Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1872-02-22
WHALING NEAR SHORE.

WHALING NEAR SHORE.
How the sam Diego Whalers Capture
and Convert their Prcy-Excilfnx
Sccncs-i;xtcnt Of the lssastsacss.
From tho San Diego {CaL) Union, Jan. IL.
Since our last report the whtlers en-
gagged in fishing in kelp have met with
such success us equals their most san
guine expectations. Three whales in
addition to those previously reported,
having been caught, making thus far
this season five, whose aggregate yield
of oil will amount to 100 barrels.
Whales are now seen nearly every day
outside Of the heads, sometimes in
schools and often singly. On.Saturday
last fifteen were observed ut once. On
this day large bull was harpooned,
which gave it's captors considerable of
trouble. Two others were fastened to
the same day, but escaped. The day
previous a gootl-sizcl bull was taken.
On Sunday IL large COW whale and calf
were captured; the calf being worthless
for oil-making, was allowed to float
away. The COW, however, was Il fine
catch, anil being extremely fat it's
blubber will not yield less than seventy.
five barrels of prime oil.
The method Of taking the whale here
is similar to that practisel by the whal
ing vessels, with this difference: that
the watch upon whaler Is kept at the
masthead, while our whalers are always
on the lookout and constantly on the
ground usually frequented by the
whales Mt this season of the year.
When a whale is observed by the look
out upon q regular whaler, the call,
"There she blows! - is the signal for
lowering and manning the boats. No
such exciting scene is gone through by
the San Diego whalers. The cry,
"There she blows" is the signal for
bending to their oars and starting in
instant pursuit. Not moment is lost,
everything being in readiness in expec-
fancy of the welcome call. The last
and largest whale captured this season,
made an interesting chase. Her blow.
ing was observed by the crews of the
four boats almost simultaneously.
The moment she was seen the
orders came quick and sharp
from the boatswain in command and at
once the men bent to their oars with a
will, making their boats bound over the
water with such speed as would aston
ish green hand. The whale, how
| ever, seemingly unconscious of the
close proximity ofits would destroyers,
at regular intervals sounded and re-
turned to the surface to blow, evidently
enjoying himself hugely. Soon the
boats were up with the mammoth of
the Deep" and nearly in reach of it's
ponderous fukes. Having pulled their
craft in such position as would allow
the harpooners to take good aim and to
dart their lances with accuracy, the
boats crew lay on their oars, awaiting
the signal to discharge their lances.
Soon it was given, and one bomb and
three other lances were simultaneously
discharged at the whale. If the speed
of the boats when impelled by the oars
of the crew seemed immense, it now
was almost startling.
No sooner were the harpoons darted,
than on dashed the whale at furious
rate. Stout lines, however, towed the
boats after it, and soon the fury of the
wounded whale subsidized, and it lay
upon the surface Of the water an inani-
mate carcass. After the death of the
whale, the danger and accompanying
excitement being over, the work (no
play WORK, but real genuine labor) must
be performed by the boats crew. 1t is
necessary to secure the carcass, and to
do this it must be towed to some shelf.
cred place, where it may be cut up
The San Diego whalers have chosen
Ballast Point for this purpose. it's close
proximity to the mouth of the harbol
and sheltered position rendering it the
most advantageous point on the bay.
After towing in the whale and dragging
it as far on shore as possible, the labore
of the boat crews are finished. They
then seek the kelp again, to lie in wait
for more whale.
| As soon as the captured whale has
been brought inside the point and
made secure, it is taken charge of by q
force of tlirty-four men, employed 70,
the purpose of trying the oil from the
blubber. These men are divided ur
into gangs, some Of which arc employ
ed in stripping the blubber, others in
carrying, some attending to fires, &c.
Two large watts or pots with a capacity
of one hundred and fifty gallons each,
are constantly filled with blubber,
from which the oil is rendered. The
fuel used is principally refuse blubber,
| which makes fine heat and q villain.
GUS stencil. The blubber, after being
stripped into pieces of from thirteen
to six inches, is carried to these watts
and thrown into them in such quaint.
ties as will nearly fill the vessels. The
fires below are carefully watched and
not allowed to get too low or burn toe
fercely.
Two men stand by with long poles,
whose duty tits to stir the boiling mass
of blubber and keep it from burning
thus insuring a good quality of oil. Al
each pot is also man with a large
strainer, whose business it is to fish
out the peices OF blubber as fast as the,
are sufficiently "browned," and throw
them into a vessel. From this they arr
taken to machine and subjected to .
pressure which compels them to yieli
all the oil that is left in them. Whe1
the watts contain sufficient quantity O
oil, it is taken out with pot-ladels ani
poured into casks to cool. From thes,
casks it is drawn off into others TO
shipment to San Francisco. Som,
idea of the importance of the whaling
business at this port may be formed
from the quantity of oil exported las
year. Although the business is yet il
its infancy, the export of oil amounted
in 1871 to 81 1888 gallons. Already thi
season Z, 500 gallons have been made
and the prospects for shipment great
~ in excess of the previous year ar
very encoura ging.
Personal.
MISS MARY HOOP, of Litchfield
Conn.,, received the prize offered b,
Hearth and Home for the largest list O
words formed from the letters i,
"Prince Alexis"
MISS EMMA DE HEWITT SoUrHwoRrl
is native of MARYLAND. and since earl,