Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1893-03-13
WHALEBONE TN PILES
A MILLION DOLLARS WORTH STORED
IN ONE BUILDING.

How the Precious Stuff Is Guarded-Great
Care Is Necessary in the Handling of the
Product-WhaIebone Is Very Valuable
Nowadays.
In little brick and stone structure on
the Potrero shore of the bay there is a
million dollars worth of whalebone
stored, and it is guarded as jealously as
If it were so many twenty dollar gold
pieces or its weight in precious stones.
1t is the property of the Pacific Steam
Whaling company and came off the
whaling barks Beluga, Mary D. Hume,
Agenor and America. in from the arctic.
The building is a perfect vault with
brick and stone sides, iron roof and iron
DOORS All around the top runs a per-
forated pipe by means of which the
whole interior could be flooded if fire
should by any possibility break out.
Rats are thick on the water front and
can do great deal of damage to cargo
OF whalebone, so small iron doors have
been put in to answer as barricades when
the big ones are opened to air the place.
Oilskins such as the fire patrol use are
spread over the cargo as the final ad-
ditional precaution that human ingenuity
can suggest.
The nnipitiated on fret s+enni,, into
the cold cbeerless nlace with ito damn
ce,,an+ g. W. ~ - ,,,o,,ao., II, =
h., ~, 49,, - M IT, -
don't look like much piled against the
GOT fo,th ;s a,o,,r,,, 20 +.l,a 49, ,,,aatI,
away. But the place does not always
w,s ,,ost ,,,.ot;t.t,a 40 ,,d =, aa,,sa
onence the w.rabonse ia nearly fr,1
..Tba ,.av n,,,,obos;nc, Gov. s+io1,s of
wbalebona On ba,. shon,q;nr, to,,r $50 sonnoo1r
realizes tbe Immense r;sL and +ho e,reat
amount of l,bo, ,e,.essor,, 40 ,,,aoo T. ~,
tha co,,,,te,." so;d w d W. ~ o,o os
tbe renrasensatives Of tho ,,,hal;n,, row,
many ,.Tbara ;s h;e, ,.;s,, a,,a,s ho,.o
We can taEe M ,ho,cas IN tha ro,,ab
after a s;m,le nolisbino the hona 10
worth fva dnll,rs . ,,o,,nd .nd ,,,o h,,,,o
.t Least ON ooo ro,,nds ~, hand ,,o,,,
Whom tbe vasse, docLs a. tbo MI. rf ,o,,
der we n;tcb in and ygorl, dav md ,,;orh+
nntil the ,..ro,o is housed hara nna tba,,
we trv n oet Il off On tba ,a;,road % ,S 90
soon ne noss;hla Will - 10 ana'th;s
little structure is orarded dav and nigbt
A million dollars 10 sonoeth;ra of a 70.
snonsib;l;tv ran ass1ra vo,, 3
Where does most of tho bora ,,o2,.
w.s .sked
"A great de,l of Il ,,oos +o Nar, yor,, {,
ranIiad Mr Wand ..h,,t most ~ tla ,,,t
tipg i. done in par;s md at p,a,,a,, A
little ia done in Iondon We rolisb !,
off hare ,ret tba ,.oIor .seort - ~ a,,a
mt if nm in bundles Then II is forced
throuyb to ito des+ina+;on nc r.,;dI,, 90
possible Won sec the hone with n I;gbt
or pearl shade is worth mora than tbe
blacl, and we have to senarate II"
Several Of the bnndles bora the mark
M n n in J.. diamond THAT - sold
Mr. Wand ..is the name Of the vessel
from which the hone was taken in tbis
instance tbe Mary d Hume vessel
which brongbt tbe most valnabJa cargo
ever received from the arctic seas One
or two Of these bundles are marked .c,,t
va, ohserya That 10 to rn;da tho h,,ya,.
when the boneis offered for sale II sig.
nifies that the hone is nicked IN some
norton of IL The vnlne ia greatly re.
duced and wa n,,st tberafore handle +be
caryo like aqga IF rougblv band1ed a
c.r1o of wb.lebona can ba wall n;gb
ruined. The slightest cut in a stalk
h,.;ngs II down il, val,,e abou+ one.haIf
..Tha hone Won know ;s tba taetb of
the whale and n fair sized front molar
ia worth ahont tiftv dollars In every
whales iay there are 47a teeth and one
GOOD sized head is worth n rood deal of
monov IN tba l,st trim tba ,no,, ~,
the .Iessia n Freeman brongbt one big
falloy alongs;de the head of which nro'
duced \ 600 nonnds Of hone The mouth
of tba yvb.ie is s;nnlv hnoe srctior
nnnn The monster travels alono With
bis month ,,;de onon ON +bo snrf,co
The only food he will take ia a LITTLE rod
hit of ,,i,nal life tbat aoats IN tbe
northern seas Fla sucks in enongb 10
make . yoo1 ,,ontbfnl and then eiects
= tbe wafer The Food ;s sifted down