sand miles in week; but such is a reality,
and a confirmatory idea of the magnitude
of the undertaking may be obtained from
tie fact that the cost of round trip of one
o. these monster trans Atlantic eoursers
ranges between $4,000 and $1,000. And
the hundreds at the barge Office are more
than duplicated by the steerage passengers
at Castle Garden.
''The cost OF voyage differs according
/ TO the speed of the vessel said a repre-
sentative of one OF the transatlantic lines,
1.-The faster vessels being more expensive
/ than the slower ones.'
''That seems rather illogical" replied the
reporter. zone would naturally imagine
that the shorter voyage would cost the less
! money"
''The explanation is in the consumption
/ of coal. The faster steamers use from 125
/ TO $50 tons OF coal per day, while the slower
steamers use only about 60 or 10 tons per
day. The distance to Southampton is about
| 3 100 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"
''How many in crew do your largest
vessels carry?'
about 100 men, including officers. The
salaries of Captains are never less than
! 81, 800 year, and sometimes reach $4,000,
according to their percentage on gross
earnings. The wages of the seamen and
petty officers average 81 per day each, and
the daily cost of feeding the crew and Off
GERS is averaged at 30 cents per capita"
. How much does each person on a voy
age eat in the day."
"Oh, could hardly tell that, but we
calculate on allowing pound and half
of meat for each person."
"Can you give fresh meats and vegcta-
bles on every day of the voyage:" was
asked the chief steward of large boat.
90, yes,' was the reply. "On our big
trips we ship about fourteen thousand
pounds of fresh meat, and we serve it
daily, not only to the first and second d-cab-
in passengers, but to the steerage and the
crew. Should we meet with any accident
causing delay we could give the first and
second cabin passengers fresh meats and
all the luxuries of the season for several
weeks by putting the crew and steera age
passengers 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 pre-
served"
8 How much ice is required for a voy-
age?v
"The amount varies, according TO the
season, from ten to twenty tons"
How about fresh eggs; do you have
hens on board;"
" Fla, ha, ha. Oh, no, not exactly. We
get fresh eggs at the beginning of each
trip, and they are kept fresh by a patent
preparation of lime and some other pre-
serving matter"
''Butter-how much butter is consumed
on "A voyage:"
Between twelve hundred and fourteen
hundred pounds. We use from tw to three
thousand cigars. Wines and bee are not
so largely consumed, because we keep the
price high in order to keep down iIaoxica-
ton"
On a well-resulated steamer, 1t wa:
learned, the bedclothes, towels, table linen.
and coverings for all the furniture ar,
changed every day. On a vessel of fiv,
thousand tons two thousand napkins ar,
used on every trip in the first cabin anC
about one thousand napkins are used in The
second cabin, while the sheets number
about two thousand and the towels thre,
thousand. Different colors ara used on tn,
upholstery and furniture every day, be
cause Of the relief a change OF sqepe afford
TO persons who become seaslck, and ais,
owing TO the additional freshness of th'
atmosphere thus obtained. The steamer il
newly painted on the outside from stem t,
stern every voyage, and 10 10 ehis work
together with the repairing and cleaning o
upholstery. from two hundred 10 four hun
dred men are employed. The washing i
all done at the end Of each voyage.
: "How much crockery DC you Use in
dow" was asked of the steward.
Somewhere in the neighborhood Of fou
thousand pieces in the first and secOu,
cabins, separately. and about two thousan'
pieces of glassware. The silver of the frs
cabin-ahout one thousand pieces-is values
at $4,000. and the same quantity IN the sec
ond cabin is worth just half that sum. q
course, Won know, although everything i
Just as serviceable and clean in the secon,
cabin, nothing Is as elegant"
Although the principal revenue on. tn
, big ocean steamers IL from passengers. the,
. ali carry tons and tons Of merchansiiss
which is generally of a raw nature. NearI
/, every transatlantic steamer obtains it
wines. canned goods and delicacies abroad
but of the bFeadstuTs and much of th
smoked meats that they obtain on the othe
side it frequently Occurs that tho steame
h,s -, rrs,f tf fr4s,f Nasu Work "a f,,.r-i. !, ,,