The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-08-30
MODERN WHALING
PAYS Big PROFITS
Newfoundland attest Industry
Is Conducted On Scientific
Lines and Is Booming.

ST. JOHNS, N F., Aug. 29-New-
foundland is now the home Of the most
remarkable and profitable whale fishery
in the world The sold style whale hunting
is now almost abandoned, and the fleets
which hailed from Dundee, Scotland and
New Bedford, Mass. are wiped from the
ocean except for mere remnants. The
rudimentary methods employed in the
past have proved altogether inadequate
for the pursuit Of the gigantic mammals,
since excessive killing has depleted the
herds and newer processes have been
demanded to keep up the supply of bone
Whale hunting is HOW science and
! swift steamers, deadly protectiles and
! powerful explosives have been brought
into requisition, while factories with most
seaboard to absaEb the products product s. supplied
| by the hunters. aOnly six years ago was
this modern whaling initiated into the is
land. and today it is one of its most
wash our coast. simply TEEN with these
| fish-hnbacks, 3humpbacks, sulphbacks
| and rorquals. II ~
| Specially constructed steamers are en-
| ployed, equipped with every appliance
| that ingenuity can devise. These boats
make about twelve KNOTS an hour and
are very weatherly. In the bow is mount
/ ed a small cannon, which discharges an
immense iron bar more than six feet
long, with great wings or fanges near
the butt. which fly open like the arms of
,semaphere, but ere being fired are fold
ed back SO as to enter the gun The
projectile is tipped with pointed bomb,
| loaded with explosives, which discharge
upon contact with the bony substances
/ inside the whales body.
Over 500 whales were killed by three
| steamers in Newfoundland the past year,
! and it is expected that this number will be
/ increased to 800 during the present twelve
/ months.
/ To the projectile is attached strong,
/ flexible henpen rope which flies out with
| such velocity that bucketfuls of water
! have to be poured over it to prevent it
/ from catching fire. When the harpoon
| plunges into the whales side the f1anges
on the bar are flung open by the impact
| SO that the shaft cannot be withdrawn,
/ while the exploding bomb generates great
/ masses of gas which keeps the body afloat.
1 Only few days ago wIlaler was fast
I to fish for twenty six hours. 1t was a
| huge sulphback, nearly ninety feet long,
| and the harpoon penetrated near the tail,
| remote from the vitals. The wounded fish
| maddened with pain and terror, sounded"
| into the very depths of the ocean, taking
| out cable like lightning streak, while two
4 men cleared it and two others drenched it
| with water.
| Returning to the surface the believing
monster headed across Placentia bay at a
| twenty -five-knot clip, thraShing the wa
| tiers into foam and towing the ship like
| a rowboat, although her engines were
| kept running full speed astern to tire him
! out. He lreeled off fifty-five miles in this
| course, until shoals compelled him to take
| q different direction and over this line he
1 made forty-two miles, when, approaching
| land once more, he executed third tack
| and ran thirteen miles along it. a total
| of LILO miles. occupying twenty six hours,
| and accomplished with the ships engines
reversed to the full, and a man stationed
| by the line to chop it in two If any kink
| threatened to pull her under water
| When he was tired out the rope was haul
| ed In and he was given his quietus with
another shot, which speedily killed him,
l osf <ictr Hnf hos tyQfs hoo
| ceuntered in the progress of the indus
! try. nt "a
| When dead the whales are towed to
| the factory, and are dragged up slop-
| ing wharf by means of steam wfnches
/ and logging Chains. Then the fat is
] cut off the carcass with keen edged
/ knives four feet long, something like
/ seythes, with straight handles. This
/ fat is then fedtto choppers, which cut
1 it into small pieces, and these fall into
| watts heated by steam, where the Oil Is
/ rendered out, and sdrawn off into bar
| rels later on for cooling.
/ The blubber which remains is sub
| jected to pressure to extract the last
vestige of oil, and the residue, with the
meat and ribs, which form the carcass
and the head case, are converted into
guano.
The 'whalebone" is removed first
4 from the mouth, and carefully cleaned
and dried. 1t is manufactured into
harness, whips, buttons, saddlery, cor
sets and dress materials. The fins are
| also cut off, and being similar in con-
struetion and fiber, are used for MAX
ing artificial feathers. The tongue
/ yields a quality Of fine oil, much used
i in medicinal preparations, and about
| three to five gallons is extracted from
tongue, and two and one-haff bar
rels from the head, the carcass yield
| ing about sixty barrels.
/ The profits of the business make il
well worth engaging in. The market
value of a whale amply compensates
for the hazards of the hunt and the
outlay at the factory. The whaling
companies operating here pay from q
/ to SO per cent annually, and the bust
ness, as already stated, is only SIX
years old. A sulphback whale is worth
$1,000, and steamer, with factory
casts about $4,000, while good sea-
son gives a yield Of $50 whales.
| ljnfnrftIs1afn Man