The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-05-17
FITTING OUT A BIG LINER.
Amour 100000 ARTICLES REQUIRED
IN A ESSEX IKE nj ST. no us.

EUl DHll Vt Nv - h
Ct. Paul and st. Louis the only transatlantic
passenger-carrying vessels Of the FIRST grad
built in this country for n score or more OF yenrs
but they are the only ones In that traffic httot
out here. IL il one thing to build a monster
steamship, and IL Ia another thing to supply and
arrange its furnishings. Every fitting needed
IN navigation goes with the building Of thu
ship, and is a part of the general contract,
After the ship is finished and ready to sail away
40 far as the contractors are concerned, another
problem arises. IL Ia the same problem thAi
confronts n man when he builds a new house.
How shall we furnish it2
The task Of fitting out a vessel like tho st.
Louis or 81. Paul Is simply normous No less
than 100. 900 articles must be purchased and
nut in place. IL takes months OF study In prices,
and texture Of wares. Elaborate schedules of
the articles needed for ea.h department OF tho
chip are prepared. and then II lot OF shopping
and correspondence follow. Like the furnish
ish of n house or a hotel. there are two ways OF
going about IL. Ono il to set aside q certain
sum and strike n certain average OF quality
and quantity OF articles purchased. so rs to
bring the cost OF the fittings within the sum set
aside. The other is to decide what Is needed
and Of what quality, and to purchase the sup
niles ms reasonably as possible. II is this plan
practically which must be adopted by n steam
ship company. For not only must the fittings
he suited in quality and quantity to the size and
character of the vessel, but they must be as
good as the fittings OF any other vessel OF n cor
responding size afoat, and II possible batter.
1t is there that tho analogy between furnish
ing q house and n vessel stops. A man FUR
nishes his house to suit himself. A Steamship
company furnishes a boat to suit the public.
The fittings Of a vessel must stand favorable
comparison with those OF other vessels In SER
vice. No such comparison exists between the
NttInua NJ larue hotels aS exists between trans
atlantic liners. A hotels guests have many
other things to think about than their imme-
date surroundings. A ships passengers taxes
minute interest in tho details oil the furnishings
largely because it is one OF the diversions OF an
ocean voyage. Next to the matter OF 1000 IL Is
the chief topic of comparison between trav-
ellers. All this complicates the problem Of fit
-, lit
ing out a snip
1t is the custom or English shippuilders 10
supply the furnishings as we'll as to construct
rrs.., mr.. pri,tsh .hinhrud.ra bavo bad
the vessel. inc bri.,sn shipD..ueis ave u
nrobably secure better prices than the owners
could secure. The patronage of a yard that year
after year is turning out large vessels Is matter
Of thousands upon thousands OF pounds to Ger
mn nU".u.s,, ' ,"'n w ia n, ,n. Ioa,..,
age. goods naturally Will be sold at inc lowest
M donh, you'd h,vo undertaken to snnrlr The
no doupt "ouiu nave uhaertahen suptly II
owners. after mature consideration. decided to
s".IaS.a.n ..a...o,,.s
or course 1t could not be expected that tho
management of the American line should reveal
what 1t costs to mt out such a vessel as the 81
Louis or st. Paul. Persons familiar with the
pIc.. ol nous.no,u W. WV nan r
might heure approximately "hat 'heco'' "ou'o
s,ds rho inner circle or tho MANAGEMENT knows
:. 49, onnroxim.,a tbo ons, 90 e,,,n, an,
the entire ship. Practically all the fittings were
purchased in this country. There were four
staple articles, however. that could be pur-
chased TO better advantage in England than
here. AS might be expected. one of these was
linen. Inc others were oianKets' COTTON cover
lets. and glassware. The cost OF these. although
q small matter when the cost OF fitting out the
entire ship is considered.
required in a general way for such a ship as one
Of the new American liners. For the first cabin
1000 napkin rings. 5000 Knives, 500 finger
bowls, 800 salt cellars, 1000 tumblers, 1000
kinds, 1000 napkins. In the outfit of the state
rooms Their. will be required at least 1000
soo piiIows so ZOO GU sheets' moo bait bath "1sefss io.,,
900 other towels. 1t will surprise many to know
essary to fit out the ship. When one
considers that the second cabin requires
fro ar ,ns sdSin, =, .D twp ,hn, d. ; As many d,S Sst ,S & as is
WIN HI VIII Ni'A NhNhb i" NhANt III
very little difference in the quality Of the artl-
cles used in the two cabins, one can see the adj
dition there must be to cost and quantity in the
furnishing Of the second cabin. There are GER
tain reoufred supplies for the steerage, but in
quantity and quality they are a small matter
compared with the other fttings OF the ship.
But the supplies do not stop with the cabins.
The kitchen and pantry supplies and fittings
are more elaborate than any hotel requires. The
list of Implements required in these departments
contains hundreds OF items. Every variety OF
cooking utensIl is supplied. Every kind OF
household article Of known utility is purchased.
In addition to all these, every ship contains two
kinds of supplies that no hotel ever has. One OF
these kinds is the outfit for a hospital, and the
other Is the outfit for an apothecary shop. Tho
list OF surgical instruments alone occupies sew
eral pages Of the ouIftting schedule OF a ship.
The same Is true as regards the apothecary out
1T. Besides all these. the butcher shop outfit
and that OF the baking department is moro
complete than that OF a great hotel. There are
NO butchers or bakers shops at sea where sup
plies may be replenished in an hour or two. and
In consequence tho fittings Of these departments
are most elaborate.
A ship like one OF the new liners frequently
carries l 500 persons across the ocean. There 10
probably no hotel i'm the world that frequently
has any such number of guests for a week at a