El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-02-14
Eating Whale For Meat
II Americans and Europeans Could
Re Educated to This Food, 1t Would
Helm Relieve Beef Famine.
> Bv Roy Chnpman Andrews >

-- Nv ElcDy NAAAA l9AAAllA- - AAtAA z w.
Washington, D. c., Feb. 14.-"If the
American and European people could
be educated to the point of eating the
canned flesh of animals which indi-
! Vidually yield as much as $4,000 POUNDS
OF meat what a wonderful food supply
I would be within reach of the poor OF
cur great cities" writes Roy Chap-
, nan Andrews, of New York, in an IN
teresting communication on Whanng,
to the National Geographic society.
He predicts that as result OF Ine
world hunt for the monarch OF the
seas, now going on in full blast, the
commercial extinction OF the Iarg e
whales, within a very lew decaues, IS
inevitable Except in japan, he says,
great portions of the flesh of the ami
mails, which is palatable ana healJnIui
is now going to waste or is being used
for fertilizing purposes
Few people realize that the blue
or suInh11r bottom. whale found in
all our oceans is not only the largest
animal that lives today, but is also, 50
far as is now known, the largest AMI
nal that has ever existed on the ear IN
or in its waters" writes Mr.. Andrews
Specimens have been measured Whlcn
reached n length of 81 feet and in all
probability weighed as mucn as 20
tens. Although the mouth IS enor-
nous. large enough in fact to permit
10 or u men to stand upright IN IT,
the throat measures only nine lnches
in diameter. These animals, ike most
of the 'whale-bone whales usually
feed on minute crustaceans' SHRIMP
about three quarters OF an men long
Thev probably never eat 1lSh OF any
kind if other food is to be had, and
of the many stomacns nave eAd IN
, iped never once could any lhlnS pul
the LITTLE red cruStaceanS be IOund
From the stomach of one blue whale at
Vancouver island five barrels OF
shrimp were taken, and it was by no
neans full
darfuI strength as have the blue
vCbales When I saw a blue whale
with a harpoon between the shoulders
drag a ship, with engines at tull speed
aetern. through the water almost as
though if had been a rowboat l began
fo listen to the stories of their in
credible strength with more respect.
The finback. closely related 70 the
bIue whale has been called the grey
hound of the sea- for its long, slender
body is built on the lines of the rae
inc Yacht and the animal can equal
the sDeed of the fastest steamship.
"All the large whales show great
and calves will seldom leave each
other when pursued by a snip. re-
member at one time in Alaska we
sighted a female finback with young
one about 80 feet long BESIDE her- AS
the old whale rose to spout, the gun
ner fired. killing her almost instantly.
The calf, although badly frightened,
continued to swim in a circle about the
ship, and finally, Wnen lUs dead
mother had been hoisted to the sur
face. the little fellow came alongside
co close that I could have struck him
with a stone. During the time that
the carcass was being inflated and the
gun reloaded, the calf was constantly
Witbin a few fathoms of the ship,
swimming around and around, some
fines rubbing itself against the body
Of its dead mother Finally a har-
pcon was sent crashing into. its side,
and it sank without a struggle.
I'm the upper portion Of the head
OF the sperm whale is an immense
oil tank in which the valuable 'sper-
1acetf is found in a liquid condition
and from which it may be dipped with
q bucket when an incisiOn is made.
From a sperm whale so feet in length
which was sent from japan, 20 barrels
o. spermaceti were taken out of the
case and the surrounding fat. The
sperm whale is the animal which
Yields ambergris, the valuable sub
Stance used so extensively in the man
ufacture of our best perfumes"