The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-06-16

line controlling the St: Louis, however,
agreed to give some figures on the ques-
ton when seen by the writer. He fig
uTed for some time. and then said that
the expenses of a round trip of d
steamer like the ST. Louis average be-
tween $60,O00 and $4,000, according TO the
season.
This is the busiest time of the year
for the big liners. and when the St. Louis
gets back from Southampton her maiden
voyage both ways across the Atlantic
will have cost fully $50, 600. The voyage
between the two ports will take "A tribe
more than seven days, making the daily
cost of operating one Of the huge sea
monsters something like $500. In the
winter time, when the passenger traffic
is down to a minimum, the expenses of
course, are much less, and that is when
the cost gets down to $4,000 for the
round trip. Men VINO spend $1,000 "A
month on II steam yacht, as Commodore
terribly extravag giant. but maintaining a
vessel like the St. Louis for a month
would cost something approaching the
sum of 100000.
The Salaries Not Large.
No single individual on the St. Louis
tain heads the list, getting about 5000 a
year. Captains on smaller passenger
steamers only receive $1,000 d year, which
in these times of great salaries is not any
too large. The chief officer of a ship like
the St. Louis only gets about $3.50, which
is somewhat small when it is remembered
that the bulk Of the heavy work falls on
his shoulders. The second officers pay
ranges from 5000 to $1.2)0, according to the
size of the ship, while the third and
fourth officers only get from $500 10 $500.
All of these men have to perform duties
of a responsible kind, and as there are no
bonuses attached to their work it can be
seen that they are not overpaid. These
items also show that, while vast sums of
money are expended on running ships of
the size of the st. Louis, none of it is
thrown away.
The crew of the St. Louis numbers 4fO
men. Two hundred of these are in the
engineers department, and all of them
are directly under the authority of the
chief. The stewards department is the
next largest. numbering 40 in all. The
sailors. including the deck officers, num-
Der bat forty.
Coal Costs $4,000.
The engineers department is The most
expensive OH the ship owing to the inn
mensc coal bills. The st. Louis burns
tons the round trip. This means an eX-
penditure of SIS, go alone. The salaries of
the men, the engineering supplies, includ-
ing the thousand and one things needed
fof the vast machinery of a great ship,
calls for $500 more every round trip.
The chief engineer draws 5000 a year
and MS immediate assistants receive 81
500. 81, 200 and $l,OD respectively. The Stok-
erS or bremen average about $50 d MONTH,
and the furnaces OF the St. Louis require
$50 Of them working in different shifts.
The 2urser Has u Snap.
The purser, who is a most important
person on board, does not get much in
the way of salary, as the company in fix
ing his pay, figured on the large bonuses
he receives for changing money and per-
formbing the little services which the
wealthy traveller does not hesitate to pay
for literally. His salary is only $1,000 a
year, but he makes another 5000 nj fees,
| and sometimes considerably more.
The ships surgeon only gets 5000 a year
for the ca me- reason He &c hrO11QnI III
| contact with numerous real II fancied
invalids of the wealthy class, and, al
though no one is compelled 20 fee III
few tail to do SO, and a big. popular snip
like the ST. Louis is worth in the neigh
borhood of $1,000 to $4,000 a year.
Thousands For Provisions.
The stewards department is one of the
costliest on the ship. as it provides the
provisions for all the passengers and
crew. The provisions for g round trip
cost in the neighborhod Of So, 0C0, and the
salaries of the stewards men amount to
$1,000 more. The stewards are the least
paid of any on the ship, for the reason
that in the fees of the passengers they
collect a very respectable sum annually.
All the pay they get is $40 a month, but
they take in $40 a month in tips. The
real downright SeaSick man and woman
are almost willing TO give their last cent
for some little service. and the stewards,
who are constantly thrown in with this
class of unfortunates, reap a goodly har-
vest.
The chief steward receives 81, 800 a year
and also comes in for his share of the
tips. as it is within his power to place
many delicacies in the way of the liberal
tourist. The chief cook is a great man
on the Ship, almost as great as the cap
tain, and in all makes $1,000 a year out of
his job.
The Breaknge Is Costly.
The b~reakage and wear anr tear on the
ship and its furniture is very heavy, re-
quiring an expenditure in incidentals of
about s., 600 each round trip. There are
countless things to be replaced and a
comparatively little thing like the wash
ing of the ships linen means an eXpendi-
ture big enough to support a man for a
year in the lap of luxury.