New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-10-17
LIFE IN THE FIRE-ROOM,
IN THE HOLD OF AN OCEAN STEAMER.

IN THE HOLD OF AN OCEAN STEAMER.
FOUR HOURS OF WORK AT THE FURNACE DOORS.
How long do stokers live r. asked TRIBUNE re-
porter of engineer of of the swiftest ocean
racers that ply between this country and England
AS long as anybody was the unexpected reply.
How do they like their work ~
al, they don't like their work they get out there
are plenty willing to take their places was The
answer But hard to persuade the average lands
man that the sokers lite is shortened by constant
exposure 20 the extremes OF temperature. Transit
lantic passengers who have bravcd the intense heat
of the furnaces aud visited the re-room wonder how
me can endure such life even for a voyage. The
-tokers work four hours at a stretch hemmed
between long lines OF furnaces that keep the tenn
pera:ure ordinarily at 100 degrees sometimes sending
il a. high as I6O The space between the furnaces
is 30 narrow that when the throw in coal they
must take care when tley swing back their shOves.
lest they should hurn their arms the furnaces
behind them. The only means Of ventilation Is one
large pipe that reaches dowo the OF the
stokers' Qulr.ers. and big steamer the have
20 take the in patches. On great steamer
ike the Umbrl the men come on in gangs of eighteen
stokers and twelve coal-passers. and the watch
lasts -four hours The Umbria has y furnaces which
require nearly $50 tons Of coal day. at cost Of
almost 800 OO) per voyage. One hundred and foIr
men are employed to man the furnaces and they have
enough to d.. They nclu IA she chiet en- qneer. his
three assistants and ninety stokers coA-passers
The stoker cones to work wearing only thin
undershirt II .ht trousers ID wooden shoes On the
Umbria each 5 0ker tends tour furnaces He first
rakes open the furnaces in the coal, and then
cleans the fire. that is prizes the Goals apart with
heavy iron bar in order that the fire may freely.
He rushes from furnace to another, sDen ling
perhaps three minutes at each Then he
dashes to the air pipe takes his turn at cooling of
and waits for another call to his furnaces. which
comes speedily When tn watch i over the men
shuttle OF dripping with sweat from head to foot
through long cold galleries to the oocaste. where they
turn in Tor eight hours. Four hours of scorchng
aud eight hours sleep make up the routine of
stokers lie a voyage.
CE At WITH \ sTOKER
The reporter ran across group OF sto.er| in West
st. and hai a chat with one Of thea wslt 10 sea
A. a coal-passer when was fourteen years old" he
said Then got to be stoker and AN now
twenty weight" The speaker was about six feet in
height and weighed - pounds more. His face
was ruddy with health. and his eyes beaned with good
nature His robust appearance was IN strong contrast
TO that of Of his mates VINO had just Ian Led fro
q VOYAGE a pale streaked-out lstlss looking set Of
How 90 We stand the work Well enough II We
the sane II comes hardes' OF course. 81 those
who don't follow n regularly. They are the fellows
who get PLAYED out 80 bally. heard once OF a youIg
Eng isn doctor who here visit He
got OF money aad that proud that he wouldn't
send home for some 30 he worked h. way back ~
a -toker and got a sickness that he could never get
rid Of But If get plenty to eat and take OF
ourselves We arr all right. Here's a mate OF nine
nearly seventy YEARS old who has been stoker ali his
life and can do a. good work as can. Stokers never
have the consumption and rarely catch cold"
Why do vou appear more healthy than the other
men here ~ asked the reporter.
Well. have been OIL land now aboIt two weeks
and these men just came of the ship. You see,
we finish orr watcn at the furnaces are just
covered with sweat DIRT aud oil. AMI we have 10 wash
the stuf OF with warm water Washing much with
warm water gives is that streaked-JIt look that
makes people think being killed with consump-
ton. But att have been on laId three or four
DAYS that look disappears and the men look nat ural
lgan. We get ventilation than the old-timers
used to get. but don't have anv too much tell
YOU when used to go down into the tropics wanted
TO keep under the ar-plpe all could Now 90 to
England aud back. and have four furnaces 70 tend
Four hours Is Just about "a much "a we can stand
before the tires. Ii some OF the up 80 badly
that when the watch Is over they can Just cra"l 10
the fOtecasIe and throw themselves on their DnnKs
without washing a bit. But others OF us don mud II
so much We heat waite" take wash, and then
have pipe two before turning IN
What do You eat and drink r
We have ha'h all the oatmeal we want coffee and
other good things
How about thu grogW
HWell. The tact is tnat the grOg was knocked on
about eight years ago the English and American
lines The truth the mrn got drunk too much. ana
rrOg did them much harm. When used 10 take my
croe I'd work Just ike lion while the effects lasted.
I'd throw IN coal like giant and not mind the heat
bit but when worked of. 1t did III a very few
| "a
Take a dead drunk before the fires and the neat
would sober hin of IN halt an hour or give him
stroke of apoplsxy The French lines still give their
men grog have big tanks on their ships titled
with brandy rum and vine. all for the stokers. The
French are great fellows tor that. Their men look
strong but think II must hurt them We get grOg
OCCASIONALLY now when having a race, and
then we play it | remember one race we had about
a year ago with Dominion mali steamer. She got
ahead and captain was mighty an1ious TO beat
her SO he down grOg To u, and told us to nre
I'D like mad. Well did until we learned that ~e
were ahead. Then took rest Down comes the
captain with another lot of grog Fire her up. boys.
wells he and did tire her up like lions. until we
| were ahead again. We kept that up for three DAYS
and got all tn, grOg we wanted But finally we let
her beat the grog played Us out too much BUT
| we don't often have such fun that the stoker