The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-08-30
S25,OOO FOR EVERY TRIP.
COST OF RUNNING A TWINS CREW
ACROSS THE ATLANTIC.

The ReceIpts Are Considerably Greater,
and the Great ships Undoubtedly Pay
Details That win Astonish the Fishes
and Humanity.
What does II cost to run palatial twill
screw racer across the Atlantic! That Is
the question which the sun, for the enlight-
ment Of many inquiring readers, recently
put to the New York agents OF several big
steamship companies. The questioner was
about to file the query away with lot oil
other unsolved riddles Of the sea, when he
strolled into the Office Of the Hamburg
American line. There he obtained the IN.
formation which had been withheld
At every other office. Agent T.. l..
Boas disspated, as well rs he was able. the
mystery that had enshrouded tne niue
problem. A midsummer trip OIL the mag
nifcent Normannia was the theme Oh MS
calculation. The Normannia IS not quite
as big as the twin-screw boats Of the White
! Star and Inman lines, but her expense ac-
count owing to the greater length OF her
| VOYAGE, is lust as formidable. The cost OF
running her from dock in the Teut0nic town
| of HobOkcn to her dock in the town OF liam
burg. no less Teutonic perhaps, is about the
same as the cost Of running the cry OF
| Paris from New York 10 Liverpool.
! When the Normannia starts on an east
ward voyage she carries nearly 5,0O tons Oh
coal in her protected bunkers. some oil TINS
| is American and some foreign soft coal,
and il costs about $3.50 a ton. The sOOty
stokers daily shovel into her roaring red
furnaces between 80 and 800 tons. The eX-
penditures for coal runs just short OF Sl,OOO
| a day, or nearly =, coo for the voyage. Inc
cost of the gallons and gallons OF oil USED 10
keep her pondcrOus triple-expansIon en-
zines. her dvnamOs, her numerous smaller
engines, her pumps, and so ON, running
smoothly, combined with the coal Dill j
quite $500.
The salaries of the big ships company
are not an unmpOrtant factor in the eX-
pense account. Among the three hundred
persons who look after the working OIL inc
racer and the comfort Of her passengers are
besides cOOl-headed Captain llebich, eight
officers. one surgeon, twenty-five engineers
and machinists, two pursers, nVe Doats-
| Wains, twenty-eight seamen, ia hiclleh'
siXty-fiye walters and mattresses, twenty
two cooks, bakers, and assistants, Two car
penters. one barber, and fourteen skilled
musicians. The total wages of these ior a
trip of eight days is about $1,000, not count
ing perquisites.
III IL. e
II varies between $1,000 aud $1,000 year,
and depends somewhat on the earnings oil
the shin. of which he receives small per
centage. This is the way the shippers ~ All
the colossal racing craft are paid. ana IL Is
| not likely that any Of them are going 10
cease racing. or to be censured for IL, rs
long as a fast trip means money III thelr
pockets and in the Golfers of their company
Every hour the captain OF the CITY Oi New
York saves means a saving IN coal alOnc oi
$50.
Next in importance to the Captain OF an
ocean speeder is the chief engineer lie l.
not as frequently visible 10 the cabin pas
sengers a. his gOd-laced SUPERIOR ana
nobody makes much fuss over him, Dut ne
is. in the opinion of his employers, very
big man indeed. lie il the man who makes
the great ship ''git up and git lie SUD
mits daily reports Of how things are goinH
on down below to the Captain. lie teil'
how many tons of coal he is using
how much indicated horse power ne
obtains. and the number OF refO
buttons the ships prOpelers make q
minute. If he doesn't get as mucl
speed out of the clanking twin giants as the
CAPTAIN thinks he ought to, the captain
pats him on the back and tells MN u
whoop her up, like a good fellow. III l.
: essential to the Captains interest that ne
: should be friendly with the boss of the mlgh'
ty machines. For his great work the chiel
engineer receives $3.50 month ana hlr
board. which is equal to that Of the caDin
passengers. The chief officer receives 80 !
month, which is more than the captains OIL
many steamships of the second class get
The food and drink consumed by passen-
gers and crew during a recent trip OF the
Normanuia cost about $4,000. This Is the
cOmplete list Ofthe things that were necesst-
nv 10 make life aboard the luxurious floating
hotel something like dream: Two th0u-
sand five hundred bottles Of red wine, 2,OV
Lbottles of Rhine wine, 1000 bottles OF
champagne, 200 bottles Of .c0rdlal7, lJ'oVl
bottles of beer 50 kegs of beer, 400 bottles
Of ale and porter, 800 bottles OF mineral
wa.er. 1900 gallons of drinking water, 90
OOO pounds of potatoes, 5000 pounds oil
beans, peas. and so on, 2,JVo cans 81
fruit. 1900 pounds of iellies, tarts and
biscuits. f0rty-fye baskets OF vegetables,
1000 pounds of butter, LOO pounds oil
cheese, 10000 eggs. 5000 pounds Qi sugar
800 pounds of coffee. 900 pounds OF tea
80 pounds of chocolate, $50 gallons OF mix
10000 apples, 200 oranges, l,VD lemons
400 glasses of preserved fruits, l2O barrels
Of flour, % gallons OF Ice cream, l',VN
pounds Of beef. 1900 pounds Of mutton
800 pounds of ham, smoked beef, and DO
loenas. 900 pounds Of veal, 700 pounds OF
bacon, 600 pounds Of pork, 600 pounds ol
game. 800 pounds of canned meat, -.
pounds Of lamb, thirty barrels of preserved
meat. twenty barrels OF salt pork, lO,Of
pounds Of fish, 40 chickens, $50 ducks,
sixty turkeys, sixty partridges, ana MI!
geese. .
From the foregoing facts and figures II
NAV be said that one trip Of the NOrmanhla
costs the Hamburg American line not less
than 81. 900. TO Offset this expenditure,
which does not include the cost OF insur-
ance. the NOrmannia must carry many pas
sengers and some freight. The number ol
her passengers varies, Of course, according
10 the season. She carries IN md
summer sometimes nearly 800 first and
second cabin and about 300 steerage
VOvagers. The average price OF nrsi-
cabin passage is about SllO and that oil "a
second cabin about $50. The average price
of steerage accommodations is 3d. The re-
cepts from all classes Of passengers on
good midsummer trip are over S5O,OOO. | SUI
ally the NOrmannia carries $40 tons oi
freight. which, at the transportation rate Oh
about so a ton, amounts to 5000. Inc
cost of loading and unloading this freight
is borne by the company. In the duh sea-
son the big twin-screw ships do not make
much. but their receipts throughout the
wear are large enough TO warrant the decla-
ration that they are great successes imam
cially, and that they are the passenger
| chins If tho future New York sun.