The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1871-04-25

KILLING WHALES by CANNON. The in
vontive genius of America has of late
years been directed very largely toward
improved modes of capturing iish,in which
not satisfied with the comparatively rude
methods of hooks and lines, spears, and
even nets, an effort is made to destroy
them in much more wholesale manner.
Even the whale-fshery which for so long
time has been carried on by means of
the harpoon, has, as is well known, lately
been prosecuted by firing explosive sub
stances into the body of the animal with
shoulder-guns or with cannon, and thus
disabling it very quickly. This method
has been adopted by many whalers in the
Greenland seas, and has been especially
applied of late to the taking of the large
finback whales of the Norwegian coast.
These animals have hitherto been but
little disturbed by whalers, as, although
of enormous size from sixty to ninety
feet), they possess comparatively little
blubber and are so active as to be rarely,
if ever, successfully attacked by the har-
poon.
A recent writer in Land and Water
recounts late visit to the establishment
Of Herr Foyen, in the Varanger Fiord.
where, from small Island, the fishery is
prosecuted by means of two small steam.
ers of about seventy tons each. The
special apparatus employed consists Of
harpoon, inclosing in its head half pound
of gunpowder, and with jointed or hinged
barbs containing some percussion-powdei
between them. When the whale is with
in gunshot, this harpoon, attached to the
end Of long cord coiled around drum,
is fired into the animal from cannon
about the size of four FOUNDER. As the
aukes penetrate the side of the whale they
arc naturally brought together or pressed
down toward the shaft, and in so doing
ignite the percussion-powder, which sets
fire to the gunpowder, causing an explos-
ion in the body of the animal that usual
ly produces mortal wound. The whale,
of course, starts off under the stimulus Of
the pain, and the rope is carried out for
time, being uncoiled from the drum
precisely like fishing-line from the reel
of a fishing rod, the steamer following
after so as to prevent and undue strain.
If necessary second discharge takes
place, which almost invariably produces
death.
The steamer then tows the animal back
to the station, where the blubber is taken
off in long strip by means of properly
constructed apparatus, after which the
flesh is removed in somewhat similar
manner, and finally the bones are separat-
ed and hauled out. 1t is the intention Of
the proprietor to prepare fertilizer by
drying the flesh and reducing it to powder,
and brisk trade has already sprung up
in Germany in this article. The bones
are likewise to be ground and utilized in
various ways; so that the entire animal
-blubber, flesh, and bones-will be put
to economical purposes. The carcasses
of over thirty whales were heaped up on
the island at the time of the visit referred
to, forming red hill of very considerable
magnitude, visible at a great distance.
The proprietor stated that the factory
would not answer its expectations unless
fifty whales could be taken every summer.
1t was thought, however, that there
would be comparatively little difficulty
in securing this number; and in fact, as
we learn later advices, over sixty in all
were captured during the season.-EDI-
TORS SCIENTIFIC RECORD, in Harper's
Magazine for May.