Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-01-17
NOROMANCE
y NNHALING

The Pacific Ocean Is stocked with
whales A hundred years ago boats
sailed from Hawaii to the Arctic on
periodical whaling excursions. Then
San Francisco took up the trade, and
in "a crude manner caught few
whales every year. But ut was not
until recently that whaling was taken
up on scientific principles. s i
IT is estimated that millions of dol
lars will be made by modern meth
DDS. Nine whales in one day were
caught at one station and as each
whale is worth more than $1,000 dol
lars, some idea of the industry may
be had. -. :. !, ~.
Old-fashioned whaling days have
passed, and the present whaling sta
tion is a prosaic affair conducted on
sbusiness-like lines. Whales are caught
by whaling ships especially construct
led for the industry. These vessels are
sstaRch, with iron plates everything
steel ribs, and they often cost from
SAT, 900 to $4,000. They are arrang-
ed so they can steal noiselessly up to
the whale, and instead of q small
boat whale line and hand harpoon,
heavy harpoon Is now shot from, a
gun placed in the bow of the boat
The whale has at last found his mas
ter -. r.. + ~
Many people objected to the great
loss OF whales on the Newfoundland
coast, as only the blubber was used.
A German scientist, DR.. Rishmuller,
discovered chemical process to use
all of the waste. This method was
adopted on the Pacific Coast
ALI is hustle about a whaling sta
ton. The captain on the whaling YES
sci, with ten picked men, usually
starts out at daybreak after his game
Everything is prepared for the fray,
the platform on the ships bow holds
ponderous harpoon ready to be shot
from the cannon, and the men are
prepared for a hard case, for often
they must go over a long stretch of
sea in bad weather. One man is sta
toned aloft as lookout, and as whales
feed on animal life and come to the
surface to blow, he is liable at any
time to call out Whale ahead" or
Whale on starboard," or Whale to
port" as the case may be.
When such a call comes all is ex,
element. The ship goes full speed and
bears down upon the prey. The cap
tain waits until the boat is about $50
yards from the whale, when flash goes
the harpoon. This is a large instru-
ment six feet long, with claws that
open and fasten themselves firmly into
the flesh. To make assurance doubly
sure the hapoon has on it a shell that
expiodes after the instrument enters
the whale. Then begins chase after
the whale If he is not killed outright.
He may come up to the surface two or
three times to blow, though he is still
attached to the boat for when the har-
poon strikes the boat many fathoms of
line go with it.
The captain must steer his boat to-
ward the spot where the whale will
next be seen. A whale may jump into
the air. returning to the water with
thud that sends out water spouts over
the ship, or it may go directly toward
the ship, flashing it with it's tail and
injuring it badly. Sometimes the
whale will be four or five hours Giro
ling around the ship and battling for
its life. Finally, if it does not die, the
SdIOlS NIL IL with Hal pCOllS. 1HSu du
air pipe is forced into it's stomach and
it is inflated. This keeps the carcass
afloat, and it is marked with a flag
and towed behind the vessel.
The northern Pacific whales travel
in herds. The most valuable is the
bOwhead, which averages in oil and
whalebone $4,000. Next in import
ance is the right whale, which con-
tains as much oil, but only half as