Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-08-30
$4,000 FOR EVERY TRIP.
The Cost OF Running o Twin. Screw
Racer Across the Atlantic.

-
Racer Across the Atlantic.
From the New York Sun
What does it cost to run palatial twin-screw
racer across the Atlantic2 That 10 the question
which the San, for the enlightenment Of many
inquirins readers, recently put to the New
York agents of several big steamship COM
| panies. The questioner was about to file the
| query away with q lot Of other unsolved rid
dies Of the sea, when he strolled into the Office
OF the HamburR-American line. There he
obtained the information which had been
withheld at every other Office Agent E l..
Boas dissipated. as we'll as he was able. the
mystery that had enshrouded the little prob
lem. midsummer trip of the magnificent
Normannia was the theme Of his calculation
The Normannia 10 not quite big as the
twin-screw boats Of the White Star and Inman
lines, but her expense account, owing to the
greater length of her voyage, is just as for
midable. The cost of running her from her
dock in the Teutonic town of Hoboken to her
dock in the town of Hamburg no less Teutonic,
perhaps, is about the same as the cost OF run
ming the City Of Paris from New York to Liver
pool.
When the Normannia starts on an eastward
voyage she carries nearly 5000 tons of coal in
her protected bunkers. Some of this is Ameri-
can and some foreign soft coal, aud it costs
about ESQ q ton. The sooty stokers daily
shovel into her roaring red furnaces between
$50 and 300 tons. The expenditure for coal runs
just short Of $1,000 day, or nearly $4,000 for
the voyage. The cost Of the gallons and
gallons OF oil used to keep her ponderous
trlple-expansion engines, her dynamos, her
numerous smaller engines, her pumps and
SO on. running smoothly, combined with the
coal bill, is quite $500.
The salaries of the big ships company are
not an unimportant factor in the expense ac-
count. Among the 800 persons who look after
the working of the racer and the comforts OF
her passengers are besides cool-headed Can't
Heblch, officers, l surgeon, IS engineers and
machlnists, pursers boatswains, 2S sesmen
ia hremen 65 walters and mattresses, % cooks
bakers and assistants, 2carpenters,1 barber and
IA skilled musicians. The total wages of these
for trip of eight days is about $4,000, not
counting perquisites.
Capt. Hebich receives the highest salary. II
varies between $1,000 and $4,000 a year and
depends somewhat on the earnings Of the ship.
OF which he receives a small percentage This
is the way the shippers of all the colossal rae
ing craft are paid, and it is not likely that any
OF them are going to cease racing, or to be
censured for it, as long as a fast trip means
money in their pockets and in the Golfers of
their company. Every hour the captain of the
City OF New York saves means a saving in coal
alone of ESQ.
Next in importance to the captain of an ocean
speeder is the chief engineer. He is not as fire.
quently visible to the cabin passengers as his
gold-laced superior and nobody makes much
fuss over him, but he is, in the opinion of his
employers, very big man indeed. He is the
man who makes the great ship 'git up and git. ;"
He submits daily reports of how things are CO.
ing on down below to the captain He tells how
many tons Of coal he is using how much indi-
Gated horse power he obtains, and the number
Of revolutions the ships propellers make q
minute. II he doesn't get much speed
out of the clanking twin giants as the
captain thinks he ought to- the captain pats
him on the back and tells him to whoop her up,
like good fellow. 1t is essential to the cap
talns interest that he should be friendly with
the boss Of the mighty machines. For his
great work the chief engineer receives Sl6O a
month and his board. which is equal to that of
tho cabin passengers. The chief officer re-
ceives $50 a month, which is more than the
captains of many steamships Of the second
class get.
The food and drink consumed by passengers
and crew during recent trip of the Norman
MIA cost about S16 900. This is the complete
list OF the things that were necessary to make
life aboard the luxurious floating hotel some
thing ing ike dream; $500 bottles Of red wine,
1000 bottles of Rhine wine, 1000 bottles of
champagne, 1000 bottles of cordials, $1,000
bottles of beer, 80 kegs of beer, 400 bottles o:
ale and porter, 2, 500 bottles OF mineral water
$1,000 gallons of drinking water, 10000
pounds Of potatoes, IL 900 pounds Of beans,
peas and so on, $500 cans of fruit, l,5OO
pounds OF jellies, tarts and biscuits, IS
baskets Of vegetables, 1000 POUNDS of butter,
1000 pounds Of cheese, 10000 eggs,
$500 pounds of sugar, 1.500 pounds OF coffee,
1000 pounds Of tea, $50 pounds Of chocolate
$50 gallons Of milk, 10000 apples, 1000
oranges, 1000 lemons, 400 glasses Of preserved
fruits, 100 barrels of flour, IS gallons Of ice
cream, 1000 pounds Of beef, IL, 600 pounds Of
mutton. 1880 pounds of ham, smoked beef
and bologna, 1000 pounds of veal, 700 pounds
OF bacon 600 pounds Of pork, 600 pounds of
game, 500 pounds of canned meat, $50 pounds
OF lamb, 80 barrels Of preserved meat. 20 bar
rels OF salt pork, 10000 pounds Of fish, $50
chickens, $50 duck,, 60 turkeys, GO partridges,
and so geese.
From the foregoing facts and figures it may
be said that one trip of the Normannia costs
the Hamburg American line not less than
S25OOO To offset this expenditure, which
does not include the cost of insurance. the Nor
MAMMA must carry many passengers and some
freight. The number of her passengers varies,
o. course according to the season. She car
rles in midsummer sometimes nearly 500
first and second cabin and about 800 steerage
Voyagers. The average price of first
cabin passage is about Sl10, and that Of q Sec
ond cabin about $50. The average price
OF storage accommodations is S22. The
receipts from all classes of passengers on
good midsummer trip are over $4,000. Usu-
ally the Normannia carries 800 tons of freight,
which, at the transportation rates Of about $40
ton. amounts to $4,000. The cost of loading
and unloading this freight is borne by the COM
pany. In the dull season the big twin-screw
ships do not make much, but their receipts
throughout the year are large enough to war
rant the declaration that they are great sue
cesses financially and that they are the pas
senge ships Of the future.