ECONOMIC SOCIAL 113 



longer a clipper. 1 American vessels car- 

 ried more sail, were easier handled, sailed 

 faster, 2 needed less ballast and carried 

 proportionally more cargo than their Eng- 

 lish competitors. 



The shipyard was usually located on 

 some tidal river, the gently sloping banks 

 of which allowed ease of access and facility 

 for launching. The ship carpenters and 

 laborers worked from sunrise to sunset, 

 earning a dollar a day, 3 with a glass of 



1 Coggeshall, History of American Privateers. 



2 The brig "Rapid" of Portland in 1809 made the 

 voyage from London to Boston in fifteen days. Portland 

 in the Past, p. 412. 



The ship "Valiant," built at Wiscasset, sailed from 

 Boston to France in thirteen days. Hist. Coll. Essex 

 Institute, vol. 1, p. 60. 



Mr. Derby's ship "Astrea" made the run from Salem 

 to the Irish coast in eleven days. OSGOOD, History of 

 Salem. 



3 One dollar a day was an average, perhaps, but the 

 pay varied according to the time, demand and character 

 of work performed. In 1780 ship carpenters in the United 

 States were paid ninety cents a day. WRIGHT, In- 

 dustrial Evolution. 



