Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1892-06-15

Ir siittf tIieH lobk w description pl
the seven different kinds of whales, recog
ntzed by whalenen, viz, hEh2ek, sulphur
bottom, humphack. right-~haie. spunaceti
bos head ani California gray. all but twe
ot which have AT some time or other been
seen IN the North Atlantic near cur coast.
The descriptions Of the different species
were exceedingly interesting. Space sd,
Tnits of but few extracts from these des-
cripilons. Referring To the right-w hale he
said
\ shale which j, was nv good luck IL
capture without any greater accident than a
badly stosen boat, was measured by me
nth these results length. 81 feet; the
blabber or blanket of this whale would ear
Pct room 90 yards long and 3 Yards wide
and would average - inches in thickness
length of head, 30 feet; width of tail, ~
feet; depth of tail, ) i-2 feet; point OF
junction of tail with body, 1 feet in diane
ter: the back bone of this whale was Ii
inches in diameter; girth at largest par, OF
body, t5 feet. length of Tin, feet.
/ In the upper jaw of this whale were $50
slabs of bone, 3l5 on each side; those a,
the end OF the jaw being not more than one
foot long but rapidly lengthenius to Il -
feet. They are placed transversely with
the sides about one-half inch apart, ter
minating on the inner edge in a hairy
7 fringe IL is these fringes that interlac-
ing form the sieve or strainer through
w hich the animal forces the water, retaining
within the meshes the minute food gathered
as it swims along,
/ The roof of the mouth between the minor
edges of the bone was ) inches in width
and ! ! or Is feet in length.
( These walls of bone are clasped by white
/ hlubbery lips, which at the bottom are four
I feet in thickness, tapering to blunt edge
{ six inches thick where they fit into a rebate
sunk in the upper jaw, making the mouth
water tight.
/ The lip. and throat of this $50 barrel
whale yielded about 10 barrels of oil and
with the supporting jaw bone, could scarcely
weigh less than 25,oAo pounds.
/ Attached to the throat by broad base
was the enormous tongue from which we
obtained n barrels of OIL Such tongue
would equal in weight 10 oxen of 1000
I pounds each.
{ This whales food consists of brit" II
reddish shrimp-shaped medusa which occur
in such prodigions numbers in various parts
of the ocean that it is estimated that billions
of them are contained in single barrel of
water.
( The spread of this whales lips when open
aud ploughing through the fields of brit
was about 30 feet. Sometimes the whale
in feeding turns on its side, so a. to lay the
longer axis of the cavity of the mouth hori-
zontally, keeping the lower lip closed, and
the upper one thrown off and standing per-
pendicularly as it scoops along just under
the surface where the brit" is always most
den,ely packed.
After thus sitting track of sea Is feet
wide and quarter of mile in length, the
water foamng through the Slated bone,
and packing the molusks upon the hair
Seiye, the whale raised the lower jaw but
still keeping the lips apart, it forces the
spongy tongue into the cavity of the seiye,
driving the water with great force through
the spaces between the bone Then clos
ing the lips, it disposes of the catch and re-
peats the operation until satiated. This
part of the whale is called the small and
is packed with rope like tcndons from one
half to six inches in diameter.
( The joint at the base of the skull is as
large us a wagon wheel and when disjointed
CLEANS like an ivory sphere Through the
greatest blood vessels foot in diameter
surgcs, at each pulsation of "A heart as large
a hogshead. n torrent of barrels of blood
heated to lD4 deg.
The respiratory canal Is over IL Inches
, in diameter through which the rush of air
is as noisy as the exhaust pipe of a thousand
horse power steam engine. This whale has
an eye no larger than a horse and an ear
that would scarcely admit a knitting needle,
/ The capture of the California gray is
usually carried on when the mother whale
! Is with her ofspring in the bays
But woe to the boat whose crew have been
50 unwise,or unfortunate as to Kill the calf
lot Wv '''i'i'ueu no'li.i "Leaks htl ven
Ts,l a fect nf ,yhaion,cn pr,nhnr;n, IA
.,;Is law n, ,r,.bo- ,s u,r,,r;,., h,, Tho
contains bav;,,, ,gr,oJ r., al ;ho s,,;,,s
shouIJ rorm.,e, wb,l;,o -, cort,;, d,,,
A. d,y,;tht ,n the ,;pe ,.,reed rnor NOR.
han ion bn,ts mannod h,- nor, I'm 200
rr,,, .,oo,I int, ,h,, h.,,. ,,;,l en;I. 60, So,
er,I wb,Ias wore h,rno,n.d and l;,,od ,;,b.
ant acc,.l.,t Tho rows ,nJ caIyas wor.
numerous and il ND f,;r f,r E, a,od d,y,s
worl An ,t n,co , ho,t wos Seven ,,,l
word was sboutcd from crew IN rrcw that ,
c,lf had haap ,c,ido,t,lIy t;IIod Nnro
tbon half ,b. Heet rylI,d fnr tho h,acb hn,
h,, ,foro rcoch;,o a nIa.o of s,fo,,, ha,,.o,r
IN a,I IN t.o,,. ~, .,ovon H., III o,.
whale some ,f ,hem verc no, ,icL.d ~,
a, ali so ,Lnr,ugbl, hal t,cy bcar lionel
ishe1 I'm. b,,, IA r,,,.baj tho .b.-,, an,
In. GROW, ,erc al,ou, 10 han, ,ha;r cr,f, ma,
on tbo .,nd wb.n tho boat-.
.,er, w,. an demoral;zed h, on,
.,roLe ,f tho a,tev ,f ,b;s ;,fu-;o,oJ 1,s.s,
that i, was no. considered worth wb;la n
bn,her with the piecos
Theso wb,los y;ojJ oo IN An b.,-roI, of ri;
aud sb;,s bavc boon L,o,,, to soc,ro onof
harroIs ho,,roo, ,Ie. rnr,har, soasa,,.
"""'e' e'pe''e"ces'
had intended to take you with me on q
trip to the islands of the South Atlantic ant
Indian oceans, but have already perhaps
used too much time. For fear that nigh
tire you then. we will make rapid excur
sion from New Bedford ont across the Cult
Stream, run to the eastward before lively
westerly gale and in four weeks, [havini
stopped on the way 10 capture small sperm
whale) sight the Azore islands in Lat. 81
deg. 10 to deg. north where We purchase
potatoes and pumpkins, smuggle ton o
tobacco on shore for which we receive fahu
lous prices. then bear away to the south
ward, worry through the 'tioldrums, catcl
glimpse of the Cape DeVerds, in latitudf
10 deg. north cross the Equator in longi
tude Is deg or 20 deg. west and gettin'
strong southeast trade winds sool
after brace In our yards am
with a flowing sheet, accept the prevail
ing westerhes IN latitude 30 deg. south, run
ming almost before 1t, until We discover tn
, faint outline of Tristan da Acuhns in la'i
! tude - deg south and longitude IL deg
west, visible 100 miles away. Potatoes am
} onions are obtained in exchange for cloti
: and tobacco and we are of again, rounding
! the Cape of Good Hope into the Indial
: Ocean without accident or nHshap. On th
Dutch banks we take three night whales o