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32 MARINE REVIEW AND MARINE RECORD. DUTIES OF THE STEAMBOAT STEWARD. The following article upon the duties of a steward, written from the inside, will probably be very interesting reading. _ It is the work of Mr. Charles C. Schantz and relates mainly, of course, to the duties of stewards in large passenger steamboat lines, such as the Detroit & Cleveland Navigation Co. and the Detroit & Buffalo Steamboat Co., with which Mr. Schantz is connected. In former years, say ten seasons ago, steamer stewards were as plentiful as southern watermelons in the month of August. In those days the steamboat steward did his own buying, hired his own help, and thought himself almost as important as the captain of the ship. Time has changed things considerably. The general manager nowadays hires a man whose title is chief steward, and who is better known to most people as purchasing agent or port steward. Some assume the lengthy title of chief of the commissary department. His office and storeroom are located on shore. From there he hires, purchases and directs the duties and labor pertaining to all his departments. He is held responsible for anything and everything that comes under his supervision. The storeroom is filled with all commodities that are used on the steamer in all departments, and is run on the samd order as any wljolesale house. The watchword; is) "economy, discipline and cleanliness." The chief steward superintends the laying up and fitting out of steamers in the spring and fall, which alone is quite a task. People who have never visited a steamboat in its winter quarters would be surprised to learn how everything is taken up and placed away in square piles in the main cabin of the boat, covered with canvas, and pinned so as to be free from dust or dirt during the three months of "winter vacation." Just before the steamer makes her last trip of the season men are put to work taking up tacks from the cabin and stateroom carpets. When the boat comes into port on her last trip carpets are rolled up and sent to a cleaning establishment to be renovated. Then comes the Pullman blankets, placed away with moth-balls; linen packed up in canvas bags; pictures are taken down in staterooms and parlors, and mirrors, hat-racks, water recepta- cles, stateroom notices, etc., removed. Each piece is wrapped separately and placed in lockers, safe from carpenters and painters. After this, the mattresses, life preservers and pillows are taken out on deck and thoroughly beaten clean; together with the iron springs they are piled high in the main cabin. Carpets about this time arrive from the cleaners, and, with the linings, are made into a neat square pile. The electric light slobes (about 1,800 on one of the large steamers) are taken down, wrapped in tissue paper, and placed away in barrels. Electric fixtures are covered with muslin caps. Then come the rail and furniture covers. When every article is taken down and out of the cabin and staterooms, neatly packed in the main cabin in square piles, they receive their "canvas over- coat" for the winter. After all this is accomplished, the scrubbers, with pails and sponges, clean and wash down every particle of woodwork. When they finish the cabin and staterooms, open house is kept for three weeks to receive the carpenters, painters and decora- tors. 'The kitchen, dining-room and buffet, in fact, every quar- ter of the steamboat, receives the same attention; so when she comes out in the spring the steamer looks like an Easter Sunday millinery establishment. Today it is hard to find a lake steward who is thoroughly posted on the ins and outs, duties, labor and worry connected with a steward's position. Under his management--and he is held responsible for the cleanliness thereof and the care: of every article pertaining thereto--are the kitchen, pantry, pastry and storeroom, dining-room, buffet, social hall, baggage depart- ment, main saloon or cabin, crew's sleeping apartments and closets, staterooms, parlors, bathrooms, wasnrooms, closets, lockers, barber shop, ice boxes, after cabin for second-class pas- sengers, three mess rooms and the smoking or observation par- lor, One can therefore readily observe that a steward on a floating hotel has his hands full of work; to see that every- thing pertaining to his department is kept in first-class condi- tion, each quarter immaculate; to stand the daily inspection by the chief steward or by the officers of the company. Pas- [Mar. 19, sengers or visitors who step aboard a lake liner, who look at the beds covered with snowy white linen, the white woodwork spotless; the carpets, rugs, curtains, blankets, windows, fur- niture, free from dust or dirt; the highly polished brass shin- ing as bright as the sun, never realize the enormous amount of labor connected with one of these floating palaces. There are plenty of hotel stewards to be found who are willing to accept a position of this kind. Some of the best have been tried and found wanting, on account of lack of steamboat experience. Today a steward of a first-class passenger vessel commands a salary from $100 to $200 per month (according to size of steamer) for a ten month's season. Inside hotel stewards who have had years of experience in hotel stewarding and know something about steamboating would do well to ac- cept a position on a passenger boat as assistant steward for a season so as to become familiar with the duties and requirements of a fresh-water steward. - He will receive a salary of between $65 and $90 per month if he is quick and active. The following "season, no doubt, would find him ripe for.a stewardship, pro- vided he kept his eyes open and put the pointers he gained into his head. There are two kinds of marine stewards--the freight and passenger. On a freight boat a cook-is hired to please the captain and his crew. He is called a steward by them, He does not need to be a first-class cook to hold his job. Good, plain, substantial home food cooking is all that is required of him. I don't mean by this that there are no good "chefs" on lake liners. Some companies hire none but the best. But the passenger boat steward, who is an officer as well, is carefully selected each season by the chief steward from a score of appli- cants. He has been a "chef," passed through long hours of daily toil in front of his range, and with careful study acquired the position and title of steward. He understands thoroughly everything pertaining to the culinary department in detail. Educated in the kitchen from a panwasher up, promoted from time to time as he learns the art and mysteries of good things that are served to the public, until he is competent to assume the position as "chef," then steward. He is surrounded by a small army of select operators. : Each department has its head and managed by the following assistants of the steward: 'The "chef" is king in the kitchen, pantry and pastry rooms. The head waiter rules over the waiters and has charge of the dining-room. The baggagemaster looks after the porters, mess boys and scrubbers. The day watchman has his troubles with the cabin cleaners and linemen. The housekeeper looks after the cabinmaids. The night patrolman whips the bellboys into line. The assistant steward keeps his eyes open over all departments, so the poor steward, who never sleeps, works and worries along to bring about the desired re- sults. The hotel steward never gave the marine passenger steward credit for being what his title calls for. Some of them still look upon him as only a commion ordinary cook with a gifted title. This would have been taken seriously years ago, but today the floating palaces on the great lakes require a man who has the brams and experience of any hotel steward in the country--so take off your hats to your equal, "Mr. Land- lubber!" Give the sea dog his just due! He does twice as riuch work and gets the least pay. Mr. George Dunlap, who will be known to many of the older men in the lake trade, died at his home in Detroit this week. He was in his early days the secretary of the late Eber B. Ward and sailed also on one of Mr. Ward's steamers. Latterly he had had charge of the real estate holdings of the David Whitney estate. He was a man of excellent understanding. Homeseekers' excursions by way of the Nickel Plate road. Ask nearest agent about them or address EK. A. Akers, C. P. & T. "Seaboard Steel Castings" A Guarantee of Quality. Open Hearth Steel Castings of the Highest Grade for Locomotive, General Machinery and Shipbuild- ing Work. Subject to U. S. Government, Lloyds, Railroad and Other Highest Requirements. Seaboard Steel Casting Co., If you want to KNOW# A., Cleveland, Ohio, Dearing Water Tube Boilers are best ? ? ? Drop us a postal Dearing Water Tube Boiler Company 288 to 296 Fort St., West. DETROIT, MICH. Chester, Pa.