Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1888-06-14
GSoaEl1s or. SALT wAri.,s.
The GI!IRs Sreeters t5sat Fit Around the
Iires If Oeenn stamInslains.

GsoaII1s or SALT wATUts.
The Gs.my speeicrs ts,as Fit Around Tia
Fires Il Ocean steamships.
4 summer day Il seat The smooth
water tlickering with gray ghl~ aud
green shadows; the sky I Ike ceiling
OF gobelln tapestry under a creamy
lacework of cloud; the big steamship
leaving $50 miles day behind it rs it
skins lightly onward; lovely woman on
deck, bewitchingly pale, in gay Tam
OShanter; men incidental to her vi
entity and to sherry cobbers; the
prize baby of the voyage on the cap
tains shoulder; the "old traveller for
ward over his pipe, and the English
tourist in the smOking-room at paper
and brandy and water every body MS
gay and lively aud comfortable in the
sunshine and crisp, salt air as if the
ship managed itself and st0rm-sickness
and shipwreck were the CHASTITY fanta-
sizes Of dream. A charming and an
mated scene is the promenade deck on
such day.
Even the Storage passengers look
clean and clipper down on the main
deck among the cordage, the grease,
the smells, and the sailor men. They
hang over the rail or forget their
inconsistencies in Il dance forward to
the music of the irrepressble accord
con. There is bit of hustle amid
ships, but few of the poor creatures
notice the two grimy fellows who are
dragging the limp form of q sooty
companion to the bulwarks out of the
engine-room door. It's only coal
passer who has tainted in the fire
room. With nothing on but shirt,
shoes, and trousers, the poor devil
couldn't work at temperature Of 100
degrees, and after dousing him with
salt water to cool him of, they dose
him with brandy to brace him up. He
comes around after awhile and stag
gers off to his bunk. He'll probably
60 on duty again that night Aud next
day the old traveller will win the pool
on the days run and everybody will be
glad to know that 120 tons of coal
were burned and it's goingto be fast
trip.
Down in the bowels of the BIG ship,
where 1000 horsepower boilers insa-
tiably clamor for their food of fire, ex-
list race of men to whom sea voy-
age is a horror unspcakable. Tfcy
are the coal-passers and the tiremen,
as necessary, obscure, suffering, ana
patient as the mules la coal mine,
whom they considerably resemble.
Their number varies with the tonnage
of the ship and tc size If the boilers.
They get their food and lodgings and
from SIS to $50 a month, and last
about three years; for the lirc-room is
as hungry of life as the boilers are of
tons of coal. Their lot is a necessary
evil. Nothing has yet been devised to
make the fire-room of an ocean steam
er habitable for considerable length
of time, and the coal-passers live and
suffer and die rs they always have
done.
They are treated, too, with the ut
most consideration. They are divided
into two gangs and are on two watch
es of four hours each and off two of
eight hours each. But eight hours
day in hot air furnace that shrivGis
the skin and scorches tile lungs. ANA
blasts the sight, is harder days labor
than the worst KIND Of manual work
elsewhere. 1t is nothing uncommon
for one Of them 10 be carried oul faint
ing. Nor uncommon for them to re-
store their exhausted frame it'll BRAN
dy. Indeed, spirits arc meat and
drink to the coal-passcrs. Per APPS
they burn up the more quickly by their
use. But tHcy manage to keep going
during the wasting fire
A steams ip Of 5000 tons burden
has q chief engineer, three assistant
engineers, nine fircmen. and six coal
passers as the staff Of its iirc-ro0m.
Such a ship VIII burn from forty five
to fifty tons Of coal dny. IL the
smaller ships, particularly lio frc ght
boats, the temperature Of the iire-room
is apt to BE- lower than iii those Of
larger SIZE say about 80 dogs. Mach,
too, depends upon the atiuIc and Iii
recton Of The ship But under the
best circumstances the life exhaust
ing, and under the wors, il is terrible.