Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1891-09-10
wHALsas IN TIE PACIFIC.
Wsgss Paid On the co-cpasative Plan
vcyagss made further Hssth.

/ SEATTLE, Washington, Sept. 9.-Rev
people are svsfs that co-opsfAtton ha
worked very successfully in ths whaling
vessels Of the Northern Pacific Ocean ant
Of the Bering Sea- The men, instead o.
being paid regular wages, receive per
csnfase Of the profiB.
Tne captain ON the sailing vessels receives
Q twelfth, the ffst mate . ninteenth, tbt
second mste and boat headers each twenty
dfth, the third mate thirtl.t th. The fvufxk
mste, carpenter, cooper and ssewGd. fact
q fftieth, and the iiois. each . one hun
| dred and seventy fifth. Ga steamers the
rates are Little lower. A captain's vaeei
range from nothiag to 5000 or ss 900,
according to the number Of whales taken.
II the ship gets six whales during cruise,
| the captain will have about 81 400 and 4
sailor 500.
| The sailors usually receive an advance
Of $50, and during the cruise are SLOWED
| to drA~ clothing, tobacco, ETC., frou the
ships supplies to the amount Of $50 or $50
Conseq uentiy, even il there are no profits
| to divide, the sailor 10 sure Of about $40.
On these Pacific vhalers the captains nd
other officers are usually men OF more than
ordinary Intelligence and character. So it
is to be presumed that . cooperative plan,
or any cther fair division Of profits, will
work gu .cessfully. But the common SSH
ors are Portugsse. Italians, South Sea
Islauders, and others Of an inferior grade,
yet they seem to appreciate The benefits Of
cooperation, and to toll with great zeal in
the hope Of extra reward.
The whales seem to be grad ually dissp-
pearing from the Pacicc Ocean, and he
hal ~o,ou fuythap and tupfbap
north for them. A few years sg9 the
shales were plentiful in the Northern
Pacific Ocean, Bering Sea and Okhoisk
Sea. In . short time the whslefs found it
necessary to chase them through Beripg
Strait little way into the Arctic. Thus
the whales have been driven further and
further into the inaccessible regions of the
north, until now the whaling fleet annually
rounds the most northern extremity of the
American continent, and this year, for the
first time, few Of them will winter in The
Arctic, as the mouth Of the Macker zie
river. To escape this deadly pursuit the
whales try to hide in the ice, and after
them the whalers force their way. The
business 10 80 dangerous that during the
last 20 yesrs more than hundred vessels
have been lost.
The history Of whaling operations in the
PaciHc-thoueh il has been published be-
fore-is of interest. The older sailors on
this coast will tell you that Is early ~ 1S4l
80 whalers had found their way from New
Bedford ard Boston to Behring sea. From
1912 and onward for number of years
annual complaints were made to the Rus
sisn-AmericAn Fur Company of the en-
croachments Of the Yankee whslers. In
1852 the whaling feet had increased to 27S
vessels, and the value of the catch to Sl4,-
600 600. This was, probably, the most
profitable year of the whaling industry in
ALASKA.
Since then it has, in the msin, decreased,
until IN lg62 the value of she catch was
less than SSOOs0O0. The increase again in
1867 to $1,000, coo. In 1880 the first
steamer was added 10 the whaling fses, be-
ing cent 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 cap
tured l5l whales, which yielded 2l3 070
pounds Of whaiebone and IL, 243 BARRELS Of
oil. This season there are tea steamers
and thirty eight sailing vessels employed
in these northern waters, with q very light
catch reI orted up to midsummer.
Though whales used to be valuable chs fly
for the oil, the discovery of petroleum has
wrought change, and the vhalebone is the
main tbirg sought. This product is worth
from 81 80 to s. per pound. A good-Nzad
whale contains about 1000 pounds Of bone
and 10 valued st from $4,000 to $40 900.