The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1898-04-14

! Beaver found sperm whales so plenty
off the Peruvian coast that she filled up
her 1000 barrels in about eight months,
and returned home in less than two
years from her sailing day. From this
time on the Pacific fishery grew rapidly
until, at the outbreak of the War of
1912, it employed from all ports, but
mainly from Nantucket and New Bed
ford, 140 ships Of from 200 to 400 tons,
and nearly 5000 seamen. In this war
the experience of the Revolution was
repeated, the whalers almost to man
embarking in privateers or joining the
Regular Navy.
After the peace of 1915 the industry
was renewed with redoubled ardor.
From this time the American whalemen
ransacked every sea- The commander
of British Antarctic expedition in
1886, reaching the edge Of the ice pack,
20 degrees south of kerguelen's Land,
and imagining that he was exploring
the shores of new continent, says rue
fully in his report: "This day spoke
two American whalers in company-the
Hydaspe, of New Bedford, and the
Equator, of Nantucket. They informed
me that there was an opening in the
pack about 70 miles to the westward,
but advised me not to enter it, as they
had barely escaped being nipped in it a
few days before!"
After while the cetacean species
began to show the elects of such tire
less and pitiless hunting, until by 1860.
though the number and tonnage of ships
and the force of men engaged were at
their hight, the industry had ceased to
be profitable because of the scarcity of
whales, and in the wonderful economy
of nature the discovery Of petroleum
opened in the bowels of the earth a new
source of oil-supply in place of that
which had been exhausted in the depths
of tile sea. Then the civil war came
on, and with it the end of whaling. Its
seamen manned the'eNavy, its good old
ships were loaded with stone and sunk
in the channels of Southern harbors to
bel p the blockade ,ffhe few ships that
remained in the, North Pacific were dis
troyed by the Shcnandoah-mosto of
them months after the last rebel soldier
had laid down his arms, and some of
them even after, the President had offici-
ally proclaimed the civil war ended.
Then the industry was dead and the
race of American whalemen was ex-
tinct. As prime pursuit its duration
was about 40 years-from 1920 to
1860 1t bred race of sailors distinct
from all Others Other sailors voyaged
simply from port to port. Whalemen
sailed anywhere and everywhere. always
in search of their prey. Their voyages
lasted from two to four years They
kept the sea for months at q time with
out touching shore or even sighting
land. In the middle Of the ocean they
went out from their ships in small boats,
fastened to the leviathan with barbed
harpoon at arms length, and then killed
him with long lances at equally close
quarters. They braved not only the
ordinary perlls of the deep, but the
giant deathstruggles of the most enor.
nous and powerful OF the animal
kingdom. No coward. no weakling
could live among them. Without ex-
ception they were brawny as Hercules,
steady as Ajax, and brave beyond any
prototype of history or of mythology.
While they lived they did more than
any other breed Of men and shed glory
on our flag at sea throughout our three
great wars. But their work is done.
The pages they have emblazoned in the
history Of our sea power are sealed for
ever, and we shall never look upon
their like again. Let us at least cherish
their memory and hand down to pos
terity the story of their daring and
their deeds.
Work of the Pension Office
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