New-York tribune., 1886-02-23
WHALING NOT WHIT 1T USED TO BE.
AN OLD wHALER's LAMENT-sIX MEN WANTED TO
FILL OUT CREW.

|
FILL OUT A CREW.
An advertisement yesterday called for six
strong young for a whaling voyage" 1t signed
by d. l.. Pearl. TRIBUNE reporter started out in
search OF the advertiser whose address was given as
West-st West aud Reade SITS. the reporters Rtten-
tOn attracted By sign on which appeared In gar-
lug red letters the words "wHALLRs WANTED" The sign
hung the iron rail OF fight OF stairs on the out
side OF the building which led up to small door In the
second story ana which steep and narrow that
they reminded OF the opgsllant rigging of clipper
packet. Climbing the stairs with some difficulty. the
visitor entered small the second floor the door
Of which bore the legend "shpptng Office" The room
was about twelve feet square, but was nearly
filed 4 with desk several trunks aud
a miscellaneous assortment of sailors "dunnage."
There several persons. apparently seataring men,
in the On asking for Mr.. Pearl the reporter WAS
directed to thiokset with smoothly shaven face,
who sat- half asleep. behind the desk Hearing his name
mentioned. the shipping agent Immediately straight
ened up his chair and said
~ Want to ship Ever been to sea Know anything
about whaling r.
1t time before the reporter could convince
the agent did wish take trip but
he finally succeeded in doing and stated his bus-
ness
"Humph. yes" said the shipping agent " put that
advertisement in the paper want TO ship ak men for
the whaling schooner Aurora that's lying down at
Edgarstown. She takes out crew of twenty-one hands
all toda csptain two mates, two bOatst-erers. cook.
steward and fourteen before the mast. They have
all but six and going to send them that SIX II
get them. don't care about their all being sailor
and don't want them 10 he all green hands L
wOulc rather have men of OF cOastlng vessels
The" sign contract here to ship on
the vessel and | send them down to New Bedford,
where they sign the articles The Aurora Is what W. call
u plumpuddnger' that Is, she only goes out for year
and In the Atlantic the Western Islands or
ST. Helena. The whalers haye not begun TO ut out
vet, but will in about month, what there Is LETT or
them. The southern sperm wEaerS generally nj ont
about the of March. and the northern or right
whaers about the last Of April Most OF the northern
fleet go up into Hudsons Bay They cannot get IN there
until st of Jane and they have to come out before
October they will he frozen In Sometimes they don't
get In at all.
THE men ship on lays shares. They get no reg
ular wages. Sometimes they make money and some
times they don't. It depends whether they make
quick trip i'll up with oil Or not Old whalers say
tnat man must three trips before no makes auy
money-one before the mast TO learn the business, one
s for the aud the next as mate for
himself have been thirty years IN this business ana
have great deal OF the ups and downs OF whaling
II IL better than IL was few years ago because
there have few whaling vessels fitted out that
the whales have had chance to grow. But IL IL not
what IL used 10 be. In 1880 over soSenty whalers
sailed ont OF New-London; now there are only four
can RENE mber when over 300 hailed from New-Bed-
ford but there is not third or that nunner
There arc about twenty whaers that run out OF san
Francisco. They mostly lIr:e barks But whalngs
not what II used TO be- aud I'm afraid 1t never VIII De
1pa