The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1896-03-19
PREPARING WHALEBONE.
Factories Where the Raw Material L.
Handled.

Handled
The establishment of the whaling
station at Monterey bay will, it is ex-
pected, increase the demand for skilled
labor employed in this city in the man
ufacture of whalebone. This is looked
upon by the Merchants association as
another indication of good times for
California, and the whaling industry
on this coast will be fostered.
In itself, the whaling trade is consid-
cradle at this port, but its increase
means more 20 landsmen and the manu-
featuring interests of the city than is
generally known. 1t means that with
in the next few years San Francisco
will become not only the whaling port
of the world, but also the center of the
whalebone manufacturing interest.
Already whalebone factory has been
established in this city, and before long
the six other factories in the United
States-now located in the eastern
states-Will undoubtedly be moved to
this city. This proposition is almost
self-evident when it is considered that
at present fve-sixths of all the whale
bone manufactured in America is
shipped from this port across the con-
tinent before it is prepared for the
market.
New Bedford, once the great whaling
port of the world, does not send out
more than one or two ships after the
leviathan now, and all the rest of the
trade is ceptered at this port. 1t was
this fact which called into existence
the whalebone factory and that will
bring other factories of the same kind
to this city.
The price of this commodity is on the
increase, if anything, though the whal-
ing industry itself has fallen into COM
paratively insignificant proportions.
Many refined oils have been found to
take the place OF sperm oil, but no sub
stitute has ever been found for whale
bone. Many efforts have been made to
find some substance that could be used
in the place of whalebone, and many
experiments on various metals and sub
stances have been made, but to no pur-
pose. For corsets and dress bodices, no
other substance will answer Nothing
else is so pliable and so lasting at the
same time.
1t is not generally known, but it is a
fact, that whalebone may be used over
and over again, and is practically in
destructibe. When bent out of shape
it can be Strengthened by first steaming
and then placing it under pressure.
Aside from the part it plays in woman's
/ apparel, its chief use is for whips. The
process of cleaning and drying the crude
whalebone when first taken from the
ships is interesting. 1t is scrubbed
and drenched with fresh water when
unloaded at the yard, and then stood up
in punches to dry in the sun. Down at
the yards of the Pacific Steam Whaling
company at the Potrero the stranger
who sees the vessels unloading from a
distance and beholds the washed strips
of bone stacked up to dry, is very like
" to mistake it for some rank growth
of weeds or tules.
When thoroughly dried it is bundled
up and taken to the factory ON Califor-
MIA street, or shipped east to the fac.
torres, there to be still further scraped
and dressed, then steamed and polished
and cut into marketable strips. From
first to last good many men are re-
quired to handle the bone product that
is brought TO this port by the whaling
vessels, and when it is considered that
each one of these vessels is manned and
provisioncd here the real Importance of
the entire industry is seen to be not
at all insignificant to the material well
fare of California.-San Francisco Call.