Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-21

big steamer discharges her passengers her
force also makes a run for shore. This is
an error for the officers and crew have
more important things on hand. If the
boat makes fast to the pier at any time
during the morning, so that her passengers
can be discharged by noon, her house-clean-
ing starts promptly at l o'clock the same
afternoon. If she docks late in the after
noon or at night, the cleaning begins at b
o'clock the next morning. And once more.
listen. OH We distracted housewives, lean
ing on such slender reeds as day workers;
and harken, oh, We patient husbands who
came home last night to find that John
Henry. colored, had departed without put
ting up the stovepipe. Housecleaning hours
on board a liner run from g am. until
pm, with three meals aboard the boat.
Neither is there any discussion as to who
shall clean the companionway and who the
dining saloon, who is to polish the silver
ware and who to beat the rugs. The mighty
ship is divided into departments, and every
department has Its head and its force of
workers. The officers and sailors are re-
sponsible for the outside of the ship and
the chief steward is responsible for all the
cleaning of the first and second cabins, the
engineer for his department, the SteeraSe
steward for the quarters recently occupied
by the third-class passengers and the chef
for all of the culinary domain. And when
four bells are struck (Which, being inter-
preted is o'clock every man knows Where
his duty lies-and goes at it.
:: x
High in the air, on scaffoldings built
around the mighty smokestacks, painters
are scraping off the old paint and prepar-
ing the tunnels for their fresh coat. To-
morrow they will be painting the hull On
the upper deck, and under the watchful
eye of an officer, a squad of brawny sail
or is washing down the walls of the deck
houses with odd-shaped brushes dripping
foamy lather In the staterOoms, the room
stewards are stripping the berths, and
drawing all the water from the faucets. AT
the foot of the companionway of the main
deck the linen steward is counting over
the soied linen; in the dining room the
table stewards are counting the Silverware;
in the pantry, the bellboy, stripped of their
trim uniforms, are up to their elbows in
dish washing. In a fairly large compart-
ment, overlooking the first-class dining
room sits the head steward, telephone at
his elbow, his account books spread on his
desk before him, and a line of men.
with reports, filing past him. In an hour
or so he will report to the captain on the
exact condition of all the furnishings, the
number of pieces of linen to go to the laun-
dry, the loss through breakage to be
charged up to the trip. and the thousand
and one details which make the house-clean-
ing organization of an ocean liner marvel
to the uninitia ted.
The man who is painting the smokestack
does not care what the man in the grill
room is doing. Perhaps at dinner or supper
the two may meet. At present each is do
ing just what he is paid to do just what
his chief officer or steward expects him TO
do.
The officers and heads of departments
are by no mean exempt from duty at this
time. \ certain number of officers patrol
the decks, in port as well as when under
way. and under them the deck crews work.
The head steward and his three assistants