The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1889-07-18
pORPoISE CATCHING
EXCITING WORK BY INDIAN FISHER
- MEN ON THE MAINE COAST.

Tke Principal Means a snpp0r4 Of the
PnssanAquoddy Tr1be-Pr1mittvs Meth
oAs os Landing the Big FIsh and Trying
Out the Blubber
Along the coast Of Maine there are
several places where porpoise cstchtngis
carried on extensively and affords the
principal means Of support for many Of
the people living in those localities. The
Bay Of Fundy is an especially good fish
ing ground, and Indian Beach, bordering
on the waters Of the bay is occupied the
year round by whites and Indians who do
little else. For years the Passamaquoddy
Indians have made practice Of camp
ing on the beach and applying them
selves assiduously to porpoise harpoon-
ing and shooting. The winter fab are
the latest and give the most oil; that is
| the valuable part Of the catch.
FROM ''HAND 10 MOUTH"
The largest porpoises are about seven
| feet long, win girth five feet, weigh 800
pounds and over, and yield from six to
seven gallons of oil. The biubber is an
| inch or so thick In warm weather, but In
| the winter double that. A fat fish's blub-
| Der win weigh about one hundred pounds.
/ The Indians do their work in much the
same way now as they did in early
years, the most primitive methods pre-
| vailing. In trying out the blubber the
appliances are OF the rudest kind The
! fires are built among piles Of stone, over
which iron pots are hung. The blubber
| Is cut in small pieces and slowly melted.
The oil is SKINNED into jars and cans,
and when pure is worth ninety cents o
| gallon. The best oil comes from the
Jaws OF the porpoise. The jaws are
hung up in the sun, and the oil drops
down into vessel, each pair producing
about one-haR pint Watchmakers and
others using very fine oil take it in
preference to all other, and it commands
big price. The blubber oil gives good
light, and for years was burned exclu-
sively In the light houses along the coast
|, In good season an Indian will catch
nearly two hundred porpoises, eact
| yielding about three gallons Of oil; bu
most of them fall good deal below this
as they are not over partial to labor, and
as long as the returns Of one catch WI
last, will loaf around the camp rathe
than go out again. The custom is to ge
g few gallons Of oil, 60 to the neares
, market and sell it, then "rest" till forces
: by necessity to make further exertionE
! The porpoise's flesh is much like porl
: when cooked, and is staple article o
food.
HOW THEY ARE CAPTURED.
The bravery, skill and endurance de
manded Of the porpoise catchers in thei
work Is almost unknown to the outsid
world. In the morning, when the mel
ere going 'porpoisin'," the women an
children turn out to see the canoes of
. Each boat has two men, and when
storm comes up while they are out, O
they are unusually late getting in, Their
is great anxiety among those on shore
It takes years of training to make goo
porpoise hunter, and the big boys begi
by going out with the experienced meu
No matter what the waters condition
be It rough or smooth, if there is tri
contemplated the start is made.
In calm weather the blowing Of the POI
g poise can be heard long way, and guide
t the Indians in the right direction. Shoot
q | ing Is the most successful method Of XII
T ing the fish. Long, smoothbore guns wit
big charges of the powder and double
shot are used. AS the fish is floating
swimming and diving about the water
s first on the surface and then below, th
' canoe is padded as near as possible
g Then, as the porpoise lifts himself
= dive, the guns charge is let fly. Their
is seldom failure to make sure shot
, but the fish is speared to stop his -four
dering about in the dying struggle.
! is then landed in the canoe by graspin
a the pectoral fin withsone hand, stickin
couple of fingers in the blow hole an
dragging it over the side. In still wate
i this is easy, but when high sea is run
;. ming the undertaking is hard and daY
. gerous.
Sharks are plenty, and their fins al
almost always visible cutting the wat4
q as soon as porpoise is wounded, tt
, blood attracting them. No end Of st,
ries are told Of men having had the
arms bit off by the sharks while the
were reaching into the water to secul
a porpoise, but old fishermen scott {
. such thing, and pay no attention to Il
IL dread ocean monsters as they almost ~
= their noses against the sides Of the c,
. noes.-St. Louis Globe-Democrat.