The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1891-07-30
Whaling.

AS early as the year 1914 fifty whaling
vessels had found their way from New Bed
ford and Boston to Behrng Sea. From
1912, and onward for number of years,
annual complaints were made to the Rus
sian government by the Russian-American
Fur Company of the encroachments of the
Yankee whalers. In 1852 the whaling fleet
had increased to 27S vessels. and the value
of the catch to $4,000, 900. This was,
probably, the most profitable year of the
whaling industry in Alaska. Since then. it
has. in the main, decreased. until in 1862
the value of the catch was less than $780,
600. This increased again in 1867 to
So, 200, 900.
In 1880 the first steamer was added to the
whaling fleet being sent out from San
Francisco. Last year there were twenty
six vessels from San Francisco. and twenty
three from New Bedford, engaged in the
trade. They captured ISL whales, which
yielded 213. .070 pounds of whalebone. 49,
243 barrels Of oil. This season there are
ten steamers and thirty eight sailing-ves-
sells employed in these northern waters,
with very light catch up to midsummer.
The Whaling-vessels are manned upon the
cooperative plan: the men, instead of be-
ing paid regular wages. receive a percent
age of the profits. The captain on the sail
ing-veSselS receives twelfth, the first mate
a nineteenth, the second mate and boat
headers each twenty fifth. the third mate
a thirtieth. the fourth mate. carpenter
cooper, and steward each fiftieth, and the
sailors each one hundred and seventy
fifth. On steamers the rates are little
lower. A captains wages range from moth
number of whales taken. If the ship gets
six whales during cruise, the captain will
have about 81. 400 and a sailor 500. The
sailors usually receive an advance of 500.
and during the cruise are allowed to draw
clothing, tobacco, etc.. from the ships sup
plies-called the ''stop-chest"-to the
amount of $50 to $50. Consequently, if
there are no profits to divide, the sailor is
sure of about $140. The captains and
higher officers are usually men of more than
ordinary character and intelligence-typical
American seamen of the best kind. The
common sailors on whaler are made up
of Portuguese, Italians. South Sea Island
ers, and others of an inferior grade-some
of them being. emphatically. hard cases.
A few years ago whales were plentiful in
the North Pacific, Behring. and Okhotsk
Seas. Then they were followed through
Behring Straits little way into the Arctic.
Then farther and farther. as the whales
have been driven into the inaccessible re-
giOns of the north. until now the whaling
fleet annually rounds the most northern ex-
tremity of the American continent; and
this year, for the first time. few of them
will winter in the Arctic. at the mouth of
the Mackenzie River. 10 escape this deadly
pursuit, the whales try to hide in the ice.
and after them the whalers boldly force
their way. The business is so dangerous
that during the last twenty years more than
a hundred vessels have been lost. The
value of the whale fisheries consists not so
much in the oil taken as in the whalebOne,
which is worth between $3.50 and SIS per
pound.
The product of a fair sized bowhead
whale, at present prices. is worth about
$4,000. A good-sized whale weighs about
one hundred and fifty tons. and contains
about two thousand pounds of whalebone
after it is cleaned. His tongue is fifteen
feet long, from six to eight feet in thick
ness, and contains twelve barrels of oil. His
open mouth is from fifteen to twenty feet
across; his tail. from fifteen to eighteen feet
across. The blubber forms coat around
him from ten to twenty-five inches thick.
It is four feet from the outside of the body
to his heart; and the heart is two hundred
and sixteen cubit feet in size, while the
brains will fill a barrel. Sheldon
Jackson. in New York Evangelist.