Browsing by Author "Alborn, Denise M."

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    Shanghaiing and Crimping on the Lower Columbia River: Illicit Recruiting for the Merchant Marine
    (University of Oregon, 1984-06) Alborn, Denise M.; ; ;
    A seaman's job is occupationally unique and was even more so in the past. Before the advent of steam shipping, the nature of sailing compounded many of the problems inherent in the seafaring lifestyle. There were more risks involved, the voyages took longer, and the work was particularly seasonal. Sailing vessels took longer stop-overs in port before they were ready for another voyage, which meant the sailors spent more time ashore between jobs. Necessarily transient, the sailors almost always found themselves isolated strangers in strange towns, al though they might have homes somewhere along the coast. They also had unique consumer needs ashore, and were susceptible to being cheated by waterfront businesses in unfamiliar towns.