The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1905-03-04
EOCEAN STEAMERS
FLOATING CITIES WITH A VARIETY
OF OCCUPATIONS.

1"' INVERSION Oh lnuuHtry anu the
81 es and Professions That Are
scented In the Crew of a Great
ltic Liner.
great Atlantic liners have often
.eScribed rs floating cities, and
J. d east one particular the COMPARE
S u entirely accurate-that is to say,
j g variety of occupations represent
G shipboard. A big steamship will
! ~. flight from land to land carry a
lion of perhaps 1000, of whom
1 jority, of course, are passengers
.e Of all professions and lines
o gllsiness. Leaving passengers out
OF agcount. however, and considering
o he 500 or thereabouts who go to
J.. ,u up the liners crew, one will cas-
H., d representatives Of nearly all
i 81 AIDES Of a thriving community
d.. n.
= .liiis diversity Of industry represents
an - ~olution-or, rather, a revolution
TN Las come along with the develop
nm"lf of the gigantic modern steam
81 In the old days of sailing ships
az He members of the vessels crew
W. sailors and performed one part or
az, rr of Il sailors work. wen the
r,.r table cook was usually much
Ic;tar versed in matters relating to
splrs and ratlines than he was in the
secr"ts Of the culinary art. But today
tie ltus is different. Navigation of
the Itig Atlantic hiers is a complicated
task. and the number of men required
to carry it on is ten times greater than
on evrn the biggest ships of Il century
ago. The variety of their vacations
has Of course been multiplied to CORE
spond with the increased compleXity.
The sailors are in q small minority
nowadays. True, you will see Il mum
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 Il generation or two ago
would have found hard to explain or
even understand.
Some of the greatest changes in the
conditions of service have com 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-
1leers, but also several machinists to
keep in order the complicated mechan-
isnA of pumps and blowers and deck en-
gines which Il big vessel carries. Then,
= since every great passenger ship is pro-
yided throughout with a modern plumb
ing system, She must have in readiness
a 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
Il 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, confcctioners 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
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 q
barber, for passengers long ago gave
UP the habit Of going unshaven from
beginning to end Of the voyage. The
barber has Il 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
lions. 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 a paper containing tefe-
graphic news involves Of course m edi-
tor and q 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
newspaper, but the daily menus and
concert programmes as well.
Most Of the liners carry or more
musicians. Some have fully equipped
bands that furnish daily music, and
those liners which do not include a