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    Re: Real accuracy of the method of lunar distances
    From: Frank Reed CT
    Date: 2004 Jan 8, 17:25 EST
    Fred, you wrote:
    "There were very few corporate entities back then, but plenty of rich
    people (this was the era of "regressive" taxes)."

    There were a number of very large 'corporate entities' in Europe, and many European ships traveled under company flags. But these were rare in the US. In the 1840s/50s, American whaleship captains and owners were "well-off" and they built comfortable homes in their local towns (you can see some here in Mystic), but they were really small-time merchants by national or international standards.

    And:
    "Whaling ships were a profitable venture, and two chronometers would
    have helped them chase whales around the Southern Ocean, so I expect
    they were considered necessary equipment.  Also, chronometers may have
    started to come down in price by then."

    That's basically what I was getting at. As early as the 1840s, an ordinary whaleship would customarily carry two chronometers. Yes, whaling was often profitable, but we're still talking about a simple commodity business and one without hard deadlines --there were no prizes for crossing the Pacific in record time in a whaleship. That's why I think this evidence is so relevant. We're talking about very ordinary commercial vessels with moderate financial backing. By this date, they used chronometers regularly and shot lunars a few times per year at most.

    Frank E. Reed
    [X] Mystic, Connecticut
    [ ] Chicago, Illinois
       
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