Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1884-11-06
Ambergris.

tlons OF the lorecastle. a substance
called ambergris, which has been
known for about century, is found
at rare intervals floating on the sea il.
the hottest latitndes and also in tho
intestines OF the spermacetl whale. It,
history has never been properly ex-
planned. Various theories have been
advanced, but all specialists have con-
tented themselves with quoting some
predecessors words concerning its
origin and composition, and to. day il
affords an ample field for the scientific
enthusiast, as it is an extremely valua-
BILE commodity, and If the latest ap-
pliances were brought to. bear upor
the subject all unsettled questions un.
doubtedly could be answered. 1t wa.
At first supposed to be of vegetable
production for the most part, and an.
alogous to amber; hence its name, am
nergris, or gray amber. 1t is dark
gray in color and is formed of coDcen
tric layers. 1t feels like hard rubber
The sailors found it in the whales in
testlnes near the stomach, and devel
oped the theory that it was petrlfac-
tion, and that as natural course o.
events the whole whale might turn in
TO the substance. In a short time sail
ors were multiplying who had seel
amber whalesl
During the spring of last year the
Sea Ranger, whaling ship owned b,
F. H. Bartlett 4 Sons, of Massachu-
setts which had sailed from New Bed
ford in June, 1879, for four years
whaling voyage in the South Atlantic
took sperm whale while cruising e
the south of St. Helena. After the
usual operation of hooking, hosting
and cutting off the blubber and bail
ing out the "case," tue most interest
ing part of the work was begun. AT
this point all on board eagerly watched
while the long spade is pushed into the
intestines in order to ascertain if there
is any ambergris in the stripped levia
than. In the present instance The
men were awarded by finding the fin.
est specimen of ambergris that has
heen captured during the last ten
years. 1t was about the size and shap,
Of watermelon, weighed 20 pounds.
and was worth $4,000.
The price of ambergris has been a.
high as $3.50 per pound. The piece
found by the Sea Ranger was regular il
shape and of the best quality--compac'
and solid. 1t was very pleasant task
for the captain to put the little $lS, 200
lump under his arm and take it ashore
and forward it by freight ship to the
owners of his vessel, into whose
hands it came the 8 LIST of last Nav. and
was sold the same day to Messrs
Weeks & Potter of Boston, who had
received news by cable of the great
find" Whenever a large piece Of
the substance is found the more prom.
inent chemists and druggists of the
world are promptly noti6ed-such
dealers as Lubin & Pnaud. of Paris
the Atkinsons, of London. Lanman &
Kemp, and Schiffelln & Co., of New
Tork-and there is spirited competi-
tion for the control of the market. The
supply is extremely small. There are
about ITS whaling ships in the world:
all are constantly looking for the pre-
cious substance, and the entire amount
taken by all these ships Including the
lao American whalers the Is ships
that go to Baffin's Bay from Dundee
and the few stragglers from Norway
and Sweeden) is not more than from
so to rs pounds per year. This
amount is exclusive of whatever some
firms may be lucky enough to secure
secretly.
1t was used for many years in medi
cine, and is now prescribed in some
parts of France, bnt its great and i'm.
portant present use is in the manufact-
ure of perfumes, 1t consists chiefly of
of peculiar fatty matter, similar to
cholesterin, and is readily dissolved in
alcohol, ether, or the volatile or fixed
oils. The most widely accepted sup
position is that it is a hardened piece
of hillary matter formed in the stomach
of sick whale, and perhaps in some
other 6shes also, for the sperm whale
is known to feed upon cutt1e.fsh,
whose tough, lndestructible beaks are
TO be found in the ambergris, a fact
arguing that the amoergris was cause
or result of indigestion, and might oc-
cur in the stomach of other extremely
vivacious fishes that are known to de-
vour at certain periods anything they
meet. They are sick during the pres
ence of their Jonah-like visitors and
get we'll again after the visitors have
taken their departure.
Ambergris is now found floating in
the water near Sumatra, Malacca and
Madagascar, also along the American
coast and Brazil, China and Japan.
and along the west coast of Ireland.
Experiments are now being carried on
in France with view of definitely de-
termining its composition, and it is
hinted that they may result in the in.
ventien of compound that will to "a
certain extent take the place of am.
bergris in the manufacture of perfum-
cries.
In making perfumery there are two