The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-07-24
WHALE WAS
A BONANZA
Fortune Realized
BY Man Now
Here.
LARGEST YIELD
| OF AMBERGRIS
Capt. ]. Earle Caught Lsviathan
Which Contained Nearly
500 Pounds.


Earle, a New Bedford whaler now WIS.,
iting in Honolulu. realized in 1888 from
one sperm whale. In fact, the whale
was one of the most valuable ever
caught in any ocean.
1t was not the ninety barrels of OF
which gave the leviathan his extraor-
binary value, for that was sold fol
whales vast interior there was found 3
solid piece of ambergris weighing TS(
pounds. This was the largest single
piece of ambergris ever found according
to the records. and that it came from
one lone whale made the rich discovery
the more interesting to the scientific
world.
This seven hundred and eighty pound
piece of ambergris was sold in chunks
in all markets of the world for about
e25, 600 sterling and it laid the founda-
lions of wealth for almost every man
interested in the whaling expedition,
which originated in New Zealand
] Captain James Earle is not unknown
10 Honolulu and Honolulans for he
came here In 1867 on the whaling ship
Europa as a cabin boy. his father then
being the first mate. The vessel came
| here from Edgartown, Mass, around
i the Horn. From rhe island of Niihau
several bulIocks were secured, and from
Honolulu green stuffs, water and all
manner of food for a years cruise were
taken aboard. The cruise was in the
Okhotsk sea. Capt. Earle was engaged
for four years in these voyages in the
Europa and then entered the merchant
service but left it later to again become
a whaler. He then went to New Zea-
land to join the whaler Splendid which
he fitted out obtaining thereby a boun-
ty Of $4,000 offered by the New Zealand
government for the first whaler fitted
out for service He went as second
mate and rose by promotion until he
became master and part owner.
1t was in October. 1882, that the
Splendid while cruising about the Chat
ham Islands cast of New Zealand came
upon the sperm whale which was the
biggest bonanza of the sea on record
Ninety barrels of oil were taken from
him and while delving into the carcass
the huge piece of ambergris was found
Ambergris is a concretion formed
only in the intestires of the sperm
whale and is sometimes found floating
on the surface of the sea like pumice
In It. are often found imbedded the
horny beaks of the squids on which the
whale feeds. 1t was formerly used in
medicine. but is now dissolved in alco-
hol and used as base in perfumes.
rendering them more lasting. 1t affords
about IS per cent of a peculiar fatty
and crystalline substance called am
brein.
The voyage of the Splendid in that
season was a fortunate one in every re-
spect for she came into Littleton port,
New Zealand, with the big piece of am
bergris worth it's weight in gold and
hoo barrels of sperm oil.
When we arrived in port" said Cap |
tain Earle yesterday, Il telegraphed to |
the agent of the Otago Whaling Com |
pany TO come up. He came, the amber !
girls was taken ashore, loaded into a !
car which was locked and the key |
slowed away in the agents pocket. and |
he stood guard there too until the stuff |
was safely placed. The first year that |
/ had brought any ambergris into port |
We got &25 a pound for twenty-One /
pounds, but when this big piece came |
in the news so astonished everybody /
that cablegrams We're sent all over the
world, and the result was that the price |
dropped. Some went to London, but as
for my own share I took it in bulk and |
carried it home with me. / wasn't in a !
hurry to sell it, hut thought by waiting
the market for it would rise. I got SIS
an ounce for the gray and IS for the
black, while in London it had only
brought S12 and 81. The last OF my
share was sold in 1891. I remained with
this company until 1856 when 1 went
home. l have taken more than a thou
and sperm whales since then and have
never found in any Of them a piece of
1r7bergris,"
IN token of their appreciation Of his
excellent service, in obtaining such
cargo, the company presented
Captain Fs~le with a handsome gold
watch ON the inner cover of which is
,nsTaFgd.