Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1894-07-28
WHALING IN NEW SEAS.
A Prospecting Cruise in tbs Ant
erctc Ocean.
New Grounds to Re Sought Ao.
count OF the Growing rarely
of Wha.ebono In our
MARKETS..

The bark Gayhea1. o. this city. Is on
her way to the southern seas on an eS'
petition the like of which has not been
undertaken since 1871, says the San
Francisco Chronicle.
In that year the British rlan-of-war
CHALLENGER was sent on an exploration
to the Antarctic 10 arcertain whether
or not there was field there for the
catch of whales, end She returned with
an adverse report
Since that date many thousand ves-
sells have doubled Cape Horn and fre-
quently have becH driven many degrees
further sorth then was absolutely
necessary II Ela',c the trip. Invariably
they have reported Il number of schools
of whales encountered on their voy.
ages.
Bv rearcr of these reports the
whalers of Eagland and america have
felt obliged - doub; the accuracy Of
the Chcllcagcr's report. but in tl,c
twenty-two years which have elapsed
since then no ore haF had the daring
or enterprise 10 undertake pel1Onal
survey of the waters un.l tle present
time.
In October last the Cayhead was
started from New Bedford with in
structioas to Socnd couple of years in
the Antarctic, where she Is to skirt the
ice foe as far south az she can possibly
reach. She is to fish for whales and
see if new hunting cround cannot be
opened to commerce. The Gayheal
will extend her VOYAGE over what is
called the New Bedford whaling cruise,
that ordinarily lasts cre year, but that
viii keep her out about three years this
time.
The route calls her to pass st. Helena
and skirt Craham's land. from where
she will sail fer Australian waters and
then go north. taking in the japanese
waters, Bchring sea and the Arctic
ocean. San Francisco viii be reached
about October. 1894.
The fact OF the MATTER. and the one
point that has caused this extended ex-
ploration trip of the Gayhcad, is that
the hunting grounds in the north are
giving out very rapidly. and the
whalers have virtually ceased fishing
in Baffin's bay. Davis strait and in the
Spit2bcrgen whaling ground. The
right" and ''bowhead" whales, which
are more desirable on account of the
bone they produce. are virtually ex-
tinct in these waters, ana the whaling
feet now push OH to Behring sea,
Okhotsl; sea, and the Arctic proper.
1t is fact that whalebone AID ivory
are two animal products which art or
science have not been able to rcDro-
dIce. In the good days of plenty
whq,ebone sold at one dollar and
half pound: its price to-day is si>, dol
lars. rtat gives fair idea OF how tho
s,lQ-,y his I;::..l.-.s,1c! il the last ten
years.
Little IS known II t,lc wat,rS south
of seventy dcrrees soat5 as Compared
- the knowledge had % thu W.. ers
Forth of latitude severn Ccgrecs
rorth. Neyt to nothing is known re-
T2r}i1y the Antarctic ocea1. a.. the
hoHa Is entertained that tie present
expedition wiz develop Il n>w iicla to
rerlace the old one that Is dy;nr out.
" t:la present time IN i1nglish ani
Scotch company Is buiiiing three YES
sells az De': Zee for the purpose of send
lar thcm into the irtarctic for whales.
II is not unlikely, therefore. that in a
few year. the whaling hect that sails
out of thic port win steer south after
leaving the Hawaiian grounds. instead
OF going north, as they do at present.