The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1886-06-22
HOTELS AFLOAT.
How Travellers Live on Ocean
Steamers.
The Cost of Running Transatlantic Steam
shIps-The Quantities of Food Con-
sumed-I5overnment and Dis
cipIine of the Crews.
IN. Z. Herald

IN. Z. Herald
Should the revered George Washington .
suddenly reappear in the flesh he would /
probably evince some astonishment at the /
several improvements made in the world, /
wisely remarked a reporter. But nothing,
perhaps, would surprise the good old man
more than the fact that the hundreds Of +
people that he might see, magnifed two
fold, in the big reception room at the barge
Office had all been brought across the ocean
in one vessel. Indeed, it is almost be-
yond the belief of the minds Of to-day
that more than half thousand persons
could be comfortably and safely trans
ported in one ship distance Of three thou
sand miles in a week; but such is reality,
and cOnfirmatory 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 trans Atlantic courserS
ranges between $4,000 and $4,000 And
the hundreds at the barge office are more
than duplicated by the Storage passengers
at Castle Garden.
ssThe cost of a voyage differs according
20 the speed of the vessel,'' said 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 "One 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 20
TO 100 tons of coal per day, while the slower
steamers use only about 90 or 20 tons per
day. The distance to Southampton Is about
300 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"
Show many in crew do your largest
vessels carry?"
"About 100 men, including officers. The
salaries of Captains are never less than
81 800 a year, and sometimes reach S4,OOO,
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"
HHow much does each person on voy-
age eat in the day."
ooh, I could hardly tell that, but we
calculate on allowing pound and half
of meat for each person"
"Can you give fresh meats and vegeta-
bles on every day of the voyage" was
asked the chief steward of large boat.
80, yes" was the reply. "On our big
trips we ship about fourteen thousand
daily, not only to the first and second-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 Storage
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"
"How much ice is required for voy-
age?"
"Ths amount varies, according to the
season, from ten to twenty TONS"
How about fresh eggs; do you have
hens on board?"
"Ha, 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. WeUse from two to three
thousand cigars. Wines and beers are not
so largely consumed, because we keep the
price high in order to keep down intoxica-
ton"
On weII-regulated steamer, it wal
learned, the bedclothes, towels, table linens
and coverings for all the furniture are
changed every day. On a vessel of five
thousand tons two thousand napkins are
used on every trip in the first cabin and
about one thousand napkins used in the
second cabin, while the sheets number
about two thousand and the towels three
thousand. Different cOlOrs are used on thu
upholstery and furniture every day, be
49,
to persons who become seasick, and alsC
owing to the additional freshness of thu
atmosphere thus obtained. The steamer il
newly painted on the outside from stem t,
stern every voyage, and to do this work
together with the repairing and cleaning o
upholstery, from two hundred to four hun
bred men are employed. The washing i
all done at the end of each voyage.
'sHow much crockery do you use in
dayg" was asked of the steward.
Somewhere in the neighborhood of fou
thousand pieces in the first and secon
cabins, separately, and about two thOusan
pieces of glassware. The silver of the frs
cabin-about one thousand pieces-is value
at $4,000, and the same quantity in the sec
ond cabin is worth just half that sum-
course, you know, although everything
Just as serviceable and clean in the secon
cabin, nothing is as elegant"
Although the principal revenue on tn
big ocean steamers is from passengers, the
all carry tons and tons of merchandise
which is generally of a raw nature. Nearl
every transatlantic steamer obtains Il
wines, canned goods and delicacies abroad
but of the breadstuffs and much of tt
smoked meats that they obtain on the oth'
side it frequently occurs that the steam'
has carried it from New York as merchaI
disc freight. The Captains say they ca
carry such articles to the market abroa
and buy them there as cheap as at the hon
market.
To load a vessel requires the create
skill, too; and this is another of the b
expenses that are included in the enormo1
cost of an ocean voyage. And, sometime
on a rush, a cargo of two thousand tons
merchandise has been loaded on a steam
within twenty -four hours. feature
the transatlantic freight trade is that Il
cargoes exported largely exceed those III
ported in bulk, and that the cargoes IN
ported are of much more value than tho
exported. Everything is run on mllitar
NOT mr.