The Savannah morning news., 1903-08-18
contact with the bony substances
side the whales body.
Gas to Keep Whale AhOht.

contact with the bony substances in
side the whales body.
Gas to Keep Whale AhORt.
over 500 whales We're killed by three
steamers in Newfoundland last year,
and it is expected that this number
will be increased to 800 during the
present twelve months. To the pro-
jectile is attached a strong, flexible
hempen 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 har-
pooh plunges into the whales side the
flanges on the bar are flung open by
the impact so that the shaft cam
not be withdrawn, while the eXplod-
ing bomb generates great masses of
gas, which keeps the body ahoat.
Only a few days ago a whaler was
fast to a fish for twenty-six hours.
1t was a huge sulphback, near ninety
feet long, and the harpOon penetrat-
ed near the tail, remote from the vitals.
The wounded fish, maddened with pain
and terror sounded iHto the very
depths of the ocean, taking out cable
like lightning streak, while two men
CLEARED it and two others drenched it
with water Returning to the sur
face, the believing monster headed
across Placentia Bay at a twenty-five
knot clip, threshing the waters into
foam and towing the ship like a row.
boat, although her engines were kept
running al full speed to tire him out
He reeled off fifty-five miles in this
course, until shoals compelled him to
take a different direction, and over
this line he made forty-two miles
when, approaching land once more, he
executed a third tack and ran thir-
teen miles along it, a total of ITO miles
occupying twenty-six hours, and ac-
complished with the ships ingines re-
versed to the full, and a man sta
toned by the line to chop 1t in two If
any kink threatened to pull her under
water. When he was tired out the rome
was hauled in and he was given his
quietus with another shot, which speed-
lily killed him, the earnest fish that has
yet been encountered in the progress
of the industry
Cut Up in Port.
When dead the whales are lowed to
the factory, and are dragged up a
sloping wharf by means of steam
winches and logging chains. Then the
fat is cut off the carcass with keen
edged knives four feet long. some
thing like scythes, with straight han
dies, while his fat is then fed to chop
| pers, which cut it into small pieces
and these fall into watts heated by
steam, where the oil is rendered out
and drawn off into barrels later on
cooling. The blubber which remains
is subjected 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 whale
bone" is removed first from the mouth
and carefully cleaned and dried 1t is
manufactured into harness, whips, but
tons, saddlery, corsets and dress ma
terials. The fms are also cut off, and,
being similar in construction and fibre,
are used for making artificial feath-
ers. The tongue yields a quality of
fine oil, much used in medicinal prep
arations, and about three to five gall
Ions are extracted from the tongue,
and two and a half barrels from the
head. the carcass yielding about sixty
barrels.
The profits of the business make it
well worth engaging in. The market
value of a whale amply compensates
for the hazards of the hunt and the
outlay al the factory. The whaling
companies operating here pay from
% to so per cent. annually, and the
business, as already stated, is only
six years old. A sulphback whale is
worth $1,000, and steamer, with fac
tory, costs about $4,000, while a good
season gives yield of $50 whales.