64 THE AMERICAN WHALEMAN 



tained more than thirty-three hands. Another group of fif- 

 teen voyages, made by eight whalers between the years 1843 

 and 1862, accounted for one hundred and forty-three deser- 

 tions, one hundred and sixty-six discharges, and sixteen deaths. 

 Stated in terms of percentages of the original crews of four 

 hundred and eighty-nine men, practically three-tenths of the 

 hands deserted, one-third were discharged, and three per cent 

 died. In other words, the average whaler lost almost two- 

 thirds of her original crew during the course of each voyage. ^^ 



These changes were disastrous alike to morale, efficiency, 

 and the owners^ pocketbooks. Among men who spent such 

 long periods in inescapably close contact, the element of group 

 psychology was all-important. Nowhere was the question of 

 morale, of esprit de corps, more vitally connected with the 

 smooth conduct of affairs than in the little worlds bounded by 

 the decks of whaleships at sea: and nowhere was it more diffi- 

 cult to control. Even at best the nerves and tempers of men 

 could not fail to be tried severely by unending confinement in 

 inadequate living quarters, poor food, hard and dangerous 

 work, brutal driving, vulgar and obscene companionship, and 

 unutterable monotony. And when irregular and disrupting 

 changes in personnel were added to the other factors affecting 

 these small, isolated groups, it became exceedingly difficult to 

 create and to maintain a normal attitude of mind. Conse- 

 quently the morale of the average whaling crew was notor- 

 iously low. Suspicion and intolerance towards each other 

 and bitter resentment and hatred of the officers were mingled 

 with a keen sense of indignation against the impositions of far- 

 away owners and landsharks. 



In a few extreme cases these smouldering resentments broke 

 out into murder and mutiny. But normally the feeling of 

 discontent resulted in waste, sabotage, inefficiency, and a low 

 standard of achievement. A spirit of enthusiastic cooperation 

 and of trained and disciplined team.-work, so essential to whal- 



13 The detailed figures from which these results were obtained, together with 

 the list of vessels, voyages, and dates, are given in Appendix B. The voy- 

 ages represent a sampling of manuscript account-books which chanced to con- 

 tain the necessary figures. All of the manuscripts were found in the New 

 Bedford Public Library. 



