The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1888-05-16
4 NEW INDUSTRY.
Raising Whales as an Experiment In the
Great Salt Lake.

1T0SI cstLl 1LShhSs
Intelligent newspaper readers haveno
forgotten the Inauguration fifteen years
ago by Mr.. James Wickham, scientific
English gentlemen, of the whale industry
in the Great Salt Lake. AS considerable
time was required for the development
of the experiment, the subject has passed
ont of the public mind, but it has by nc
means been forgotten by naturallsts OF
capitalists interested in the whale
fishery. The whale is the largest anc
probably the longest lived animal. They
have been known to grow to 100 feet II
length and live to the age of 400 years,
It is mammal, or, in other words,
suckles its young The project OF Mr.
Whickham was greatly assisted by this
fact, for the difficulty that would attend
the obtaining OF whale eggs in the deer
seas is at once apparent. 1t was only
necessary to obtain pair of whales in
order to begin the propagation OF
animals under domestication. The sou
thern or Australian whale was selected as
best suited to the climate OF the Great
Salt Lake. The greater part of two
years was occupied off the coasts OF
Australia by vessel sent especially for
the purpose in continued efforts to cap
ture the young whales without injury.
The feat, however, was accomplished, and
the beasts, each about thirty-fve feet
long, were shipped to San Francisco in
1873 in tanks built expressly for them.
Fifty tanks of sea water accompanied
their overland shipment to insure plenti-
ful supplies OF the natural element.
Mr.. Wickham came from London in
person to superintend the planting" OF
his leViathan pets. He selected small
bay near the mouth of Bear River,
connected with the main water by a
shallow straight half mile wide. Across
this strait he built wire fence, and
inside the pen SO formed he turned the
whales loose. After few minutes of
inactivity they disported themselves in a
lively manner, spouting water as in mid
ocean, but as if taking in by instinct or
intention the cramped character of their
new home, they suddenly made bee
line for deep water, and shot through
the wire fence as if it had been made of
threads. In twenty minutes they were
out of sight, and the chagrined MIR.
Wickham stood gazing helplessly at the
big salt water.
If Great Salt Lake werc in Asia it
would be called sea. It is seventy-fve
miles long and from thirty to forty wide,
SO it is easy to perceive how readily the
whales could vanish from sight. Thorgh
the enterprising owner was, of course,
disappointed and doubtful of results, he
left an agent behind him to look after
bis floating property.
Six months later Mr.. Wickham's rep
resentative came upon the whales fifty
miles from the bay where they had bro
ken away, and from that time to the pre-
sent they have been abserved at intervals
by him and the watermen who ply the
lake sporting and playing.
Within the last few days, however, Mr..
Wickham cabled directions TO make a
careful inspection and report develop
ments, and the agent followed the whales
for five successive days and nights, dis
coverering that the Original pair are now
sixty feet in length, and are followed
about by a school of several hundred
young, varying in length from three to
fifteen feet. The scheme is surprising
and complete success, and Mr.: Wlckham
has earned the thanks of mankind.
Catching whales in Great Salt Lake
and following that business off the dam
gerous Greenland coast are two quite
different things. The enormous value
of the new industry can be better appre-
ciated by remembering that single
whale produces twenty tons of pure oil.