The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-08-22
COST OF a RECORD BREAKER.
The Enormous Expense of Running
the Great Ocean Greyhounds.
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must be from SO, 900 60 $50 900, the last
figure being often too small for such boat
as the Teutonic, the City of New YORK, or
the Columbia The former vessel turned
into smoke full s., 500 worth Of coal on her
last passage here, or about q, 200 each day.
If she had been going 20 Liverpool,
instead Of from that city, the
American coal that would have been
used up in getting the same amount Of
power would have cost about $40, GOA
Steamship men who have been discussing
last weeks ocean race claim that the leu
tonic must have burnt nearly $4,000 Of
Welsh coal anyhow, and are not inclined to
accept any lower estimate. The Columbia
on her record-beatinR journey across the
ocean, averaged 345 tons daily, or twenty
tons more than the Teutonic's officers say
she consumed, while the Inman officers al
NIT that the City Of New York burned $50
tons Of coal day in her last voyage.
The coal bill, OF course, is the biggest
item of expense in fitting out a crack
steamer for a trip across the Atlantic,
though the feed bill" as the pursers call
it, makes a good second. Every hour taken
off the record means q decrease in this i'm
portant item, too, for it is estimated that
four pounds of meat are consumed per min
ute on a voyage with an average summer
passenger list.
On some steamers the "feed biIln exceeds
the coal bill, but not on the greyhounds
that make the journey in six days or better.
All the boats ara proxisioned for a fifteen
days trip, SO that in the event of an acct
dent the bill of fare will not be sighted.
The steward makes his purchases after
scanning the passenger list the day before
sailing.
The slaughter houses along the Hudson
get the order for meat thirty-six hours be-
fore the vessel sails, and they go to work
at once killing the cattle. A full passenger
list would compel the steward to put into
the refrigerators about 5000 pounds of
fresh beef and half that amount of mutton.
500 pounds of corn beef, 900 fowls. $50
chickens, 50 turkeys, so brace grouse. ]. 500
pounds fish 1900 pounds ham, and 500 of
bacon. Besides these the are propor-
tlonal amounts Of other kinds of meats, SO
that nothing viii be missing from the table
that could be found on the menu of a first
class hotel on land.
The meat disposed Of, the ships steward
gives out his orders for the other neces-
saries. Ten tons Of potatoes go into big
bins that look like caverns, and truckloads
of other vegebe bles are dumped beside them.
Five or six hundred quarts of milk are sent
on board the morning Of sailing, together
with about 8, 900 eggs and go pounds Of
butter. For obvious reasons these are not
delivered until the last moment A single
trip uses up $50 pounds of tea also, double
that amount of coffee and !, 300 pounds of
sugars. Besides these staple articles of the
table there are dozens Of dainties sure to be
called for by eplcurean passengers and
which the steward cannot afford to be "jlist
out of"
There are four regular meals on ship
board every day, but the tables are always
supplied with fruits, nuts, ETC. These dis
appear 50 rapidly that the steward estimates
three oranges daily per passenger, two
and one-half apples, and two lemons. The
bread, biscuits aud pies are all made on
board the vessel, and several tons of floor
disappear on a voyage.
June or early July list of cabin passengers
will knock the necks off champagne bottles
faster than any hotels inmates. Those are
the months when wealthy folks go abroad.
IL half dozen good story tellers or mon of
the world are on board, too, the steward
never sails with less than 100 cases.
About 1000 bottles of ale and porter will
disappear on the same Journey, $500 of
mineral waters and 800 of other kinds of
drinks
A profit is made on the sale of these. how
ever, and it helps to lesson the net cost of
the stewards requisition on the company.
Nevertheless, on all first-class lines it stands
next to the coal bill in size. The cost of
manning the vessel comes next The big
'uns average 800 men. all told. Their paw
ranges from $500 or $500 month for the
captain to S15 for the helpers" Thirty
dollars might be a fair average That
would mean $1,000 for the 800 men per
month, and few vessels average more than
round trip each month the year through
These three items of coal, food and crew.
therefore; foot up over $4,000 for a swift
journey across the Atlantic and back In
addition 10 these, however, the cost of main
tanning docks on both sides of the ocean,
offices in all the principal cities, and making
repairs to the vessels eats up another
$4,000 during every voyage, and often
more than that
Where does the money come from?
That it does come in is evidenced by the
prosperity of nearly all the ocean lines
The Hamburg American Company paid u
per cent. on its $4,000, 900 capital last year,
and the White Star is said to have done as
well. The French line has always been a
great money Garner. The agent of
one line said the other day that a full
cabin list on the crack steamers paid
all the expenses. This means 400 or 500
passengers who average $50 apiece in fare
and money spent on shipboard. That would
be nearly $40,0 900 from the saloon cabin
alone. Some of the boats average $50
Storage passengers westward bound at $50
each. which would represent an additional
$4,000 income. Freights on the "grey-
hounds" seldom run over $1,000, because
passengers take up all the room.
Thea Uncle Sam and Queen Victoria
make up purse of 81 500 for carrying the
mails on each voyage. The totals would
then read: From cabin passengers sac, 900;
Storage, SIS, 600, freight $4,000; niails,
u, 500; total $50, 500. This would be for only
a single trip, too, from Liverpool to New
York, and If the vessel were equally full
going back the companies would De coming
money. But the figures given above represent
the highest that are obtained by any of the
lines, and they are often cut in two during
nine months of the year. AT other times
the passenger list is short and not more
than 300 names are on il They have to be
taken care of as we'll as IL double the num-
Der were on board, however, and it is this
that eats up the big profit made by all the
lines In the summer season. The loss of
such vessel as the Oregon, whicd was sunk
In New York harbor, cuts the stockholders
out OF dividend. too, and the accident to
the City of Paris, which took the Inman
record breaker into dry docks with her last
spring not to yield it up until the Teutonic
brushed of thirteen m nutes this week, has
lost the Inman people full half million.
DR.. Webb and Jay Gould.
From the Philadelphia Press.
The abrupt manner in which Vice Presie