The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-06-08
VERY LIKE A WHALE.
One of the Biggest Fish Sto-
ries on Record. ~
THE GREAT SALT LAKE PLANT.
BILE Origin OK tho Bear Lake
aaSnster WhOpper.

Family Herald and Weekly Star. comes
within the range of the Munchausen
articles which sensational scribbleTS
and penoy-a-liners hatch for the delec-
tsti0n of their unsuspscting readers,
and palm off as verities. The story
will be read by people of the west with
much the same interest as chapter
from the Arabian Nights. MIR. Wick
nam, whoever he is, deserves the Dun
for the preparation IF the annexed:
Intelligent newspaper readers have
not forgotten tie Inauguration, fifteen
years ago, by Mr.. James Wickham, a
scientific English gentleman. of the
whale industry in the Great Salt Lake.
AS considerable time was required for
the development of the experiment, the
subject has passed out of the public
mind, but it has by no means been for
gotten by naturalists or capitalists in
terested Ia the whale fishery. The
whale is the largest and probably the
longest lived animal. They have been
known TO grow to 100 feet in length and
live 10 the age of 400 years. IT is NAM
NAL or in other words, suckles its young.
The project of M Wickham was greatly
assisted by this TACT, for the difficulty
that would attend The obtaining CT whale
eggs in the deep seas is at once apparent.
Ii was only necessary to obtain q pair
OF whales in order 10 begin the pro psgs.
ton of animals under domesticatiorl.
TIE southern or Australian whale was
selected as best suited to the climate of
the Great Salt Lake. The greater part
of two years were occupied off the
coasts of Australia by vessel sent es-
pecially for The purpose in con tinued ef.
forts to capture the young whales with
out injury. The feat, however, was at
last accomplished. and the beasts, each
about thirty-hve feet long, were shipped
to San Francisco in 1873 in tanks built
expressly for them. Fifty tanks of sea
water accompanied their overland ship
ment to insure plentiful supplies of the
natural element.
Mr.. Wickham came from London in
person to supsrintend the planting
of his ieyiathan pets. He selected "a
small bay near the mouth of Bear
River, connected with the main water
by shallow strait half mile wide.
Across this strait he built wire fence,
and ineide the pen so formed, he turned
the whales loose. After few minutes
of inactivity they disported themselves
in q lively manner, spouting water as in
mid-ocean, but as if taking in by in
stinct or intention the cramped
character of their new home, they sud-
denly made bee line for deep water.
and shot through the wire fence as il it
had been made of threads. In twenty
minutes they were out of sight, and
the chagrined Mr.. Wickham stood
gazing hopelessly at the big salt water.
If Great Salt Lake were in Asia, it
would be called sea. It is seventy
Eve miles long and from thirty to forty
wide, so 1t is easy to perceive how read
lily the whales could vanish from sight.
Though the enterprising owner was, of
course, disappointed and doubtful of
results, he loft an agent behind him to
look after his floating property.
Six months later Mr.. Wickhanl's
fifty miles from the bay where they had
present, they have been observed at in
tervals BY him and the watermen who
ply the lake, spouting and playing.
Within the last few days, however,
Mr.. Wickham cabIed directions to make
o carefal inspection and report the de-
velopments, and the agent followed the
whales for, five successful days and
nights, discovering that the original
pair are now sixty feet in length, and
followed about by school of several
hundred young. varying in length from
three to fifteen feet. The scheme Is
and complete success, and
Mr.. Wickham 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 |
things. The enormous value
Of the new industry can be better appre-
ciated by remembering that q single |
Hhala produces twenty tons Of pure oil >, |