The Devils Lake world. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1920-1982, 1920-08-18

BILE In New York for Sc Years-He
) Was the Third Owner of the Bust
ness-Product No Longer Used for
Many Purposes for Which 1t VA
Once Popular.
With the retirement from business
recently Of George Messmann Of New
York, the business of whalebone cut
ting in this country terminated. At
q 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 it's
place as distinguished from the sub
%stitution 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 no 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.. Messmann, interrupted in the
winding up Of his business affairs, adj
mitted that he was chiefly preoccupied
st the moment with deciding what
souvenirs to retain or send to those
interested in the business before his
time. Mr.. Messmann pleads guilty to
as hale and hearty as any man OF
fifty could wish, and, looking back to
his predecessor, and his predecessors
predecessor, who ran the same busi-
ness in the same spot, he explained
why he felt that he was the young
est, as we'll as the oldest, cutter-up Of
whalebone left in the United States.
Il was born in 1910, although ev-
erybody says I don't look it." said he
with q hearty laugh, "in New York
City, and since 1864 I have been work
ing right here in this shop. That Is
dfty-six years.
At One Table Fifty-Six Years.
IN 1890 I took over the business
from A. J. Vetter. who retired, just
as in 1866 Mr.. Vetter took it over from
William Forster, the owner at that
time. Mr.. Vetter worked for Mr..
Forster, as I worked for Mr.. Vetter,
only I worked for Mr.. Vetter twenty
four years-a long time, ell? I work
ed two years for Mr.. Forster before
that. l came here as a boy of fifteen
years. For almost fifty-six years I
have worked, cutting bone, at that
table," continued Mr.. Messmann, in
dicating a heavy, rough cutting table.
Those were the good old days, ac-
cording to the veteran whalebone cut
ter, when Saturdays meant 5 o'clock,
just like any other day, and there were
no vacations.
Il worked for A. J. Vetter twenty
four years with never a days vaca-
tion," he said. at was all day on
Saturdays, and 1 never missed a day.
In those days we worked for our
money"
The quaint brick building at ISL
Duane street, which has housed the
whalebone-cutting business with never
a 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 a coffee mill.
There Is an extension out at the
back which you can see where they
used to roast the coffee" said Mr.
Messmann.
In 1860 the building was taken over
for the then flourishing whalebone
business, which, with successive years
has been pushed up, until recently
it has occupied only the two upper
stories, reached by almost perpsndic
ular old stairs. Over the street en-
trance to the building hangs a plail
sign with the word "Whalebone" II
large white letters on a black ground
This sign is old, but new in compar
fson with the one shat is nailed u
ever 1t, which displayed the name o
A. J. Vetter until time o%bliterated
and the old rough board above tina
which at one time told the world tho
William Forster was in the whalebon
business.
Reminders Of Old Days.
II am going to send this" indica
ing an old mahogany desk, Ito NJ
Carl Vetter in North Andover, Mas
He is the son of A. J. Vetter. q
will like to have the old desk at whic
his father sat, and the old clock. too
he added, nodding to an old-fashione
wall clock.
'"That clock is still going just Il
same as ever, and I personally ca
vouch for the fact that it has hi
only two springs since the year 1876
Once in q while lately it stops. al
I Just take it and put it in the stea
box, let it get warmed up a little, al
It. gees right on. You can't beat thai
Mr. Mesnann admitted that