The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1905-03-18
THE OCEAN STEAMERS
FLOATING CITIES WITH A VARIETY
OF OCCUPATIONS.

49, aversion OF Industry and the
and Professions That Are
'ented IN the Crew of "a Great
ic Liner.
cat Atlantic liners have often
scFibed as floating cities, and
] st II particular the compari-
s ltirely a~ccurate-that is to say,
triety Of occupations represent
ipboard. a big steamship will
/ light from land to land carry a
on Of perhaps 1000, of whom
1 ority, OF course, are passengers
Of all professions and lines
9 a.less. Leaving passengers out
81 unit, however, and considering
3 - 500 or thereabouts who go to
f.. u, the liners crew, one will cas-
d. Al representatives of nearly all
fhe l1es Of a thriving community
as. e.
I - diversity OF industry represents
an ..~:oiution-or, rather, a revolution
tI:H has come along with the develop
IItne'1' Of the gigantic modern steam
~ In the old days of sailing ships
- .' VI LhS SkooS - SASN
~ S;ilors and performed II part or
a. d" of a sailors work. Even the
r. ,lble cook was usually much
he, or verSed in matters relating to
Spas and ratlines than he was in the
Ser""tS Of the culinary art. But today
tine Status is different. Navigation of
tie big Atlantic fliers is a complicated
%,ri- md tho r,,p,Jn. rf r,nr r0r,1iroJ
to carry it Oh is ten times greater than
on eve the biggest ships of a century
ago. The variety Of their vocations
has of course been multiplied to CORE
spond with the increased compleXity.
The sailors are in a small minority
nowadays. True, you will see a num-
Der of scalnen on the big ships, and
these still have their duties to perform,
duties which, however, have nothing
to do with the handling Of sails, for
not in a number Of years has canvas
been spread on any of the big liners.
But common sailors seem few i'll COM
parison With the men of other trades
whose usefulness on shipboard the sea
captain Of a generation Or two ago
would have found hard to explain or
even understand.
Some Of the greatest changes in the
Of service have come about,
naturally enough, through the intro
duction of steam machinery. The pres
ence of machinery means that the liner
must carry not only a number Of engi-
neers, but also several machinists to
keep in order the complicated mechan-
ism Of pumps and blowers and deck en-
gtnes which :: big vessel carries. Then,
since every great passenger ship is pro-
yided throughout with n modern plumb
ing system, she must have in readiness
. qualified plumber. An expert electri-
is also needed to look after the
lighting plant, q refrigerating
engineer for the cold storage plant and
a number Of other representatives Of
different branches of the engineering
profession.
Instead of the ancient cook with his
very limited accomplishments the up to
date liner has IN expert chef, besides
bakers, confectioners and also the other
specialists to be found in
the big fashionable hotels ashore. A
ships butcher cuts the roasts and
Joints and takes general charge Of the
meat supply, and there are several
storekeepers, who, it is true, do not sell
goods, but who keep as exact account
Of all the groceries and other supplies
issued for the use Of passengers and
crew as though their livelihood depend
ed upon it.
Besides these, every liner carries a
barber, for passengers long ago gave
up the habit Of going unshaven from
beginning to end Of the voyage. The
barber has a comfortable little shop,
and next door to him perhaps is in
stalled the barkeeper, who from the
nature Of his clientele is required to be
adept in mixing the drinks Of all ma
tons. Still more surprising to the mex
perienced traveller it will perhaps be to
learn that the big steamships carry
four or five bootblacks to keep the pas
sengers in shines.
OF the learned professions the only
one regularly represented is that of
medicine. Every liner carries a sur
geon, who not. only attends to pas
sengers or members Of the crew who
may fall i'll, but who is also charged
with the general supervision of the
health and sanitation Of the vessel.
There are usually plenty of "sea law
yers'' on board-not that there is any
demand for legal ~services-and if clergy
men are not among the passengers the
captain or purser is qualified to read
the service on Sundays.
i The issuing of a paper containing tele-
graphic news involves of course an edi-
tor and a wireless telegrapher. The
editorial duties are assumed by the
purser, and the wireless operator not
only receives the news for the ships
paper, but takes and transmits mes
sages for the passengers as we'll. The
ships printer prints not only the ships
newspaper, but the daily menus and
concert programmes IS well.
Most Of the liners carry one or more
musicians. Some have fully equipped
bands that furnish daily music, and
those liners which do not include a
n