The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1909-01-01
Japanese Sailors and Ships
SuppIant Those From the
United States.
INDUSTRY GROWING
AMONG NIPPONESE
Clever Existing Companies Al
ready Are Making Plans for
a Huge Combination.

The American whaling fleet has disap-
Deared from the sea-
Japanese Whalers have supplauted the
Americans to a large extent, and Nor
wegiau whalers also are rapidly devel-
oping the industry.
The story OF the decline OF the Amer
lean whaling industry and the growth
OF the Japanese is told in q consular
report by Consular Agent Il. J. King, OF
HaII0date, Japan. He tells in some de
tail how the Japanese sailors. shipped
in American whaIers, learned the bust
ness and then applied the knowledge
they had learned to the detriment of
The whaling industry of this country.
Owing 10 the want of encoura Ee-
ment,' says Mr. King, "the American
whaling fleet which once numbered
over 200 vessels, manned by over $1,000
seamen. So per cent of whom were ma
tive born. and 30 which in time of
war our navy always looked for sea-
men, mas practically disappeared from
the sea. In Japan the people are en-
Outraged TO build whaling vessels. and
The navy department purchases the re-
fined sperm oil FOR use on the war ves-
sells"
First Sees Whales.
Mr. King relates that whales m Jap
anese waters were uTsU brought to
the attention Of American whalers by
Captain Winship, OF Brighton, Mass,
who reported 10 his friends ia NauUck-
ct that on a voyage to China he had
seen large sperm whales off the coas.
of Japan. in 1870. the first expedition
went out from Nantucket. and in three
months filled the vessels. The Japan
csc coast thereafter became a favorite
resort for American whale ships.
In 1880 out of the 543 vessels whal-
ing under the American nag5 FULLY one
hundred were pursuing their calling of
the coast OF Japan IN fact. the num-
Der OF vessels in this vicinity, the oe-
cs1siOnal loss of the vessels on - coast
II Japan, and the experience OF The
crews thereof, was one of the principal
reasons for the dispatch OF the Perry
expedition. With the decline of the
American industry, tie vessels grew
gradually less, and A. King says that
lu the past year only one American
whale, has hunted on the japanese
coast.
Japanese Use Methods.
IT was not until about 1854 and 1885
that the japanese began 10 employ
American methods of whale fishing. Ia
that year. they dispatched a number OF
young men 10 san Francisco and New
Bedford. where they shipped i'm the or
binary way before the mast ou board
of American whaling vessels ON Jheu
return, a number of vessels were con-
structeds largely with government as
sistance, and sent with the Japanese
who had studied American methods, u
charge. For u time their success was
Indifferent but gradually. as the crews
became more and more acquainted with
!. American methods. the vessels made
4 better catches, and the business is now
u q hoUrishiug condition NosJ OF the
-JmpanIes engaged are iu prosperous
condition. and are paying dividends OF
rom - 10 gu per cent
Companies to Combine.
~ in Japan are eleven whaling COM
panies. with au aggregate capital Of
$i50000o. golds and they are now con-
sIdeTing a combination.
A fine Illustration OF japanese meth
DDS is given by ar. King. lie says
that, as showing the thoroughuess with
which the japanese students OF Ameri-
can whale fishing carried out their
work. one Of these books. which con-
tains the narrative Of The VOYAGE on
an American whaIeT iu the Atlantic
ocean, which three students made. con-
1aIus "a lul and complete description OF
the vessel. the size of every timber,
plank and bolt. the length of every
rope the size and dimensions of an the
whaling gear. the amount of food talk
y en- 10 sea. the whole Illustrated with
Numerous sketches and plates showing
how the hold was slowed how the
whales were cut -l, oII-UoU-I, and
stoves, the shares. outfit and equip
meut Of the crews. and even "a list
giving the extent of the clothes that
the captain took 10 sea with him.
Norwegian Industry.
Consul General Henry Eordewlcl.. OF
Christana. iu "a report on the progress
OF tHe Norwegian whaling industry. de-
scr0es The worldwide operations of the
Norwegian whaling vessels. Operations
iu the Antarctic have been successful
and the E0rW-Eiaus have whaling s.a-
t.0us or expeditions operating 10 lHa
shetland Islands, ln Ireland. tHa Fa-
IoeS, Iceland, and Chile aa weu as DUB
Arctic waters.
Norway SIS giving .he whaling indus
try much attention according To- hIr