Elmo Paul Hohman, The American Whaleman: A Study of Life and Labor in the Whaling Industry (New York: Longmans, Green, 1928)

Sourcesources/book-hohman-1928-american-whaleman.md

011.3 KBsize
0223lines
031filed with

As written

title
Elmo Paul Hohman, The American Whaleman: A Study of Life and Labor in the Whaling Industry (New York: Longmans, Green, 1928)
type
book
date
1928
url
https://archive.org/details/americanwhaleman00hohm
seen
image
access
public

The standard study of the whaleman's work, pay and discipline, from the owners' and agents' accounts. Read 14 Oct 2026 in the Internet Archive's copy.

  • Seizing up (p. 122): "The wrists were tied together and lashed to a ratline with the hands and arms extended full length above the head at such a height that the feet barely touched the deck. This was known as 'seizing up.'"
  • Punishment (pp. 121-123): "Physical brutality in some form or other was well-nigh universal in the handling of a crew. It was a rare whaler indeed which was entirely free from it"; "The three standard forms of punishment were beating, flogging, and confinement in the 'run.'"
  • Pay (p. 240): "In round terms, the average whaleman was receiving about twenty cents per day, plus food and bunk space, at a time when the average unskilled shore worker was being paid about ninety cents per day."
  • Charges against the lay (pp. 98, 218-220): the outfit, commonly $70-90, with interest of "twenty-five per cent per voyage," and the slop chest, medicine chest and loading charges.
  1. ---
  2. title: "Elmo Paul Hohman, The American Whaleman: A Study of Life and Labor in the Whaling Industry (New York: Longmans, Green, 1928)"
  3. type: book
  4. date: "1928"
  5. url: "https://archive.org/details/americanwhaleman00hohm"
  6. seen: image
  7. access: public
  8. ---
  10. The standard study of the whaleman's work, pay and discipline, from the owners' and agents' accounts.
  11. Read 14 Oct 2026 in the Internet Archive's copy.
  13. - Seizing up (p. 122): "The wrists were tied together and lashed to a ratline with the hands and arms
  14. extended full length above the head at such a height that the feet barely touched the deck. This was
  15. known as 'seizing up.'"
  16. - Punishment (pp. 121-123): "Physical brutality in some form or other was well-nigh universal in the
  17. handling of a crew. It was a rare whaler indeed which was entirely free from it"; "The three standard
  18. forms of punishment were beating, flogging, and confinement in the 'run.'"
  19. - Pay (p. 240): "In round terms, the average whaleman was receiving about twenty cents per day, plus food
  20. and bunk space, at a time when the average unskilled shore worker was being paid about ninety cents per
  21. day."
  22. - Charges against the lay (pp. 98, 218-220): the outfit, commonly $70-90, with interest of "twenty-five
  23. per cent per voyage," and the slop chest, medicine chest and loading charges.
BeginEnd