Shipping Commissioners Account of Wages

Notes

The information given in this database is entered here as it is on the document or documents in the Maine Maritime Museum collections. The spelling of the mariner’s name may be wrong, the arithmetic may be wrong, and some descriptions may be thoughtless or not politically correct, but they are shown as found. We have attempted to standardize the names and descriptions of vessels and the spelling of place names. We have tried to include in notes fields important information that does not fit in the standard fields.

Abbreviations:

P – Payment, the total amount due the mariner for the voyage

WPM – Wages per month, the usual way seamen were paid

WPR – Wages per run: occasionally, mariners took a set amount for a run between two places

A – Advance, the amount the mariner received in advance of the voyage, for signing on

S – Slops, amount for goods purchased from the vessel’s store

CA – Creditor allotment, amount paid to creditors if so listed

AA – Advanced abroad, cash advances the mariner received while in foreign ports

H – Hospital money, a small monthly amount deducted to support the marine hospital service

SF – Shipping fees, paid to shipping agents for their services

F&F – Fines and forfeitures, if so listed, including prison fees

BD – Balance due, after all of the above