Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1903-08-15
LINEN ON OCEAN LINERS.
Supply Carried Necessitates Enormous
Stock in Hand

One Of the problems of the efficient
management Of a great ocean liner is
the ships linen. There is the bed linen
for the first and second class passengers
and officers, numbering on a full trip
about Il thousand souls There are tow
els galore. to be furnished for each state
room, and the table cloths and napkins.
all of which must be renewed daily.
Moreover, the quality OF linen supplied to
modern ship like the Oceanic or the
Cedric of the White Star line. or the
st. Paul or Philadelphia of the Ameri-
can line, is the very best that can be
bought in the market. finer even than
that ordinarily supplied to the patrons of
tlrst-claSS hotel on shore.
On liner this linen is changed every
day. and as there is no opportunity TO
launder the accumulation of stock on
board, the ship must start with full
supply for the trip ald liberal margin
for emergencies. For instance, the 81.
Paul took ont on a recent trip some 30.
900 pieces, including 10000 napkins. 10
O0U sheets, 5000 pillow Slips. 1000 table
cloths. 1000 counterpanes. 5000 bedroom
towels and an astonishing number of
busters, cooks cloths, glass cloths. dresser
cloths and 4 variety Of minor pieces
known only 10 the cooks and stewards.
This necrssitates n mighty linen room
at each end of the line whence are sup
Soiled ones brought ashore ut the end of
each trip. 1t is estimated that the 149
ships of the international mercantile ma
rinr, as the largest aggregation of ocean
going liners in the world, have at their
command 100000 to 100000 pieces
Il supply on each ship. and an equal sup
ply ut each end of the line, clean and
waiting the arrival of the vessel in port
This ncceSSitates an army OF shore en-
ployeS, whose task ii is TO launder this
linen. check it off and furnish il TO the
outgoing vessels.
On each ship there is one steward
whose sole care is the linen. He has
this stored by the thousand pieces in
various linen rooms below and delivers
the required amount to the bedroom and
| table stewards, the cooks and Scullions.
who cCme to him daily with the soiel
| pieces in their charge and exchange them
| for nm equal stock of clean. The SOiled
| linen he dries thoroughly in Il drying
room heated by steam. and stores III bags.
which are sent ashore ut the end of the
| voyage. in New York or Boston, Liver
| poo. southampton or Antwerp, as the
| case may be.
The Steerage, or as they call it nova
| days. lie third class. has its linen de-
partnlent rs well as the first and second
class. bnt this does not include bed linen.
| The immigrants are provided instead with
straw mattresses and stout, comfortable
blankets, which receive equal attention
with the other bedroom supplies at the
end Of each trip. the blankets being thor
oughly washed. boiled and diSinfected. rs
well as the mattress covers. The straw
| from the latter is also replaced with new
clean straw each trip. Nevertheless
there is much third-ca>s linen. for the
| third-claSs passengers now sit ut tables
covered with white cloths and the cook ;
| department uses supplies similar 10 those
! IN the first and second class.
| Losses of linen on the trip are charged
| to the general profit and loss account of
the ship, and are not accounted to either
steward or passenger. The linen man,
| however. takes special care of the nap
kins. which are most easily lost and the
most costly OF The supplies. The table
stewards who c0nc 10 him for these have
| 10 sign a book for the amount taken, and
| this is supposed TO make them more care
ral in the handling .-New York Times