Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-03-21

DOLPHIN FOR DINNER.
A Royal Dish of the Olden Time to be
Revived.
PoRPoIsE FLESH now BEING SOLD IN THE
| PHILADELPHIA MARKET-A QUESTION CON-
| cERNING LENT-wHAT THE CURATOR OF MAN.
MAILS REVEALED TO A "sTAR" REPORTER.
In a cosy laboratory hidden away in one of the
corners Of the national museum building,
| crowded with skulls, bones, stuffed skins and
various memorials of the animal creation,
STAR reporter came upon Mr.. F. w. True the
curator of the department of mammals just as
he was reading telegram from a life-savng
station keeper on the New Jersey coast an
nouncing that a porpoise had stranded there.
"The men in the life-saying service are instruct
ed, said Mr.. True, ITO notify us of any strange
| creature that may be stranded. If we want it
| we telegraph them to sew it up In a canvas bag
and ship 1t to the musuem by express, or send
speaking of porpoises," continued the Gu.
| rator, there is something that viii interest
you" AS he spoke he took from a shelfbehind
like large bologna sausage.
is sansage of pPogpoise he went ON
poise., Ihave another specimen here of smoked
porpoise, which you can try,
The curator Tha soon found the specimen he
very coarse. 1t was very dry and very hard
SO hard that the curator had to use a Ratchet to
"The Oil has not been all taken out" he said,
| as he handed mOrsel to the reporter to try
,'and that gives it strong taste, which might
palate.'
The reporter ate his piece of porpoise with as
flavor something like smoked herring null
| tipl1ed by hundred. After RECALLING himself in
this manner. the reporter inquired In the inter-
est of clearinghouse keepers and others who
have a practical interest in such matters for
further particulars concerning porpoise meat.
Mr. True, engaged in the business Of reparing
Inc nesh OF the porpoise for market. The ex-
pertinent is Interesting in connection with the
bers of porpoises on our coasts; the supply seems
to be inexhaustible. Porpoise used to be con-
BOOK" "en'l0nea IN Ahs'Fanss's household
Has porpoise been sold in the Philadelphia
az think the flesh was introduced under the
name OF buffalo 1t is dark like buffalo meat,
MIR. TIRE with smile, "during Lent it was in
fr duced as porpoise. 1 recc = Cd a letter from
gentleman interested in tie trade asking if it
could not be introduced a food which might
| be eaten in Lent. Among scientific men the
Porpoise Is not, Of course, known as a fish, but
the scientific and the ecclesiastical definitions
| of a fish may not, of course be based upon the
same distinctions. There was once during the
middle ages, great controversy as to whether
the otter could be eaten in Lent. 1t was held
that creatures that swan in the water were fish,
and IT was decided, l believe, that the otter
could be eaten without violation of the rules Of
What do you think of the quality of the
1.-THE quality is as good as any in the market
It Is not tender of course like the meat Of ami
mails bred especially for the market The por-
makes them tough. There is no reason why
this meat should not be cheap
"Porpoise is not new dish?" suggested the
mo. It has always been considered fit for
food. The Porpoise lives on fish, and eats only
natives live on white whales, eating fat and
all. The Indians on the east coast Of Maine
a aaye hsshery FOR Porpoises, and eat their
on our west coast hunt the porpoise for food.
1t is matter of fashion entirely. Three CEN
n tn ago when the p9rp3se in fashion
commandeda very high price, There is no
reason why it should not come into fashion
porpoise will again be generalfy eaten. drank s
some or the milk of the porpoise at Cape May.
% and tasted
but trife sickish-a little Of it at time is
enaSWaE hsr. orc tho no,ro,so, oo,,,,.n ,.,
There has been colony along the Hatteras
reef, In North Carolina, from the beginning of
the century, one of whose employments has
been to catch PROPOSES" said Mr.. True. "They
cut them up and get the oil from them in a rude
other town where they could find market.
Abouta year ago company was formed at Cape
may, New Jersey, for the purpose of obtain
Ing porpOiSe Oil and leather This com pany, L be-
iieve, has not succeeded well. One OF the men
interested in the company went to Hatteras and
leased the fishery there for five years-leasing
the grounds, the fishermen and everything-pay.
Ing at certain rate for every porpoise caught.
He has his tanners and his apparatus for taking
out the oil. He saw that the flesh might be Of
some use, and has been successful in introduce
+! ing It in the Philadelphia market.
poles are erected on the Beach about four miles
apart. Men are stationed at these poles on the
Lookout, and when the porpoises pass into the
| fishing ground, between these poles the look
out shows signal flag, There are two boats
some distance out, which separate, giving out
boats further inshore These boats in turn move
towards the shore, paying out their nets, and
the result Is the porpoises are soon surrounded,
with meshe these nets arc nds raWgg
| to the shore Sometimes there will be 800 or
400 porpoises in the enclosure If they were
draw the net to the shore, they would make
Freak altogether for one point in the net and
break through it. They are simply kept in the
| pound, and boats put out from the shore with
smaller nets, with which they take out thirty
or 1 for t at time ~, The method is very much
on the Mediterranean. This winter the man
who has gone into the enterprise expects to get
| feet long, and of the kind known as the bottle.
nosed dolphin As soon as they are caught
dayers take off their hides, Which are sent to
New Jersey and made into excellent leather"
"Porpoise leather" said THE STAR reporter,
"Yes. Porpoise boots in London cost three
times as much as any other. The leather is
perfectly water proof II the flaying is done
obtained from each porpose-enough to make
several pairs of boots. One great difficulty, I
believe, is to get a tanner who knows how to
treat the hide properly. 1t has to be tanned
with some peculiar process. From one por-
poise thirty or forty pounds of edible flesh can
De Obtained. had steak cut from porpoise
which was received here and it was cooked for
me at the restaurant. 1t was very dark in color
because had not let the blood out, but it was
nevertheless, quite palatabe. The flesh of that
portion" said the curator, pointing out on a
picture of a porpoise the region near the tail,
us very tough, on account OF the ligaments
that run through it the muscles that operate the
tail. 1t is proposed, believe, to utilize these
ligaments In making glue Then every part of
the porpoise will be used for something, the
hide, the Oil and the flesh. The skeletons are
LETT now on the beach, but they can be used. for
fertilizing purposes. Take some more, 2 said
the curator again passing the smoked porpoise,
but the reporter, excusing himself on q plea OF
business elsewhere, took his leave.
Ode For st. Patrick's Day.
BY F. M'NERHANY.
Hail Erfnt ponsfva lovn1v Ic1o