The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1874-10-01

The service required strength.
pluck, and enterprise. In this things
Americans would suit il, and in 1872
the fruit Of their toll in the whale
fisheries FIRST appeared in the markets.
We believe there is yet extant the
fist agreement ever made in Amer
ica on the subject. 1t it James l.o-
per doth ingsge to carry ON design
Of whale catching on the island of
Nantucket. That it to say, James
Engages TO be third in all respects,
and some of the town Engages on the
other two.thirds in like Manner
Work was begun on the smallest
scale in boats from the shore by thrift
ty, industrious, and courageous men.
Ii attracted the Americans almost as
much as it repealed the English, and
in 1861 the small island of Nantuck-
ct employed ten vessels of one hun
dred tons each. In the year follow
ing the number had increased to fif-
teen vessels, and within twelve
months more magnificent feet of
eighty vessels, all hailing from Nan
tucket, were afloat in search of whales
on the nearest and most distant wat
ers.
The whalebone exported from
America to Great Britain reduced the
price of that material one-third. The
British government had thus far ex-
pended the extraordinary sum OF
one million, six hundred and eighty
seven thousand nine hundred and
two pounds in bounties,and were con-
tent while to watch the progress of
their colonial subjects in the whale
fisheries: but after the Declaration
of independence they were no longer
interested in them. and renewed and
added to their offers of bouniies.-
They offered premium Of six hun
dred pounds to the vessel proceeding
to the Pacific, continuing four months
on the ground. and after being SIX
teen months out, having the greatest
quantity of sperm oil on board. Five
hundred pounds more were promised
to any of the seven vessels having
the next greatest quantity. A second
invitation was also issued to foreign
ers. who were allowed to import their
goods free of duty and to compete for
all the premiums. The pertinacity of
the government appears as strange as
the aversion of the sailors to an ex
citing service in which they might be
expected to glory.
The Americans were never assisted
by their government, and de- ended
on their own resources alone. Their
success elected brilliant eulogy
from Burke in the English Pertinent;
and on the Arctic and Antarctic, the
Pacific and the Atlantic, they were
unrivaled AS hunters Of the grandest
game in the world. In 1910 the
whaling feet numbered six hundred
and seventv-fve vessels, most of hem
measuring over four hundred tons
each, and their total capacity was two
hundred thousand tons. They were
manned by seventeen hundred OF the
hardest, pluckiest. and most lndom-
table seamen. Their value was twen-
ty-fve million dollars, and they car.
ried on an annual business of five mil
lion dollars.
The secret of the success of the
Nantucket whalemen is strikingly sta
ted in Nimrods Of The Sea. They prac-
ticed cooperation to Perfection
ssF'rom the first SAYS Captain Davis,
"the people dubbed their means to
build or buy a vessel, and many
branches of the labor were conducted
by those Immediately interts ed in
the voyage. The cooper while en-
ploved in making casks took good
care that they were of sound and sea-
soned wood, lest they might leak his
oil in the long voyage the black
smith forged the choicest iron in the
shank of the harpoon, which he knew,
perhaps, from actual experience would
be put to the severest test in wrench
ing and twisting as the whale, in
which he had one-hundredih inter-
est, was secured The rope maker
faithfully tested each yarn of the tow
line to make certain that it would
carry two hundred pounds of strain,
for he well knew that one weak inch
in his work might cause the loss Of
fighting monster the very women
and girls who made the clothing re-
membered in their toll that father, |
brother, or one dearer yet, might
wear the garment, and extra stitches
were lovingly thrown in to save the
loss of button or the ripping of a
seam" Thus it was that the profits
Of the labor were directly enjoyed by
those engaged in it, and the work
mans interest was the masters, and
the masters the workman's.
The English capitalists could no,
compete with such hive of cooper
ationis's, although their government
aided them with a premium OF ten
dollars per ton burden of the vessels,
protected them by excessive duties
on American oil, and granted unpre-
ccdented immunities TO their seamen.
They were compelled to reilnqulsh
the honor and the glory and the pro-
fit, and to simply watch how others
could excel them. For many years
to come the commoners Of Nantucket,
New Bedford, and New London were
destined to be masters Of the whale
fsheries.-Uorper's -Nogazine