Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1895-10-10
Costs a Fortune Each Trip.

The expense of running the new
steamship st. Louis of the American
Line is something enormous. For q
round trip between New York and
Southampton, as figured by an ex-
pert, the cost to the company Is be-
tween $50, 200 and $50, 900, according
to the season.
No single individual on the st.
Louis gets large salary. OF course
the captain heads the list, getting
about $4,000 year. The chief Off
Ger gets about 81, 800, which Is some
what small while it is remembered
that the bulk of the heavy work
falls on his shoulders. The second
officers pay is 81 200 while the third
and fourth officers only get from
5000 to 5000. The crew of the st.
Louis numbers 410 men. Two hun
dred of these are in the engineers
department. and all are directly un-
der the authority of the chief. The
stewards department is the next lar
gest, numbering ITO in all. The
sailors. including the deck officers,
number but 40.
The engineers department Is the
most expensive of the ship, owing
to immense coal bills. The st. Louis
burns more than 800 tons a day, or
about 4,500 tons the round trip
This means an expenditure of SI5,.
600 alone. The salaries and engi-
neering supplies, including thousand
and one things needed for the vast
machinery Of great ship, call for
$4,000 more every round trip. The
chief engineer draws So, 900 a year,
and his immediate assistants receive
81 800, $1,000 and $1,000, respec-
lively. The stokers or firemen aver
age $50 month, and the furnaces
of the st. Louis require 1SO of them
working in different shifts.
The purser does not get much in
the way of salary, as the company,
In fixing the pay figured on the large
bonuses he receives for changing
money and performing the little SER
vices which the wealthy traveller
does not hesitate to pay for literally.
His salary is 81 900 a year, but he
makes another two thousand in fees
and sometimes considerably more.
The ships surgeon only receives
5000 year for the same reason
He is brought in contact with nu-
merous real and fancied invalids of
the wealthy class, and, although no
one is compelled to fee him, few
fail to do so, and big, popular ship
like the st. Louis is worth in the
neighborhood of $4,000 to $4,000 a
year.
Provisions for a round trip cost in
the neighborhood of $4,000, and
the salaries of the stewards men
amount to $4,000 more. The stew
ards are the least paid of any on the
ship, for the reason that in the fees
of the passengers they collect very
respectable sum annually. All the
pay they get Is $50 a month, but
they take in forty dollars a month
in tips. The chief steward receives
81 500 year, and in all makes about
$4,000.
Breakage and wear and tear on
the ship and its furnishings are very
heavy and nearly $4,000 trip is re-
quired for repairs Washing of the
ships linen means an expenditure
big enough to support a man for a
year in the lap of luxury.
While the expenses are great, of
course, the income Is proportion
ately large. A round trip that costs
$SO,OOO should bring at least 500, 900
into the Golfers of tho company, if
not considerably more. But when
the expenses are down to $50, 900 the
company Is glad to break even.