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

by the veteran whalebone cutter, might
be considered startling.
Il had nothing when I took over
this business said Mr.. Messmann. "or
almost nothing. MIR. yetter wished
to retire, and he gave me everything.
l did not pay him for the business
what you call the good-will-or for
any of he equipment. All l paid him
for was the actual stock of raw whale
bone. In the house. The tools. the safe.
the machinery. the furniture, the good
will-eyerything-he gave me-"
When asked what would become of
the business. Mr.. Mesmann indicated
that his foreman, John Martel, had
been with the concern since 1871, and
the inference was that history might
repeat itself In a limited way.
Sixty Years In One Building.
In speaking of the interesting and
now vanishing business of whalebone
cutting and dressing. Mr.. Messmann
said:
"Since 1850 this whalebone business
has been continuously in this building.
When we-I mean the business-first
came here we sold a great deal Of
bone for hoop skirts. We sold 1t for
umbrella ribs. too, That was before
the time of the metal umbrella rib"
Diving Ii into a drawer, Mr.. Mess
mann fished out a very old rib, a
strip of whale bone. with square-Gn-
ished sides, about ~one-eighth of an
inch thick. terminating In a we'll
shaped tip. the prototype of the mod
ern umbrellas bone or horn tipped
metal rib.
1--WE sold the ribs squared of, the
umbrella makers tapering the ends.
1t was &C before they used steel ribs
In umbrellas.
Automobiles have caused a large
decrease in whalebone sales. You
don't need a whip for an auto. For
merly carriages and turnouts were
numerous and whips were needed. We
sold a great deal Of whalebone for
whips"
Sixty years ago. when closely set
whalebones stiffened ladies' basques
and bodIces. and corsets. then known
as stays, were formidable affairs,
close-set with boning. the whalebone
business fiourished. Sales have been
getting scarcer lately. More recently
w~halebone has been sold to felt hat
manufacturers. who place a thin, slen-
der strip inside the swaziland to keep
the hat in shape.
The whalebone in what are
technically known Is 'slabs.-thick,
flexible strips. running to about ten
feet in length, broad at the base and
tapering to a blunt point. These big
slabs OF whalebone are sometimes
variegated, so-called "white" bone be-
ing found here and there In streaks.
when we encounter a light streak
we cut that out and lay It aside" said
MI. Messman. an this way we as
semble q quantity Of whalebone of a
light tone. 1t run about the shade
Of manila paper"
Mr.. Mesmann showed n box of this
bone, such as ne had sold to dry goods
stores and dressmakers' supply houses.
II bOuf+ u ia i'hStao VI
inches, very flexible and almost as
Thin as heavy note paper. was part Of
a lot which he used TO sell 10 a de-
partment store, where II was used In
ball dresses, according to Mr.. Mess
mann
Whzlebone Bullet Probes.
During the "a whalebone probes
were used TO search for bullets. the
strip of whaiebone about Il inches
long being rounded like a child's old
fashioned slate pencil and then cut
away TO an exceedingly fine and fex-
ible thinness. terminating in "A slightly
rounded end. The whalebone is all
cut by hand, with knives, and later
shaped and smoothed by machinery.
Whalebone Is obtained from the
right whale or cachelot. the bowhead
and the h~umpbacked whale. These
must not be confused with the sperm
whale, from which sperm oil is taken
The whalebone OF the h~umpbacked
whale is not considered desirable. The
whalebone or baleen. as 1t Is called.
is so placed within the jaws of the
whale that he uses IL for strainlng the
small living organisms on which he
feeds.
Mr. Messmann treasures a slab.
found tossed In with a large lot of
bone. on which some member of a
whaler's crew had evidently put In
u lot of time. Craven on its polished
surface is a panorama. showing heav-
ing pillows, a full-rlgged ship, whales
and more whales. some of them
sounding" with just thele tails stick
ing up; one with his bulky head Jut-
ting up like n cliff. with a whaleboat
neatly bitten In two by his gigantic
jaws. The decorations include a
shore. with lighthouse, cottage and
trees, and decorative emblems-eagles,
flags and patriotic inscriptions such
as "E Pluribus Unum," Liberty" and
Columbia"
The last whale known to have been
.,uobf aft Nav York aecordinp IN