COUNTING-ROOM 277 



Cargo Value 



1,391 bbls. whale oil $150,060 

 22,650 lbs. whalebone 



195 bbls. sperm oil 136,023 

 3,823 bbls. whale oil 

 31,700 lbs. whalebone 



3,350 bbls. sperm oil 126,630 



7,000 bbls. whale oil 124,000 

 115,000 lbs. whalebone 



300 bbls. sperm oil n6,ooo 

 4,300 bbls. whale oil 

 72,000 lbs. whalebone 



4,181 bbls. sperm oil 109,269 



2,650 bbls. sperm oil 92,000 



3,497 bbls. sperm oil 89,000 



200 bbls, sperm oil 89,000 

 5,300 bbls. whale oil 

 50,000 lbs. whalebone 



3,468 bbls. sperm oil 88,000 



Truly an imposing array of outstanding successes! But 

 unfortunately every item might be matched with the record 

 of some other vessel which put to sea bravely, and never came 

 back. And it might be matched many times over by other 

 voyages which resulted in net losses or in negligible gains. 

 Business risks, like labor risks and physical risks, gripped the 

 industry j and this grip was not to be broken by those strokes 

 of fortune which, through their very scarcity, only served to 

 emphasize the uncertainties and irregularities of the occupa- 

 tion. 



Such a formidable group of varied and heavy risks obviously 

 necessitated measures designed to offset them. In the case of 

 the labor losses these alleviating factors took the form of 

 counter-gains rather than of prevention. Thus the "long 

 lay" resulted not only in relatively low wages but also in wages 

 which were proportioned to profits. An appreciable saving 

 was secured by the whaling owners through having their crews 

 assembled and equipped for them by the special class of mer- 

 chants known as outfitters, who were eager to perform this 



asking, performed an invaluable service by incorporating in his volume, in 

 tabular form, great quantities of documentary material. 



