Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-11-04
work Is terribly hard all the same. II comes

work is terribly hard all the same. II comes
hardest, OF course, on those who don't fol-
low Il regularly. They are the fellows who
get played.out so badly. heard once OF q
young English doctor who came over here
on visit. He got out OF money, and was
that proud that he wouldn't send bone for
some. SO he worked his way back as a
stoker and got q sickness that he could
never get rid OF. But II we get plenty to
eat and take care OF ourselves we are all
right. Here's mate Of mine nearly seventy
years old who has been a stoker all his lie
and can do a. good work as can. Stokers
never have the consumption, and rarely
catch cold.'
"WLy do you appear more healthy than
the other men bere?" asked the reporter.
"Well. have been on land now about
two weeks, and these men Just came of the
hip. You sac, when We finish our watch
at the furnaces. we are Just covered with
sweat. dirt, and oil, aud we have TO wash
the stuff Off with warm water. Washing
so much with warm water gives rs that
s,reaked out look that makes people think
we are being killed with consumption. But
after we have been on land three or four
days that look disappears and the men
look natural again. We get more
ventilation than the old.timers used
TO get, but we don't have any too
much. | tell you when | used 10 go
down into' the tropics I wanted TO keep
under the air.pipe all could. Now go to
England and back, and have four furnaces
to tend. -Four hours II Just about as much
as we can stand before the fires. IL uses
some Of the men up so badly that when the
watch is over they can just crawl TO the
forecaste and throw themselves on their
hunks without washing bit. But Others
OF us don't mind II so much. We heat our
water, take wash, and then have pipe or
two before turning in."
Nv bat do you eat aud drink 2"
"N e have hash, all the oatmeal we want,
coffee, ard other good things"
How about the grogi"
"Well, the fact IS that The grog was
knocked of about eight years ago on the
English and American lines. The truth Is
the men got drunk too much, aud grOg did
them much harm. When used to take
my grog I'd work Just like lion while the
effects lasted. I'd throw in coal like
giant and not mind the heat bit; but
when it worked of, as it did in a very few
minutes, was that weak that q
child could upset me. Take man
drunk before the fires and the
beat would sober him Off In half an hour
or give him stroke OF apopleXy. The
French lines still give their men grog. |
have seen big tanks on their ships filled
with brandy, rum, and wine-all for the
>tokers. The French are great fellows for
that. Their men look strong, but | think
il must hurt them. We get grog occa-
sionaly now when we are having a race.
and then we 'plav it, | remember one
race We had about yesr ago with Do
minion mal.steamer. She got ahead, and
our captain was mighty anxious to beat
her. So he sent down grog to W. and told
US to fire up like mad. Wen, we did until
we learned tha. we were ahead. Then we
took q rest. Down comes the captain with
another lot OF grog. Fire her up, boys,
yells he, and we did fire her up Ike lions,
until We were ahead again. We kept that
up for three DAYS and got all the grog We
wanted. Bu, finally we let her beat Us, rs
the crog played Us ont too much. But we
don't often have such fun as that" the
.tokor added, Is he strOlled aboard >hip.