The Washington herald., 1911-08-27

q UTONk8DIe
WI dgstty should have almost died out:
49, Whale fishing Of itself 10 the hardest
life man could possibly lead, yet
there is certain fascination about It.
With all its hardships and hazards, there
ing from year to year. Each year, too. sees
some disaster to the feet. Ships have had to
be deserted by their crews, and, although the
men have sometimes reached other. vessels,
yet there have been instances where there was
no way of escape, and they succumbed to cold
and starvation.
The whaling business is also hazardous from
financial standpoint II costs money 10 6t
out ships, and frequently they come Rack
without bone and oil sufficient 10 pay for the
outlay.
Of late years it has often happened that .
ship. returned from cruise with but one
only 5000, Il can be seen that nothing was
made out Of the venture. Recently, however,
some vessels came back from the Arctic seas
with as many as thirty whales to their credit,
. 1t is now said that the whale catch Of 1893
exceeded anything in history. There were
brought home $50 tons Of bone and 8, 100000,
gallons Of oil, this being solely the product Of
the Arctic Ocean whalers.
II has not yet been learned whether sperm
whales were numerous l9et year, but II they
were the whales undoubtedly secured some
arnbergris-a commodity which Is almost as
valuable as are UNCUT precious stones
whales, and 1t is extensively used in the man
ufscture of perfumery. 1t readily brines 200
pound, and it 10 found in Jumps varying
from three inches to a foot in diameter, and
weighing from few ounces to twenty or thir-
ty pounds.
larger pieces have, however. begzIUZZ1
lump, which the Dutch Es9MZZLZISyH4@Ay
bought from the King Of fyyd6re, weighed 1872
pounds, and, an American fisherman once
found piece near the Windward Islands
which weighed 100 pounds
Ambergris is solid, fatty substance Of a
gray or blackish color, and with sweet.
found were either dead or much wasted. and
evidently in sickly condition.
The capture OF a whale has often been de-
scribed. In addition to harpooning the fish,
a bomb-lance is now fired at il, and when the
bomb strikes vital spot the whale rolls over
dead.
In pictures whale is represented - stand
ing up bike a hnoy or posing with it, tail on
that I g only the he top % oi the the head, Z sbost Ut the E
spout-hole, and piece Of the back are ssen,
and perhaps the tail may make an occasional
sweep in the air.
alongside the. ship and secured by long chains,
and the cutting-up process begins. Then the
oil il separated from the blubber, and the
odors from the steaming try-pots, the slippery
decks and the disagreeable sense OF oil cover.
ing everything are enough to take away 81
the romance which many boys have dreamed
would be found on board whaler.
1t is not necessary, however, to go always
to the Arctic Ocean in search OF whales. There
is whale fishery off the southern coast o.
California, between Monterey and Point Con
cepcion, which for many years has carried or
productive industry The gray whale found
there is very fond of seeking the shore, and i
has been known to enter San Francisco Bay
=. San Simeon Bay near Port Hartford, is th,
= favorite place for the whale catchers, who ar
mostly Portuguese A lookout ON bluff see
whale in the distance and gives the signal
{ Boats are at once manned and put out iron
e the shore in pursuit. The whales which fire
Is auent the coast have been chased so often ths
e they have become cunning, and it Is almos
impossible to get near enough to captur
q them without the aid Of the dart-gun, II th
r gunner, when he fires, hits the whale, th
e. boat is hauled up closer, bomb-lance is sho
into a vital spot and that ends the career Q
s. the whale. The prize is towed to the station
hauled up on the beach and the cutting up
" begun. - .
t. These whaling stations are often visited b
ly tourists They are primitive, and yet pi'
n, turesaue. In the open air there are steamin
ar cau.lrons Of oil, the fires beneath sendip
in forth columns of thick black smoke. Ther
ar are boats. lying on the beach or swinging {
az their moorings in the bay.
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