- description
- # The Waisters
## Overview - What this is (type, form, dates, scope)
This is a section from the text file [white_jacket.txt](arke:01KG89J19NC56FFGBCM2SWEZZY), extracted on January 30, 2026, by the structure-extraction-lambda. The section, labeled "The Waisters," is part of Chapter III of the text. It describes a division of the crew on a man-of-war. The text spans lines 422-436 of the source file.
## Context - Background and provenance from related entities
This section is part of the "Melville Complete Works" collection ([Melville Complete Works](arke:01KG89HMDZKNY753EZE1CJ8HZW)). The text file "white_jacket.txt" is a novel contained within this collection. The section is part of Chapter III, which provides a general overview of the divisions within a man-of-war's crew. The section follows "The After-guard" and precedes "Troglodytes or “_holders_”" within the chapter.
## Contents - What it contains, key subjects and details
The section describes the "Waisters," a group of sailors stationed on the gun-deck. They are responsible for hauling sheets and performing "ignoble duties" related to drainage and sewerage. The text portrays them as "sorry chaps" who are not involved in the more demanding tasks of sailing. They are described as being "sons of farmers" and are assigned to duties related to the chicken coops, pig pens, and potato lockers. The section concludes by stating that the Waisters are the "tag-rag and bob-tail of the crew" and that anyone good for nothing else is good enough to be a Waister.
- description_generated_at
- 2026-01-30T20:49:48.288Z
- description_model
- gemini-2.5-flash-lite
- description_title
- The Waisters
- end_line
- 436
- extracted_at
- 2026-01-30T20:48:16.646Z
- extracted_by
- structure-extraction-lambda
- start_line
- 422
- text
- Then, there are the _Waisters_, always stationed on the gun-deck. These
haul aft the fore and main-sheets, besides being subject to ignoble
duties; attending to the drainage and sewerage below hatches. These
fellows are all Jimmy Duxes—sorry chaps, who never put foot in ratlin,
or venture above the bulwarks. Inveterate “_sons of farmers_,” with the
hayseed yet in their hair, they are consigned to the congenial
superintendence of the chicken-coops, pig-pens, and potato-lockers.
These are generally placed amidships, on the gun-deck of a frigate,
between the fore and main hatches; and comprise so extensive an area,
that it much resembles the market place of a small town. The melodious
sounds thence issuing, continually draw tears from the eyes of the
Waisters; reminding them of their old paternal pig-pens and
potato-patches. They are the tag-rag and bob-tail of the crew; and he
who is good for nothing else is good enough for a _Waister_.
- title
- The Waisters