More maritime info for those of us with mariners in our trees....enjoy, malinda > Fine by me. Bill Bunting > ---------- > Hi Bill....this is fascinating. > > I descend from some earlier mariner/shipping folks in Colonial VA and NC. > Would you mind if I shared your post with some of those lists ? We genealogists > don't usually have access to the realities of our mariners. This is a wonderful > piece of history. > > Thank you for sharing it...malinda > > bunting wrote: > > Mark Snow asked about masters employed on shares. > > In the Aug. 1955 Maine Coast Fisherman Capt. Frank Wilson writes of taking > the ripe little coaster St Leon on a 40/60 share arrangement. He took 60% of > the freight money, paid the grub bill, and one half of port charges. The > owner took the 40% minus half of the port charges. Making the skipper foot > the grub bill sped up turnarounds. > > In the post Civil War era, at least, the more traditional arrangement, at > least on larger schooners, was the 'square halves' system, under which port > charges (including pilotage, towage, stevedoring, brokerage commissions, > etc.) were deducted from gross earnings. The money remaining was equally > divided between the vessel (i.e. the owners) and the captain. (The owners > included the captain, who owned a 1/8th interest and--for a new vessel-- > found owners, among friends and business associates, for another 1/8th). Net > profits for the vessel were paid out in owners' dividends. The captain paid > crew's wages and grub from his half. When a vessel incurred a large expense > the owners were accessed for an "Irish dividend." On very large schooners > after the '90s captains were commonly paid a monthly salary of $40 or $50, > along with "primage" of 5% of gross earnings. He would still have to come up > with 1/8th ownership. (At least one managing owner was said not to allow > captains to insure their shares, but don't ask me to find that reference!). > Typically a deep-water square-rigger master received $20 a month ( his chief > mate made $50) plus 5% primage and whatever dividends his 1/8 interest > earned. Additionally, he profited from the slop chest, often as his private > venture, although some managing owners required that profits be split with > the vessel. (It is unlikely that much attention was given to the law > limiting slops profits to 10%.) He also profited from various gratuities, > commissions, and kickbacks from those with whom he did business in port. > Since the vessel paid for food, If any family members accompanied him he > reimbursed the vessel for their board. > > Bill Bunting