The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1895-05-21
FEEDING A
LINERS FIRE.
Down in the Stock-Hole
Of an Ocean Steamer.
600 TONS OF COAL A DAY.
Boilers Require $50 Tons OF
Water an Hour.
600 TONS OF COAL A DAY.
Boilers Require $50 Tons Of
200 MEN BELOW THE DECKS

There is no one branch of industry
in the merchantile marine about
which so little is generally known and
the work i'm which, in proportion tc
its great importance, is so little under
stood or appreciated as the engineers
department on a great ocean liner,
says the Brooklyn Eagle. Prominence
has been given to the affairs of other
branches of steamship service, and il
may, therefore, be of interest to give
a brief sketch of the duties and living
of the men whose duty it is to keep up
steam and produce speed on the ves-
sells. The engineers department on
each of the great Cunard steamers,
Lucania and Campania, consists OF
161 men, as follows: l chef engin-
eer, 81 engineers, two refrigerating
engineers, boiler maker, 2 electri-
clans storekeepers, 2 donkey men,"
20 greasers, 60 trimmers and 50. fire.
men. The Majestic and Teunonic
each require the services of from l6O
to ITO men in their enginrooms. OF
this number 20 are engineers and 20
are fremen. Eeach watch is made
up of at least 6 engineers, six g easers,
20 tiremen. IA trimmers, and an cleo
trician and two greasers under him.
The duties of chief engineer are
multifarious and oppressive, and
though he does not keep watch, his
trained ear is kept listening to the
beat of the engines, and at anytime of
the day or night he receives reports
from his subordinate officers and is
sues orders accordingly The second
engineer keeps watch eight hours out
of the twenty and has as his
companion the seventh engineer. The
third and fifth engineer keep another
watch, and the fourth and sixth the
other or third watch. Under this ar
rangement there is not single mo-
ment when every section OF the en-
gineer's department is not under the
supervision of the engineers, and
there is not moment OF the day or
night when controlling hand is not
ready in case of any irregularity in the
complicated mechanism OF the giant
engines that propel these great liners.
At the big row of steam-guages and
other indicators, where the telegraph
dials connect with the bridge, an en-
gineer is always standing ready to an
swer the least signal. Each set of
officers, as rule, make every endeav-
or to keep up high standard of steam
and vie with the other watches to OBJ
tain record in the number of revolu-
tons of the screw. BY such records
their capabilities are judged.
None but marine engineers know
how absolutely important it is to have
competent men in the stoke-hole of
their vessel. Steam must be kept up,
and with crew of men that do not
thoroughly understand their business
the engineers difficulties are almost
unsurmountable The work done in
the stoke-hole is of very exhausting
character, so much so that four hours
at a stretch is the limit of the time
required for their labor. Sometimes
the, heat reaches 40 degrees, and any
one not used to it would soon be ,pros-
trated. The stokers must. therefore,
be men of great bodily strength and
have the necessary skill required in
their particular line of work. In the
working of seventy five Lfiremen, the
number is divided, making three
gangs of twenty-five each. The lot
going on at II o'clock noon, work un-
til four o'clock, when the second gang
goes on and works until 8 o'clock, and
then the third gang goes on and works
until midnight, when, after eight
hours rest, the first lot goes on again,
and SO the operation is repeated dur
ing the entire voyage.
Thus there are always two sets Of
men in the forecastle and one set of
men at work, though in an Emergency
they are liable to be called out at any
time. About twelve men of each
watch on duty are deputed to attend
to the fires, the remaining number
loing the trimming business, which