White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1920-08-15

With the retirement from business
recently of George Messmann of New
York, the business of whalebone cut
ting in this country terminated. At
one time this was a thriving and i'm
portant industry, but of late years.
what with changing fashions the In
PRODUCTION of substitutes for bone"
and the frank use Of metal in its
place as distinguished from the sub
s~titution of some similar appearing
substance. the whalebone trade has
fallen upon evil times. Also the catch
has grown constantly smaller and
smaller.
According TO Mr.. Messmann, there
Is nc whalebone now in the market.
although there Is some slight expecta-
ton of a little coming in In the fall.
"What right whale fishing has been
done lately has been from the West
Coast, Frisco, Seattle and altogether In
Pacific waters and toward the Jap
anese coast" said Mr.. Messmann. The
long famous New Bedford, Nantucket
and Vineyard whale fishing has been
out of existence for some time
Mr.. MessInann, interrupted In the
winding up of his business affairs, ad-
mitted that he vas chiefly preoecupied
at the moment with deciding what
souvenirs to retain or SEND to those
Interested In the business before his
time. Mr.. Messmann pleads guilty to
seventy-one years, although he looks
u hale and hearty rs any Of
nfty could wish, and, looking back to
his predecessor. and his predecessors
predecessor. who ran the same bust
e Ia the same spot, he explained
why he felt that he was the young
est, as well as the Oldest. c~utter-up Of
whalebone left in the United States.
II was born In 1S49. although ev-
erybody says ! don't look It." said ne
with a hearty laugh. "in New York
City. and since 1854 1 have been work
ing right here in this shop. That il
ifty-six years.
AZ One Table Fifty-six Years.
"fn 1890 I took over the business
from A. j. yetter. who retired. just
as In 1866 Mr.. yetfer took it owe from
william Forster. the owner at that
time. Mr.. yetter worked for Mr..
Forster. as I worked for Mr.. Vetter.
only l worked for Mr.. yetter twenty
ed two years for Mr.. Forster before
that. I came here as a boy of fifteen
years. For almost ffty-six years l
have worked. cutting bone. at that
table" continued Mr.. Messmann, in
dicating a heavy. rough cutting table.
cording TO the veteran whalebone cut
ter. when Saturdays meant 8 o'clock,
just like any other day. and there were
no vacations.
II worked for A. j. Fetter twenty
four years with never a days vaca-
tion." he said. 1T was all day on
Saturdays. and l never missed a day.
In those days we worked for our
money"
The quaint brick building at 16l
Duane street, which has housed the
whalebone-cutting business with never
q break since the year 1860, was orig
inally built as a private house. Then
it was used as a schoolhouse, and
later descended to a trade level. be-
ing used for u coffee mill.
There Is an extension out at the
back which you can e e. where they
used TO roast the coffee" said Mr..
Messmann.
In 1864 the building was taken owe
for the hen fourishing whalebone
business. which. with successive years,
has been pushed up, until recently
IL has occupied only the two upper
stories. reached by almost perpendic-
ular old stairs. Over the street en-
trance to the building hangs a plain
sign with the word "whalebone" in
large white letters on a black ground.
This sign is old, but new In eompar-
lson with the II that is nailed up
over 1t, which displayed the name Of
A. ]. Fetter until time obliterated il
and the old rough board above that
which Mt one time told the world that
William Forster was In the whalebone
business.
Reminders of Old Days.
81 am going TO send this" indicat-
ing an old mahogany desk. 10 Mr..
Carl vetrer in North Andoyer. Mass.
He Is the son Of A. ]. Vetter. He
will like to have the old desk at which
his father sat, and the old clock. too"
he added. nodding to an old-fashioned
wall clock.
That clock is stin going Just the
same as ever. and l personally can
vOuch for the fact that it has had
only two springs since the year 1864.
Once in a while lately II stops, and
1 just take 1t and put it In the steam
box. let it get warmed up a little. and
II goes right on. You can't beat that"
Mr.. Mesmann admitted that he
would feel lost without the business.
The old office safe Is dated 1852 and
has been used continuously in this
4-. ---l-l ia Sc