In the second half of the 19th century, many major port cities were confronted with an unusual and dubious phenomenon known as ‘shanghaiing’. This term referred to the practice of forcibly or fraudulently recruiting people to work on seagoing vessels.
The victims were most often men in financial difficulty, sailors without steady employment, or patrons of port establishments. After being recruited, they either signed contracts voluntarily or were sent to ships against their will.
Portland was no exception. Thanks to its advantageous location on the Willamette River, the city became an important transport hub through which the trade routes of the Pacific coast passed. Along with the development of maritime trade, a whole industry for recruiting crews for ships sprang up here.
Why captains needed sailors
19th-century maritime transport required a large workforce. Long voyages, harsh working conditions and high mortality rates led to a constant shortage of crew members. The situation was complicated by several factors:
- dangerous sailing conditions;
- long periods away from home;
- low wages;
- high injury rates;
- the risk of falling ill whilst travelling.
Many sailors left their ships at the first opportunity, especially upon arrival in major ports. As a result, captains were forced to recruit new crew members before every voyage. Against this backdrop, there arose a demand for intermediaries who could quickly provide the necessary number of workers.
Who were the crimps?
Crimps played a central role in the shankhaing system. This was the name given to the intermediaries who sought out and supplied sailors for merchant ships. They helped captains to recruit crews. In practice, their methods often went far beyond the bounds of the law.
Crimps actively collaborated with the owners of hotels, boarding houses, saloons and other establishments where sailors gathered. They received a fee for every person placed on a ship. In the port districts of Portland, there were well-known figures in this trade, whose names were frequently mentioned in documents and newspapers of the time.
How the recruitment system worked
Not all seafarers ended up on ships against their will. Many agreed to the work voluntarily, as it was difficult to find stable employment in port cities. However, alongside legitimate recruitment, there were also methods that today would be considered outright fraudulent or criminal.
Recruiters actively exploited people’s vulnerable positions. Some were misled when signing documents, whilst others were promised a completely different job or conditions of service. Alcohol, debt obligations and pressure from intermediaries interested in receiving a commission for each new crew member often played a part. In some cases, physical force was also used.
As a result, a person might find themselves on board a ship before they were fully aware of the terms of the agreement they had entered into or the actual conditions of the forthcoming voyage. For captains of merchant ships, such a system allowed them to quickly make up for a shortage of seafarers and avoid delaying the ship’s departure.
Portland as a centre of maritime trade
By the end of the 19th century, Portland had become one of the most important port cities in the north-western United States. Its strategic location on the Willamette River provided a link between the region’s inland areas and international shipping routes, which contributed to the rapid development of trade and shipping.
A wide variety of cargo passed through the local docks every day, and the waterfront districts became a bustling hub of commercial activity. Along the quays stood warehouses, trading offices, ship repair workshops, hotels and boarding houses for sailors, as well as numerous saloons and establishments where people connected to the maritime industry gathered. Crew recruitment agents also operated here, maintaining constant contact with the captains of merchant ships.
Such a concentration of commercial and maritime infrastructure created ideal conditions for the operation of the seafarer recruitment system. In this environment, the ‘krimps’ could quickly find new crew members for ships and conduct their business practically at the very heart of the city’s port life.
Legends of underground tunnels
One of the most famous stories associated with Portland concerns the so-called Shanghai tunnels. According to legend, an extensive network of underground passages existed beneath the streets of the old town, through which kidnapped people were secretly transported to ships.
However, historians have repeatedly pointed out the lack of documentary evidence for such stories. It is a fact that underground spaces did indeed exist. They were used for storing goods, for domestic purposes and for building maintenance.
Some passages connected commercial premises with river quays. Nevertheless, very little direct evidence remains to suggest that these tunnels were specifically built for the mass transport of abducted sailors.
Why the authorities did not intervene for so long
For many years, the activities of the ‘krimpov’ took place almost openly. There were several reasons for this. Maritime trade generated significant revenue for the city, and shipowners needed a constant supply of crew members.
The legislation of the time did not yet contain effective mechanisms for regulating labour relations in the maritime sector. As a result, many dubious practices persisted for decades. It was only through gradual changes to labour legislation and increased state oversight that such cases began to decline.
The Decline of the Shanghaiing Era
At the start of the 20th century, the situation began to change. The development of the transport system, improvements in working conditions and reforms in maritime law meant that the services of shanghaiers were no longer in such high demand. New requirements regarding the registration of crews also played a part, making it more difficult to use the old recruitment methods.
Gradually, shanghaiing evolved from a widespread practice into a part of the city’s history. Today, those events are remembered through archival documents, newspaper articles and numerous legends, which continue to attract the attention of researchers.