The evening times., 1900-05-26
WHALING IN MODERN DAYS.
Old Methods OF Hunting Big Fish
Only a Memory.

CFrom the New Yerk nmes)
Most persons think of whaling as an in
dustry pursued with blum bowed old res-
sci beating her way round the world,
manned by New England farmers and the
refuse OF crimpS' lodging houses, and at
taeking the leviathans Of the deep IN frail
boats with harpooLs and Ianees. Nothing
could be more at variance with the mod
ern method OF whale hunting. for science
has enlisted in the pursuit the most eff
cient as well as most destructive aeees-
sories and the killing Of the cetacea has
been transformed from an adventurous
pursuit, abounding in excitement and hair
breadth escapes, into. a matter of-fact,
everyday business undertaking
Whaling In Green Bay illustrates these
new conditions A specially built, stanch.
stout. and swift little steamer prosecutes
the fishery. replacing the oId-time boats
and rowers. She carries on her forecastle
the weapon with which she does battle-a
powerful cannon, which fires q prolectile
capable Of destroying the largest leyiathan
in these waters This gun elects large
iron harpoon, with cross arms, which lie
against the shaft until IL strikes a solid
body, and then project out and imbed
themselves The head Of this harpcon is
formed of the foregoing prOjectile, which
is eigar-shaped and sharp-pointed, and ex-
plodes as IL pierces the whales side, gen.
Grating a gas which serves to keep the
fish afioat after the wrecking effect Of the
shock on its internal organs has left II a
lneless mass. A stout rope Is attached 70
the butt of the herpOon. and by this the
whale is kept in leash as il thraShes madly
through the water in vain effort TO es-
cape its unknown enemy. Death rapidly
ensues unless, as sometimes happens. the
projectiIe goes through the fish from side
to side. and a second shot is then neces-
saTy. But though the ship may have to
fire a second shot, In no instance has a
whale once struck by the harpoon escaped
the hunters.
The whaling steamer Cabot Is power
fully engined, makes thirteen knots and,
on occasion, can hold her own when a
huge finback, frenzied with pain. seeks to
drag her of toward the ocean. The
practice with the whalemen is that as
soon as the fish is struck the engines are
shut of and the whale is allowed to
career along on It's way, towing the
steamer after her This soon exhausts
the whale, which then comes to the sur
face, and here its death furry takes
place. Very rarely one Of them will at
tempt an attack on the boat, though az
a rule they are too terrified to approach
the strange object which plows so rapidly
through the water, but when any such
menace is attempted the quick handling
of the steamer and the discharge of a
second harpoon Will soon put the infuri-
ated animal out of the fight and drag his
carcass into the factory at Snooks Arm,
where the manufacture of the oil and the
cleaning of the whalebone are under
taken.
This form of whale fishing originated <
Norway where IL has been pursued FOL
many years with conspicuous success. Sew
eral companies are engaged in. 1t at va
rious points on the Norwegian coast, and
very large profits are made. so plentiful ars
the fish. and so readily are they capture1
1t was then extended to Iceland where 4
proved equally successful, and thence (.
was established in Newfoundland. In The ;,
days the dead whale was hauled onto tn,
beach at high water and the fat taken Of
at low tide. When the waite,
was high again the carcass wa,
turned over aud later the proc
ess was repeated until the whole operatio,
was completed. This made IL impossible I.
| study the whale as a whole, but at Shook
Arm there is now a slip or sloping plat
| form, running out into the water. aad b.
means of this the fish are hoisted up higI
and dry and the removal Of the blanket
| or oil bearing outer covering is possibI,
! without any cessation the scientific OBJ
| server having at the same time an unri
vailed opportunity for his work
The industry was only set on foot in tn
island in the spring of 1898, and for iha
season the Cabot killed ninety-one whales
many OF which. however, were only smaI
| ones This year the total has reaehe
| ninety-eight, the average size being muc.
! greater II might be thought that sucl
| killing would soon deDlete them, but Dr