The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-06-17
The Slow and Stormy Passage Of
the Circassia.
THE SToKERS' TERRIBLE TASK.
shoveling Coal In Binding Heat ut oe2 n
Month-The Landing at Moviiie and
the Splendid panorama OF the Clyde.
n B o A r D
STEAMSHIP CIR

IS1&~A Rhode Island:
MN&sT AS my special
VzS1aTaMLM9 duties to tho
worlingmen do
not begin until / reach Glasgow, /
am going to have little chat with
you before / arrive. / left New York
on the Anchor Line Saturday, May 81,
in the steamship Circassia. Now, you
say, II never saw an ocean steamer;
what does it look likeT Well, the Cir
cassia is a typical ocean steamer,
although not one Of the largest. She is
400 feet long, 45 feet wide and 35 feet
draught. One hundred men are en-
ployed all the year round to run her.
There is captain, four deck officers,
carpenter and mate, boatswain and
mate. seven engineers. pgrser. and sur
geon, chief steward and thirty-three
assistants, chief cook and assistant, a
deck crew of twenty-five and about
thirty connected with the engine. These
officers are English, Irish and Scotch,
but mostly of the latter. Capt. He'd
deker is a large, strong, well built
Scotchman, gruff, yet kind and agree
able to ali, and has been in the service
twenty-six years. He is the Commo-
dore of the feet.
The average time taken on this line
to cross the Atlantic Is about ten days
and during that period the vessel con-
sumes 800 tons of coal. Nine hundred
passengers can be carried comfortably,
besides immense quantities Of freight.
In fact, with the increased number of
vessels engaged in the transatlantic
traffic, the freight plays very important
part in the receipts of large steamship
line. Everything on board an ocean
steamer is built for safety and strength
and never for beauty. The strong, thick
windows. or port holes, the heavy steam
steering apparatus, the guard rails on
every hand and the way everything is
chained or bound to the deck give evil
dence in themselves that we are not to
sail down the Providence river but are
going far ont from land, ready to buffet
with danger and difficulties.
Now am going to take you with me,
on my journey. The ropes are let go,
the last goodbye is said, a hundred or
more friends wave their handkerchiefs
as the tug pulls us out in the stream and
we point towards the broad Atlantic.
Other steamers of the different lines are
following or leading us, and we form a
grand, mighty, and picturesque appear
snce as we sail down the North river.
Reaching Sandy Hook the pilot pre-
pares to leave us, and going over the
side OF the boat, accepts favorable
opportunity, 0or already we are pitch
ing and tossing), ard leaps into the
small boat ready to receive him. Lunch
is ready, and as we sit down, some one
remarks "There will be many vacant
chairs in the morning."
Well he has spoken! At dinner, a
few are gone, but on Sunday morning
only six or so out of sixty are able to
join us at breakfast In place of the
smooth flat table we are accustomed to
see, we find the table has been divided
into thirds; that is, boards three or
more inches high are fastened TO the
table thus preventing the eatables from
falling. 1t seemed very curious at first,
but the wisdom of it soon dawned upon
me.
/ will not carry you through the long
weary days, when the ship endeavored
to go ahead sideways instead of the
usual way, but will relate few of the
incidents of our journey.
One lady was hurled from the piano
stool to the side of the boat by sudden
lt,v fol nd -.
walkers testified we were rolling. Not
beam of sunshine reached us uvtil
five days out, and then only for a short
period Up to this time (the eleventh
day out) we are unable to walk the deck
in safety. Friday enjoyed splendid
concert, and Sunday had sermon read
by the captain. and in the evening sang
gospel hymns.
Now word about the passengers.
Such jolly lott Scotchmen, English
men and wives, Irishmen and wives, all
going home for vacation with spirits
high. Americans, off for a jaunt through
Great Britain and the Continent. quickly
identify themselves by being unable to
count out English money, but take il i'm
good nature. and in little while are
soon able TO talk about "bobs," "thrip-
pennys," 'tuppences," and the like.
One genial Scotchman / cannot refrain
from mentioning, who, although OF
years of aye, was as.young rs boy of
10, and entered into every sport with
equal zest.
One evening / inspected the engine
and ire-room, and there discovered the
stokers at work. Here they were,
stripped to the waist, rccking with per-
spiration, feeding the immense furnaces
with shovelful after shovelful of coal
until relieved by others. They labor in
cessantly while on duty, which consists
Of fsur hours at time, with eight hours
or eight hours out of
-. g.. r. t1,. f.t,.~....- "A