Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1880-11-05
WHALING by STEAM.
success or n Recent Experiment In the
Arctic Seas.
New Nnrk II.rnll

whalers nave used steam in the propul-
sion OF their vessels for the past twelve
or fifteen years, it was not until the
present year that any American whal-
ing vessel adopted that method of loco
motion. The tirst-named ships. how
ever, pursue their calling on the east. Or
Greenland side, while the American
whaling fleet is found in the Arctic seas
of Behring's straits region.
There yesterday landed in Boston.
from the cars of TIE overland route
from San Francisco, Capt. l.. c. Owens.
of Martha's Vineyard, veteran whal-
ing captain, who has chased his prev
for the past twenty-five years in the
Arctic seas, and who knows every
phase and has witnessed almost every
contingency Of that most peculiar bust
ness, and whose experiences compre-
bend about all there is to know about
the dangers and the animals of the
great deep Capt. Owen stated, in con-
versatlon, that he should probably long
since have quit the whaling business,
had he not been convinced that some
time he should have opportunity of
putting in execution fayorte scheme
of his own, which was, substantially,
that whaleman, to be successful.
should have the use Of steam power at
will as u propelling agent.
Accordingly, his New Bedford owners,
aftera long and energetic pushing of
his ideas by the captain, had built dur
ing the past year in Bath, Me-, steam
vessel designed for whaling, craft Of
four hundred and twcnty-seyen tons,
new measurement, built for fast sailing
rs we'll as steaming, and fitted with all
the appliances of American whalers
generally. The American fitting, by
the way, differs from the Scotch and
English plans in that the ships of the
latter are furnished with tanks, into
which the captured blubber is placed,
and taken into Dundee for trying.
The American vessels are all fitted
with try works on deck, and try out
the oil and store it in casks rs fast as
caught.
The new steamer was named the
Mary and Helen, was built to consume
as little coal as possible (about four
tons i'll twenCy-four hours, if she steam
ed all day ut one time), was fitted with
boats for chasing whales, the same rs
other ships, and it was intended that
her steam power should only be used
on the whalng-grounds, in calms, or
i'll the midst of ice and currents or
when crushing for whales. She took
out ON her first voyage two hundred
tons of coal, which was not all CON
snmed during the voyage. She left
Honolulu, Sandwich islands. on April
IL, last, and arrived in San Francisco
on Oct. IL, last, having been absent en-
actly six months. She was full, both
below and ON deck, when she arrived.
and could not have taken care of the
blubbcr of another whale had she cap
mred it. Her catch for the season was
twenty-scven whales while during the
time she was ON the grounds not anoth-
er vessel in the fleet caught above four
teen. Her cargo, upon arriving in San
Francisco, was $3.50 barrels Of oil and
$4,000 thousand pounds of whalebone.
and, although the catch has been large
the present year, and prices rule low in
consequence, her cargo is worth consid-
erably over 100000.
Capt Owen speaks enthusiastically
of the success of his experiment, and
found that exactly the results he had
looked for actually took place. In
calms, when sailing vessels could not
proceed forty miles in II week he could
place the Mary and Helen Just where
the whales were known to be herding
and an old whaling captain of twenty
five years Arctic experience may safe
" be let alone to find such places. In
currents, too, SO common and SO power
full III the northern waters, his steam
power was Invaluable. On one occa-
sion his vessel drifted for two DAYS in
thick weather and strong cur
rents, until She had passed consid-
erably beyond the place where the
whales were feeding. When the wealth
er cleared, and the land was sighted
the captain found he was forty miles
beyond the whaling ground, and with
opposing currents and wind. He got
up steam, arrived in the midst Of the
school Mt , o'clock L. NJ, struck and
killed three whales from his boats got
them alongside, and, by daylight the
next morning had cut in and deposited
on deck $4,000 worth Of Oil and bone
the fruit Of eighteen hours work. With
II sailing ship he would not have got
back to the school for dnys perhaps not
nj all. In the cutting process stripping
the blocks Of blubher from the carcass
Of the whele) the steam power proved
an invaluable agent and Of great utility.
Only one whale was cut in by hand
during the trip. and that the last one
tasen, M accident having happened to
the machinery. u separate engine for
ward being employed il this service,
Ii became possible, also for Capt.
Owen, in the Mary and Helen to chase
whales into positions where sailing ships
could not possibly 60, and IN the midst
Of iee foes, or tho formation Of young
ice. to cxtricnte himself without ditli-
Guilty where sailors would run great
risks and probably be lost. He is of
opinion that had the whaIemen sur
rounded and caught in mid ocean in
Young ice, which destroyed them all
with the story Of which AL are familiar
been fitted with steam every one
would have easily escaped. Very
often while fishing vessels are current