The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1895-07-31
COST TO RUN A SHIP.
THE BIG ST. LOUIS REQUIRES 10000
FOR THE ROUND TRIP.

Salaries OF OMcers and Men Are Small,
but Some Of Them Get Large Fees.
The 9 of running u big ocean grey
hound to Europe and back reaches into
the thousands. A transatlantic liner is
really a floating hotel, and everything
ON board is conducted ON the same scale
OF lavishness that is found in q fashion
able Fifth avenue hotel.
Clement A. Griscom, Jr., son Of the
president of the line controlling the St.
Louis, agreed to give some figures to a
World reporter covering the expense Of
her voyage to England and back. He
figured for some time and then said that
the expenses Of the round trip Of q
steamer like the st Louis average be-
tween $50, 600 and $50, 900, according to
the season.
THE voyage between the two ports
takes a trife more than seven DAYS,
making the daily cost of operating in
the busy season something like S., 500.
No single individual on the St. Louis
gets a large salary. The captain heads
the list, getting about So, 900 2 year.
Captains or smaller passenger steamers
only receive 81, 200 a year. The chief
officer Of a ship like the st. Louis gets
$1,000, and the bulk of the heavy work
really falls on his shoulders. The sec
ond officers pay ranges from 5000 to
$1,000, according to the size Of the ship,
while the third and fourth officers only
get from $500 to 5000. All Of these
men have to perform duties Of q re-
sponsible kind, and as there are no bo-
auses attached to their work it can ~
seen that they are Lot overpaid. !
The crew of the st. Louis numbers,
40 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 Off
GERS, nnnibsr. but 40.
The engine6rfas department is the
most expensive 0A the ship, owing to
the immense coal bills. The 81. Louis
burns more thin WOO tons a day, or
about $500 tons h eNround trip. This
means an expenditure Of $15, 900 alone.
The salaries Of the men. Nbeengineering
supplies, including the NhGusand and
one things needed for they lkst smachin-
cry of a great ship, will u 1pir&Jpa ex-
penditure of $1,000 every ROM 5friAa
The chief engineer draws IA, 0O0a
year, and his immediate assistsnNa N.
ceive $1,000, 81, 200 and 81, 900 resndcNd
lively. The stokers or firemen sveraRa I
about $50 a month, and the furnaces OH
the st. Louis require $50 of them work +
ing in different shifts.
The purser, who is a most important
person on board, does not get much in
the way Of salary, as the company in
fixing his pay figured on the large
bonuses he receives for changing money
and performing the little services which
the wealthy traveller does not hesitate to
pay for literally. His salary is only $1,-
600 a year, bnt he makes another So, 900
i'll fees and sometimes considerably
more.
The ships surgeon only receives 5000
a year for the same reason. He is
brought in contact with numerous real
and fancied invalids of the wealthy
class, and although no one is compelled
to fee him few fail to do SO, and a big,
popular ship like the st. Louis is worth
to him at least So, 900 to s., 900 a g
The stewards department is one of
the costliest on the ship. The provisions
a round trip cost in the neighborhood
Of $12, O00, and the salaries of the stew
ards men amount to 8, 900 more. The
stewards are the least paid of any on
the ship, for the eason that in the fees
OF the passengers they collect q consider
able sum annually. All the pay they
get is $50 a month, but they take in $40
a month in tips. The seasick man and
woman are always willing to give their
last cent for some little service.
The chief steward receives 81, 500 a
year and also comes in for his share of
the tips, as it is within his power to
place many d~elicacies in the way of the
liberal tourist.
The chief cook is a great man ON the
almost as great as the captain, and
in all makes So, 900 a year out of his job.
The breakage and wear and tear on
the ship and its furniture are very heavy,
requiring an expenditure in i%ncidentals
Of about s., 900 each round trip. There
are countless things to be replaced, and
a comparatively little thing like the
washing Of the ships linen means an ex-
penditure big enough to support q man
for a year in the lap Of luxury.
Here are some odd facts about the st.
Louis: There are fully 1000 tons Of
of various kinds in the shin. The
will pump up at. least co.
600, 900 gallons of cool water a day.
The furnaces will consume no less than
2, 100000 cubic feet of air an hour. The
boiler tubes, if placed in a straight line,
would stretch nearly 10 miles and the
tubes more than IS miles.
The total number of separate pieces of
steel in the main structure Of the ship is
less than 40, 900, and the total num-
Der Of cubic feet Of timber used in the
construction is more than 100, 600. The
total number Of rivets is not far from
/ 1850, oO0. New York World.
A EuspiciOus Title. |