The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1895-07-31
COST TO RUN A SHIP.
THE BIG ST. LOUIS REQUIRES $50, 900
FOR THE ROUND TRIP.

bn0 Burns SIo,OOO worth OF Co1l-ThO
Bill For Breakage Ia No Small Afair.
Salaries of Onicers and Men Are Small,
but Some of Them Get Large Fees.
The cost Of running Il 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 a 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 q
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 u
steamer like the st. Louis average be-
tween $50, 600 and $50, 600, according to
the season. p
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 IS, 500.
No single individual on the st. Louis
gets II large salary. The captain heads
the list, getting about So, 0Oii a year.
Captains OF smaller passenger steamers
only receive 81, 200 a year. The chief
officer Of II ship like the st. Louis gets
81, 800, and the bulk Of the heavy work
really falls III his shoulders. The Sec
ond officers pay ranges from 5000 to
: 1900, according to the size Of the ship,
while tho fbirI on1 foprth nGSoor, o-1-
get from $500 to 5000. All of these
men have to perform duties of a re-
sponsible kind, and as there are no bo-
auses attached to their work it can be
seen that they are not 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
IF the chief. The stewards s department
IS the ext largest, numbering l7O in
all. The sailors, including the deck Off
GERS, number but 40.
The engineers department is the
most expensive on the ship, owing to
the immense coal bills. The st. Louis
burns more than 800 tons q day, or
about 4,50O o the round trip. This
means an expenditure Of SIS, 600 alone.
The salaries of the men, the engineering
supplies, including the thousand and
n things needed for the vast machin-
cry of a great ship, will require an ex-
penditure OF $1,000 every round trip.
The chief engineer draws $3, 600 a
year, and his immediate assistants re-
coivo e. Sn0 E1 900 ,-J H1 nnn $1,000
lively. The stokers or firemen average
about $50 a month, and the furnaces of
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,-
900 a year, but he makes another So, 900
in 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 $3, 900 to 81, 900 a year.
The stewards department is one Of
the costliest on the ship. The provisions
for a round trip cost in the n~eighborhood
~ 40 900 n,,l &lo ool.~, l. 49,
ards men amount to $3, 600 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 consider
able sum annually. All the pay they
get is $40 a month, but they take in $40
a month in tips. The seasick man and
woman are always willing totsive 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 delicacies in the way of the
liberal tourist.
The chief cook is a great man on the
ship, almost as great as the captain, and
in all makes s., 900 year out Of his job.
Inc DTedhdSe anu wear ana tear OH
the ship and it's 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 a man
for a year in the lap Of luxury.
Here are some odd facts about the st.
Louis: There are fully 1000 toys Of
piping of various kinds in the ship. The
condensers will pump up at least co.
OOO, 900 gallons of cool water a day.
The furnaces will consume no less than
$500, 600 cubic feet Of air an hour. The
boiler tubes, if placed in a straight line,
would stretch nearly 10 miles and the
condenser tubes more than 25 miles.
The total number Of separate pieces of
steel in the main structure of the ship is
not less than 40, 600, 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, O0O. New York World.