Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1890-01-03
ONLY A FEW LEFT.
Great Scarcity of Whales in the
Arctic Ocean.
Steamers and Natives Reduce
a Once Profitable Business.

whaling ground is very Encouraging
the catch, at latest reports, not exceed
ing siXty-four whales. This number
Will not be incre ased great deal, on
account Of the latcness o+vsLe season
when the last report was mlde. This
is certainly not an encouraging pros
ret for the owners or crew, Of these
vessels. The amount of capit.l invested
in the business sailing out OF San FRAU
cisco is considerable. Their. are ten
steamers, twenty bar&s. five schooners
and two brigs.
| Two vessels have been wrecked this
season-onc tark and one steamer. The
decline in whale oil has been SO great
within the last eight years that, COM
paratively Speaking. little has been
brought into the market, whalcbone
being the greet inducemcnt in the pur-
suit of the business. The high price
paid for whalebonc, for which there is
no proper substitute, Inns gradually
wrought this great change in the yearly
catch; particularly during last season.
To show how this has been brought
about and to give a mir understand ing
to all those Interested in the business
let Us go back to 1871, when the first
rifles were 81 in killing The walrus.
From that tine until 1855, when the
price of oil an d ivory began
to decline, the slaughter of the
walru7 was so great that they
we're nearly e.tcrminaied, tnd the few
left were so Wild that the report of II
rifle was the Signal for the whole herd
TO plung, into the sea and disappear
among TIC vast fields of &c. Like all
game the constant pursui: drove them
back to safer 'retr eats. uni! now very
few are met. When wnl.us were
plentiful wlia'es were. plentiful; the
wa!rus grounl was also good whale
ground, for the whales, walrus and
seals are at times very sotiable in their
habits. With the decline of the walrus
business steamers were, ntroduced to
pursue the whites ameig tho great ice
feds where it has been considered
dangerous for sailing .yessels to go.
Before the advent of the steamers the
whales, on bling dis.yftcd, would re-
treat into the ice pacd, but would re-
turn frequently to tho open sea, when
the hunters would se: chance at
them. This would cottinue at inter
va!s until early IN the, fall, when the
whales would come {, h; in large mum.
bcrs and were easily ttlcn. Now they
take alarm Il. ine noise Of the steamers
propeller an | retire faTt!'er into the ice.
The steamers can folbw them where
the sailing vessels dar. lot 60"
Another AMI perhaps more serious
cause OF the failure of lite years is that
the demand fur and iicrea,ing price,
of whalebonc ins brought into connie
tition a force hitherto despiscd. This
consists OF the Indians living along the
coast of the Aic,ic seas. A few years
ago the India, WAS catchinp n few
whales in his primitive way. What he
TOOK in no WY inierfcred with the
whaling Industry the blubber he ate
AMI the bone he tradcl with the ships
but 1t was not ong belore he discovered
that whalcbone was highly priz,d by
the white man, and that TIE Indian.
could get anything he asked for in OK.
chanse n grnt competition arose for
the trade among the ship, and traders,
and the Indian soon learned to ask for
more than the bpno was actually worth
In the market, ntd dllawful means hal
10 be resoric' 10 to obtain the bone.
consequently tho NATIVES were soon sup
p led with ever, thin, their hearts could
desire. They become insolent, and
seeing THAT bone could buy any
thing and that they were at a disad-
vantage with The wiite maa in whal-
ing they began u ask for bombs,
guns bomb lances aid harpoons. These
were readily given them in exchange
'oF 'he'r whalebons by the thought.ess
wEalemen. Then tIcy wanted whale.
boats and complete equipments. Soon
''he natives were Supplied all ong the
coast from Cape Barring to Point Bar
row with the whacmen's equipments,
winch they were MT slow in learning to
use. This year here wer, over 800
bombs fired from Long the shore and
only eight whales were caught by the
Natives If thisEh-ng continues it will
soon result in tn total extern ination
OF the whales IN ae north"
ciptain Kel'y,,.so spoke of the in
fan9i$ns traffic in rum which hal bean
intrn accd in The Arctic by renegade