Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-04-07

|
Most persons think of whaling as an In
| dustry pursued with bluff-bowed old YES
| sci beating her way round the world.
| manned by New England farmers and the
| refuse of crimps' lodging houses, and at
| lacking the leviathans of the deep in frail
| boats with harpoons and lances. Nothing
| could be more at variance with the modern
| method of whale hunting for science has
| enlisted in the pursuit the most efficient as
| well as most destructive of accessories, and
| the killing of the cetacea has been trans
| formed from adventurous pursuit,
| Astounding In excitement and hairbreadth
| escapes, into a matter-of-fact, every day
| business undertaking.
Whaling in Green bay illustrates these
| new conditions. A specially built, stanch,
| stout and swift little steamer prosecutes
| the fishery, replacing the 0ld-time boats and
| rowers. She carries on her forecastle the
| weapon with which she does battle-a pow
| erful cannon, which fires projectile capa-
| BILE of destroying the largest levathan in
| these waters. This gun elects large iron
| harpoon. with cross arms. which lie against
| the shaft until it strikes a solid body, and
| then project out and imbed themselves.
| The head of this harpoon is formed of the
foregoing projectile, which is cigar-shaped
and sharp-pointed. and explodes as it
| pierces the whales side, generating a gas
| which serves to keep the fish afioat after
| the wrecking effect of the shock on its in
! ternal organs has left it a lfeless mass. A
|
| poon, and by this the whale is kept in leash
| as it thrashes madly through the water in a
| vain effort to escape its unknown enemy.
| Death rapidly ensues, unless, as sometimes
| happens, the projectile goes through the
| fish from side to side, and a second shot is
| then necessary. But. though the ship may
have to fire a second shot, in no instance
| has whale, once struck by the harpoon
escaped the hunters
| The whaling steamer Cabot is powerfully
| engined, makes thirteen knots, and, on oc-
l han httcrn G,,
| back, frenzied with pain, seeks to drag her
| on toward the ocean. The practice with
the whalemen is that soon as fish is
struck the engines are shut off and the
| whale is allowed to career along on its way
towing the steamer after her. This soon
| eXhausts the whale, which then comes to
the surface, and here its death furry takes
| place. Very rarely one of them will at
| tempt an attack on the boat, though as
| rule, they are too terrified to approach the
| strange object which plows so rapidly
| through the water. but when any such men
| ace is attempted, the quick handling of the
| steamer and the discharge of second har-
poon will soon put the Infatuated animal out
OF the fight. and drag his carcass into the
| factory at Shocks Arm, where the manu-
| facture of the oil and the cleaning of the
| Whalebone are undertaken.
This form of whale fishing originated in
| Norway, where 1t has been pursued for
| many years with conspicuous success Sew
eral companies are engaged in it at various
points on the Norwegian coast, and very
| large profits are made. so plentiful are the
| fish. and so readily are they captured. 1t
was then extended to Iceland, where it
proved equally successful. and thence 1t
was established in Newfoundland. In those
days the dead whale was hauled into the
beach at high water and the fat was taken
on at low tide. When the water was high
again the carcass was turned over and
later the process was repeated, until the
whole operation was completed. This made
| 1t impossible to study the whale as a whole
but at Shocks Arm there is now a Slip
platform nj
water. and by means Of this the fish are
hoisted up high and dry and the removal
| OF the blanket or oi-bearing outer cover
ing Is possible without any cessation, the
scientific observer having at the same time
an unrivaled opportunity for his work.
The industry was only set on foot in this
island in the spring of 1898, and for that
season the Cabot killed ninety-one whales.
many of which, however, were only small
ones. This year the total has reached
ninety-eight, the average size being mucn
greater. 1t might be thought that such
killing would soon deplete them, but DIR.
True counted over 100 of them spouting to-
gether on more than one occasion. The
Norwegian whales are richer in fat. owing
to a greater plentitude of the moliusks on
which they feed. but the Newfoundland
ones are much larger and far more plenu-
full, SO that the balance is struck about
equally. The humpback gives the poorest
YIELD its blanket being thnnest of all.
The fnback is more valuable. yielding four
to six tons of oil. besides a goodly quantity
passes without one falling victim to the
prowess of Skipper Bull of the little steam
er. and one week he made the record of
thirteen prizes
A huge factory has been erected at
Shocks Arm for the conversion of the dead
fish into commercial products. AS the
whales are lowed into the harbor they are
moored by ropes to ringbolts fastened in
the rocks, and here they float. as many as
thirty or forty at a time, waiting their turn
to be cut up and thrown into the refining
raDidlV ba fat into fin
clear oil. largely in demand in Europe for
soap making and other industrial undertake
tngs. Only the fat is removed from the
carcass. This fat is the outer covering
Inside that, and adhering to the bones is
the meat, strong, tough, strinSy growth,
which so far has been valueless. though
now an attempt is being made to transform
It into patent fertilizer. All last winter the
fsherfolk in the neighboring harbors car
ried 1t away by boatloads and used it for
FOOD. 1t being to them a very agreeable
change from their eternal diet of Goldfish
though it would hardly satisfy the tourist
or traveller. Not infrequently it was salted
down In barrels. and did duty all the past
summer, and this season similar practice
will be pursued, as the guano factory will
not be ready to work before the spring As
the meat rots is stripped from the
whales. the bones drop to the bottom where
they will remain as ever-risng monu-
ment to Industrial activity, until science
has devised some means of utilizing them
as 1t has of the other portions of the fish
The Newfoundland whale fishery is a re-
vival of an old United States industry. At
one time as many as fifteen New Bedford
whalers resorted every year to our south
ern bays. and pursued very profitable
business In these waters. Along through
the latter part of the last century schooners
from New York. Boston and other ports
cruised along our coasts seeking whales.
and until 1872. when the war with England
made the venture too hazardous, they piled
this avocation with generally favorable re-
suits. The old colonial records tell of the
visits of these American vessels, and the
progress they made, and not a few English
men also embarked in the business Rut
the anttquated implements with which the
enterprise was carried on the dangers of
the rock-ribbed coast and the ferocity of
the sulphur bottom. combined to cause the
speedy abandonment of the fishery. But
with the appliances now in use and the ex-
perience OF the past two years, it is GER /,
tain that the present fishery will be a com
plete success. and every museum In the |
world will be able to secure a full-szed |
specimen of whale