The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1893-04-06

1t was my good fortune to cross the
continent last week in the company OF q
quartet Of men who had grown grey, in
pursuing the whales of the northern sea.
One Of them, Captain J. G. Baker, had
in sixteen years of experience, passed
through all the grades from deck hand to
his present command of the finest steamer
engaged in the whaling industry, and
vows now, as on each returning cruise he
has affirmed, he would no longer than an
other year remain throughout the summer
the companion Of ice-bergs and during
the winter resident of the bleak Atlantic
coast. "My last voyage" said the Cap
tain, positively my last. Not that dis
like the business, but sixteen years oil
snow and ice and now and then glimpse
OF the flowers and sunshine OF California
is enough to set an old man to thinking.
Let the younger men take up the work
and I'll lay off and get touch OF sun
shine, watch the mercury linger at l and
lilo degrees and accustom myself to the
world to come" Here the Captain set
tied back into a period of reflection
which terminated by the remark; "Ne-
vada is dry country, very dry" The
Captains observation had an interesting
and pleasing effect on the car porter, and
the dryness Of Nevada seemed apparent
to ALL
The Captain was bluff and intelligent
man and readily, on request, related much
Of the experience of bis life on the seas.
In the whaling business himself for nearly
generation, and as boy the associate
Of men who had inaugurated the industry,
on the Pacific coast, there Was little about
the life on ship or the market on shore to
which he could not bear testimony.
1t was in l84S the first whaling ship,
attracted by the stories brought by the
Indians from the North Pacific, QUILTED
for the Arctic seas, and so large was the
catch and so profitable the trade with the
Alaska Indians that in six years the Pa
ciic whaling feet consisted Of upwards
Of 500 sails. Upwards of 1900, 900 pounds
Of whale bone and 100000 barrels OF oil
were taken in the year 1852. It was the
red letter year Of whaling in the Pacific
seas, and from that day to the presen,
the number of ships and the season s
catch have continually suffered de.
cline.
The principal firms engaged in the bust
ness now are. "The Pacific Whaling com.
pany with two ships and two steamers
Wright, Brown 4 Company with fiv,
ships, VIM. Lewis with three ships and
two steamers, J. N. w. R. Wing with six
sails, Frederick Swift with three sails ant
J. Magee, jr., with four sails. All told
there are probably thirty-four sails and
four steamers, having an average Of three
hundred and fifty tons capacity, giver
over exclusively to whaling. Last veal
the average was about seven to the ship
this year it was lucky vessel that re
ported a catch of six, although two
steamers had sixteen whales each ant
another had thirteen. The indications
are that ultimately there will be only
steamers engaged in the important in
dustry. The change will not take place
at once, but gradually as vessels are los
their places will be supplied with the bet
ter equipped, safer and more profitabl,
steamers.
The number OF whales is also doubtless
diminishing, as the catch and prices o.
bone evidences. Although the exhorbi.
tant price of bone is largely the result OIL
an organization of bone syndicate
which was formed in 1890, whose bust
ness it is to regulate the price by govern
ing the supply thrown on the market
yet also the decrease in the number OF tn,
whales taken is a considerable factor ir
the prices now ruling.
The Quitting Of whalers is entirely
done in San Francisco, at present, yet il
is not improbable that the number o
railroads and trans-paciic steamships
centering on Puget Sound may in shor
time make some city of Washinton tn,
main base Of supplies.
When IL is considered that the cost o.
Quitting a whaler each year is $4,000 t.
500, 900 accordingly as sail or steam is
used, the number of men directly EN-
ployed in the industry is in the neighbor
hood of twelve thousand and the re-ship
ment of $2,O0O,0OO worth of bone and OF
is yearly made, it ia surprising that thu
transportation lines of the most north
westerly state have not already moved ir
the direction of securing the home fee
at Seattle, Tacoma, Port Townsend OF
Anacortes where mainly the coaling ia
now done.
In addition to the supplies for the yes
sells which are necessary in the matter o.
food, curing the bone, preserving the OF
and furnishing the ship. nearly ever,
whaler carries from five to ten thousand
dollars in rifles, ammunition, tobacco
WHISTLES and provisions which are ex