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Frank,

I was claiming implicitly that whaling was more profitable than many
voyages.  Unfortunately, I was claiming that without any documentation
whatsoever.

The 1840s and the 1850s are acknowledged as the time that chronometers
came into their own, due to lower prices associated with improved
methods of manufacture.  That's when they began to displace lunars.

I was asking about similar records from the 1820s, before this
displacement had begun on all but naval vessels.

fred



On Jan 8, 2004, at 5:25 PM, Frank Reed wrote:

> 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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