I have just finished reading a biography of Samuel Plimsoll by Nicolette Jones called The Plimsoll Sensation. For those that do not know, every ship that now goes to sea has a marker on the side of ship to indicate the depth to which the ship can be safely loaded. During the late 1800's the loss of life was enormous from ship going to sea and floundering even in very moderate seas, not even storms. Ship owners over insured the ships and had a callous disregard for the life of the seamen. Merchant seaman had no choice but to put to sea even if they knew the vessel was a coffin ship. They risked six weeks or more in jail if they did embark once they had signed on. This was in a time when you could still starve to death in England. Six weeks was a sentence for the family as well as the sailor. Not all ship owners were rascals but many were. Plimsoll was a Liberal MP for Derby, he and his wife were devoted to improving the condition of the working poor.
Click HERE for more info.
No comments:
Post a Comment