The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1905-03-22
The OCEAN STEAMERS
FLOATING CITIES WITH A VARIETY
OF OCCUPATIONS.

The Diversion Of Industry and the
Trades and Professions That Are
Represented In the Crew of a Great
Atlantic Liner.
The great Atlantic liners have often
been described as floating cities, and
in at least one particular the compari-
son is entirely accurate-that is to say,
in the variety of occupations represent
ed on shipboard. A big steamship will
in her fight from land to land carry a
population of perhaps 1000, Of whom
the majority, Of course, are passengers
people of all professions and lines
Of business. Leaving passengers out
Of account however, and considering
only the 500 or thereabouts who go to
make up the liners crew, one will cas-
lily find representatives of nearly all
the trades of a thriving community
ashore.
This diversity Of industry represents
an evolution-or, rather, revolution
that has come along with the develop
ment Of the gigantic modern steam
ship. In the old days of sailing ships
all the members of the vessels crew
were sailors and performed one part or
another Of a sailors work. Even the
redoubtable cook was usually much
better versed in matters relating to
spars and ratlines than he was in the
secrets of the culinary art. But today
the status is different. Navigation Of
the big Atlantic fliers is complicated
task, and the number Of men required
to carry it on is ten times greater than
on even the biggest ships Of century
ago. The variety of their vocations
has of course been multiplied to CORE
spond with the increased completely.
The sailors are in small minority
nowadays. True, you will see a num-
Der of seamen 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 in 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
conditions 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 number Of engi
neers, but also several machinists to
keep in order the complicated mechan-
ism of pumps and blowers and deck en-
gines which a big vessel carries. Then.
since every great passenger ship is pro-
vided throughout with a modern plumb
ing system, she must have in readiness
qualified plumber. An expert electri-
clan is also needed to look after the
electric lighting plant, a 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 an expert chef, besides
bakers, confectioners and also the other
gastrOnOmic 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
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
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.
The issuing Of 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 well. The
ships printer prints not only the ships
but the daily menus and