The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1915-06-04

THE FOOLIsH PORPoISE

II PORP Disc !
) y Haskin 8
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this purpose An the boats Of a VII
lage will turn out. shape themselves
waters that are known to contain the
blackdsh A mighty beating OF the
waters Is kept up. Stones are thrown
into the bay ahead Of. the boats. Tn
pans are beaten most Mostly In
many cases this method works very
successfully, fhe PROPOSES run into
the shallow water and the panic en-
sues. Then the fishermen rush into
the shallow water and with spears
and knives the slaughter begins 1t
IS seldom that blackfish escapes.
One OF the Oldest plants for the
refinement OF the OIL OF the blackhsh
is located on the coast OF North Caro-
lima Here, as at many other places.
nets are used as am aid in the capture
OF the porpoise. AT the Farce islands
the dndutsry IS stu better developed
The nets used in the capture OF these
schools OF heavy creatures are among
the strongest anywhere IN use One
OF these nets. made OF inch-thicA
ropes, may be l.2oo feet long and fifty
feet deep. Empty barrels are used as
floats One end is usually tied TO the
shore, and steam vessels drag IN the
other. At Farce islands as many
as $50 proposes have thus been killed
in four hours. There Is but one
chance OF the victims escaping Il the
leader should get his nose turned to
the sea and If he should leap the net
as sometimes happens, the porpo1se
being able to jump SIX feet into the.
air, every member OF the school
would do likewise and all would get
away.
Whaling vessels sometimes turn
their attention to these little brothers
OF their customary prey, and likewise
take advantage Of their stupidity. II
a boat succeeds In getting into por-
poise school one OF the whalers at
temots to wound member OF the
herd IN just the right way to serve:
his purpose. hTe wound should be in
fitcted in the back part Of the body;
The porpoise Will then dash forward,
among its fellows and scatter blood.
through the water This throws the
whole school into panic and they
dash hither and thither, beating up
the water and creating great COM
motion but making no progress toward
escape The whalers use their bar
poons right and left and often get
nearly every member OF the herd
These whalers use the fat Of the
porpoise just as they do that OF the
whale and refine both in the same
watts. There Is really little difference
between them. It was in the days OF
long ago that Fisherman Caleb Cook:
OF Provincetown, happened to refine
the OIL OF the head OF a porpo1se sep
artely from that of its body. He gave
some OF this oil to a carpenter friend
who pronounced it the best lubricant
he hao ever used upon the oil stones
on which he Sharpened his tools Caleo
also found that the oil did not con-
lgear when 1T was left out OF doors
| with the Thermometer below zero. He
presented a bottle OF it to watch
maker in Hartford, who pronounced
| it the best OF watch oils From this
BEGINNING has grown the refinement
of the bIackhsh-melon watch oils
which have come to be used upon the
delicate instruments OF all the ma
tons
The melon" is the choicest piece OF
oil-producing fat on blackfsh- It IS
a piece Of b1ubber that is found on
the head. When it Is peeled on 1t is
of the shape and appearance OF half
a watermelon. The oil may be as
easily squeezed out Of as water from
a melon Six quarts OF oil may be
secured from a melon, and It sells for
from s. to SIS a gallon An average
blackfsh viii yield thirty gallons OF
whale OIL worth fifty cents, a gallon,
and big fellows have been taken that
Welded as much as $50 gallons The
meat Of the blackfiSh is coarse and
strong and not used. There are those
who maintain that it is a waste to
discard It and that such action is due
to prejudice rather than to its lack
OF merit
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