The Sully County watchman. (Clifton, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1894, 1893-02-24
wHAEgoNE AT SAN FRANCISCO.
1t Is Very Expensive Stuff, Though IL
Does Not Look 1t.

on the Potrero shore of the bay there
is 81 900. 900 worth of whalebone stored,
saws the San Francisco Examiner, and
it is guarded as jealously as if it were
so many 500 gold pieces or its weight
in precious stones. 1t is the property
of the Pacific Steam Whaling company
and came off the whaling barks Bel
uga, Mary d. Hume, Agenor' and
America, lately from the Arctic.
The building is perfect vault, with
brick and stone sides, iron roof. and
iron doors. All around the top runs
a perforated pipe, by means of which
the whole interior could be flooded il
fire should by any possibility break
out. Rats are thick on the water
front, and can do a great deal of dam
AGE to cargo of whalebone, so small
iron doors have been put in as barri-
cades when the big ones are opened to
air the place. Oil skins, such as the
fire patrol use, are spread over the
cargo as the final precaution that hu-
man ingenuity can suggest.
The uninitiated on first stepping in
to the cold. cheerless place, with its
damp cement floor, are apt 40 wonder
why it has all been done. The long
black stalks don't look like much piled
against the walls. and to hear their
immense value set forth is enough to
take the breath away. But the place
does not always contain $1,0O0,O O00
stock. The season just closing was
most profitable one and in consequence
the warehouse is nearly full.
"Ihc lady purchasing a few sticks Of
whalebone on her shopping tour
scarcely realizes the immense risk and
great amount of labor necessary to
place it on the counters, said ". r.
Wand. one Of the representatives OF
the whaling company. "Ihere is
big risk even here. We can take no
chances. In the rough, after simple
polishing, the bone is worth - a
pound, and we have at least 100000
pounds on hand now. When the yes
sci docks at the wharf yonder we pitch
in and work day and night until the
cargo is housed in here, and then we
try 10 get it off Oh the railroad as soon
as possible. While it is here this lit
tie strncture is guarded day and night.
a million dollars is something of a re-
sponsibility, | can assure you"
"Wherc does most Of the bone gO?"
was asked.
a great deal of it goes to New
York" replied Mr.. Wand, "but most
of the cutting is done in Paris and
Bremen. A little is done in London.
We polish it off here, get the color, as
sort it out. and put it up in bundles.
Then it is forced through to its desti-
nation as rapidly as possible. You seo
the bone with Il light or pearl shade is
worth more than the black, and we
have to separate it,"
Several Of the bundles bore the mark
NJ D. II. in a diamond. That" said
Mr.. Wand, "is the name of the vessel
from which the bone was taken; in
this instance the Mary d. Hume, q
vessel which brought the most valua
bic cargo ever received from the arc
tic seas. One or two Of these bundles
are marked cut you observe. This
is to guide the buyer when the bone is
offered for sale. 1t signifies that the
bone is nicked on some portions of it.
The value is greatly reduced, and we
must therefore handle the cargo like
eggs. If roughly handled a cargo of
whale bone can be well nigh ruined.
The slightest cut in stalk brings it
down in value about one half.
"The bone. you know, is the teeth of
the whale and fair-sized front molar
is worth about $50. In every whales
jaw there are 473 teeth, and one good
sized head is worth good deal of
money. On the last trip the men on
the Jessie ID. Freeman brought one big
fellow alongside. the head of which
produced 5000 pounds of bone. The
mouth of the whale is simply huge
suction pump. The monster travels
along with his mouth wide open on
the surface. The only food he will
take is a little red bit of animal life
that floats on the northern seas. He
sucks in enough to make good mouth
full and then elects the water. The
food is sifted down through the soft
teeth and is filtered like lot of saw
dust would be in a sieve.
This black hair that frinoes the
bone has a separate value. 1t is cut
from the teeth and is used for making
fine furniture. 1t has become SO val
liable, however, that it cannot be used
to any great extent"
when do you expect to ship this
cargo OFF,"
"As soon as ever providence will let
us. 1t is something extraordinary for
us to have such an enormously valua-
be load here, and we won't hold it
day longer than necessary, ! can as
sur9you."
Ever troubled by thieves?"
"No," was the laughing response.
"The bone is triile too heavy to run
away with and the place is too we'll
guarded. Fire is the greatest danger
and you can see how that has been
guarded against"
Out in the bay six of the most un-
slightly ships that ever huddled to-
gether in port were tossing. Put up
at auction the lot would scarcely bring
its value in old lumber, but those
hulks brought in as valuable freight
as many treasure ship has been laden
with.
They Waited Too Long.
No Fol Sif 4 h., l..