312 THE AMERICAN WHALEMAN 



eth (/Iso) to the one-two-hundredth /4oO — ^^''^ '^ o"^^ barrel of oil, for 

 every hundred and eighty or two hundred that are taken. And I will now 

 show what profit accrues to a green hand. 



A Sperm Whale Ship of 350 tons will take on a voyage of four years 1200 

 barrels of Sperm oil. This is a liberal average. The share or part which the 

 Sailor who has the "Kgo ^^7 '^'^^ have coming to him will be two hundred 

 and ten (210) gallons or equal at the present home prices to two hundred 

 and sixty two (262*%oo) dollars and twenty five cents but from this sum 

 there are to be made sundry deductions. Ten per cent discount on the 

 amount of oil taken for leaking and shrinkage is always made and very fre- 

 quently three per cent for insurance, although if the vessel is lost with five 

 hundred barrels of oil on board and it is fully covered by insurance the own- 

 ers recover all and the men get nothing — because the charge is not made on 

 the men until the vessel is safe home — and the policy of insurance is of 

 course made out in the name of the owner. Or as an old sailor once ex- 

 pressed himself to me when a vessel was burnt in this bay — 'it's no use Sir 

 to give me a certificate the Owners play an open and shut game — if the 

 vessel gets home I pay for insurance but if she is lost they pay the insurance 

 and pocket the profits.' And it is so. 



Then the accumulated interest (not always charged) on the original seventy 

 dollars outfit and twelve per cent per annum on any money given as liberty 

 money during the voyage. Finally ten (10$) dollars is charged every man 

 whether discharged on the coast or at home for "fitting Shipping and Medi- 

 cine Chest" — a phrase the meaning of which I have never been able to have 

 satisfactorily explained to me. 



The following is the result of the Seaman's voyage of four years: 



Sailors share reduced to money $262.25 



Less fitting shipping and Medicine Chest $10.00 



10 pr. ct. discount on $2622%qq 26.22 



3 pr. ct. insurance on $262^%oo 7.S6 



Money originally advanced 70. 00 



Interest on same 1 6. 80 



Cash advanced during voyage 30. 00 



Interest on same I pr. ct. pr. month 7. 20 

 Clothing which he was compelled to draw owing to his 



bad outfit 40.00 



208.08 



Amount to be received at the end of Voyage $ 54* ^ 7 



But allowing that every dollar of the $2622%qq should be handed to 

 the Seaman at the end of the voyage — that the Seventy dollars first ad- 

 vanced should be admitted as a gratuity — that the outfit should have been 

 properly and honestly put up, that even the money advanced and the clothes 

 given on the voyage and all the interest upon these various sums should be 

 thrown in as a gift to encourage the young man to continue a profession for 

 which he may by this time have conceived some liking — what would be 

 his monthly wages? A sum so preposterously small that I feel almost 

 ashamed to mention it. It seems incredible that an intelligent active young 

 American should pass through four years of labour (not to mention dangers 



