The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1909-01-24
Hunted LeViathan Now Feeds
in Deep Waters.
GOES FAR FROM FACTORIES
Business of Producing OIL and Bone
Diminishes in NewfoundIand-It l.
an Ancient and Honorable VOca-
tiOn Pursued in the Bays and In
lets of the Arctic Ocean.


.cuted successfully by Newfoundland mer-
chants here. who fitted out ships for
Greenland. Bafin Bay, Cumberland Bay,
and other arctic seas. The cargOes OF
oil secured on the voyages were readily
sold in Scotland
The whale fishery was carried on by
Americans from Bedford, Mass, in Her
raitage Bay. Bay Of Despair. and Fortune
Bay from early colonization days TO 1667.
During the first years twelve vessels were
employed. manned by fifteen men each,
al Of which vessels returned loaded.
Owing 10 disputes between Great Britain
and the United States the American whale
fishery on the west coast OF NewfOund-
land ended az that time.
The firm Of Peter le Messurier & Co.
purchased a whale fishery al Hermitage
Bay from the Biscayans in 1SJ2. which
continued until 1896 Then the house o.
Newman & Co. purchased the premises
from lie Messurier & Co The industry
was carried On by this firm at Gaultois
from 1850 20 1890
shore crew OF thirty-Ave were employed.
As many as fifty blackfsh were known
20 be killed In day. The seasons catch
averaged rs blackfsh and 20 whales.
yielding $50 tuns OF oil. Nearly the whole
o. the population Of Hermitage and For
tune bays are the descendants Of those
hardy toilers OF the sea" The head Of
the firm OF Newman & Co IS nov- a bar
onet and one Of the directors Of the
Bank OF England.
Government Offers Prizes.
In 1870 the local government passed an
act Offering a bounty OF $50 20 each Of
the first three vessels landing not less
than ten tuns OF whale oil or fifteen tuns
OF whale fat or blubber between the first
day OF May and the tenth day Of Novem-
Der. Encouraged by this bounty, two yes
sells. 40 tons each, were sent from St
Johns 10 the western shore. each manned
by nineteen men
One belonged to c. F. Bennett & Co.
the other 10 Job Brothers & Co. The
business IN those days was carried on by
means Of rowboats and harpoons. As
many as 100 whales were captured in a
season by these simple appliances. The
blubber was rendered into oil in Big pots
heated by wood fires.
Not till 1900 we're the new. improved
methods used in Norway adopted in New
foundland. AdoIph Nielsen, encouraged
by the late A ". Harvey. started whal-
inc a. E-Grl-1 49,
Bay. and Baiena. Hermitage Bay. Suit
able steamers were purchased IN Chris
Jianis- and NorweZians were employed
90 man them After a few months oper-
alton 20 was found that large numbers OF
sulphur bottom, fnhack, and humphack
whales frequented the bays and shores OF
Newfoundland. In 1903 over so were cap
tured. which yielded 1.-S3 80 gallons OF oil.
worth So Per tun.
Best Catches in Summer.
Experience showed that the best months
TO secure whales on the southern coast
are May. June, and July. and IN Concep-
ton Bay. Trinity and Bonavista bays. on
the eastern coast. August and September
are best. The government thought it ad-
visable to pass laws % requiring the car
cases fensed OF blubber to be lowed fifty
miles from shore 10 prevent pollution Of
the fishing grounds; % restricting the
distance between the factories TO not less
than fifty miles; 90 permitting only one
steamer to each factory. and % imposing
on each a license fee Of $3.50. subsequent
" reduced to $50.
John Harvey. who has his Iamented
fathers spirit OF enterprise IL promoting
home industries. happened TO meet DIT. L
Rismuller and induced him 70 visit some
or our whale factories. At Shocks. Arm.
on seeing the carcasses Of whales towed
TO sea. Dr.. Rismuller thought out a proc
ess whereby not only the expense Of re-
moving them so far could be saved. but
an industry promoted whereby the flesh
and bones could be manufactured into
guano. The RismuIIer process proved sue
cessful. and is now used by the different
companies Il had the effect Of
number OF capitalists 70 invest
in the industry. and in addition TO those
at Shocks Arm and Balens, several new
were organized.
Whales Become Scarce.
From 1901 10 1904 the business increased
from year TO year and fourished ike the
prOverbial green bay tree In the FOL
lowing year there was a drop Of so a tun
in the price Of oil It was found. more
over. that several Of the factories were
erected in unsuitable places. and that the
number Of whales captured had consider
ably fallen of. For instance. in 1900. LIS
whales were captured; in 1855. Ss2. and in
1906 only 429. As a result, the factories at
Shocks Arm. Lance au Loup, Trinity. and
Lark Harbor were closed. while the catch
at Aquaforte was only eighteen. Cape
Broyie three. and St Marys four
Three of the whaling steamers have
been sold 20 parties prosecuting the IN
dustry in Japan and Korea, and several
Of the whaling companies have been
wound up. TIRE profits made by the
factories in operation in I9Jl- % are re-
ported to be from 40 to 90 per cent. The
loss during the subsequent three years by.
some Of the whaISE companies is report
ed to be from one and half to two mil
lions Of dollars. From careful inquiries
o. several interested it IS learned that It
Is nearer S95e.CO0
FACTORIES IN operation.
The number Of whale factories in oper-
alton and the number Of whales captured
in the year $500 were as follows:
At Balena,/S2; at Bay Chaleur. 81; at
Rose au Rue, s.; St. Lawrence, 80; Cape
Broyle, 2: Cape Charles. 81: Dublin Cove.
z: Aquaforte. 8; Hawks Bay and Port
Saunders, 81: Hawks Harbor, s.: Trinity
Harbor, p; Shocks Arm, Is; Beaverton.
L. Total. Isl.
Two OF the above factories paid Is per
cent dividends The value Of the whale
oil. guanO, and carcass CT body bone ex-
ported in 1907 was $IS2.S 91
Though the losses Of the past three or
four years operations are, no doubt. de-
pressing. yet several seem inclined toi
take an optimistic view Of the future
The removal OF the license fee and mar