The Devils Lake world. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1920-1982, 1920-08-18
whalebone business was handed down

II had nothing when I took over
this business" said Mr.. Messmann, "or
almost nothing. Mr.. yetter wished
to retire, and he gave me everything.
I did not pay him for the business
what you call the good-will-or for
any of the equipment. All I paid him
for was the actual stock Of raw whale
bone in the house. The tools, the safe,
the machinery, the furniture. the good
Observation-Disclosures 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 1860 this whalebone business
has been continuously in this building.
When vel mean the business-irst
III ICiC VIC SOlu q 6ASoI NSoA w.
bone for hoop skirts. We sold it for
umbrella ribs, too. That was before
the time of the metal umbrella rib"
Diving it into a drawer, Mr.. Mess
a fshed out a very old rib, a
strip of whale bone, with square-tin-
ished sides, about o%ne-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.
"We sold the ribs squared off, the
umbrella makers tapering the ends.
1t was '66 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
ms stays, were formidable affairs,
c%lose-set with bonlng. the whalebone
business fourished. Sales have been
getting scarcer lately. More recently
whalebone has been sold to felt hat
manufacturers, who place a thin, slen-
der strip inside the swaziland to keep
the hat In shape.
Tho u,Go1obo~@ 1o~ooe u x,hat nrn
technically known a. 1slabs"-thick,
flexible strips, running to about ten
feet in length, broad at the base and
taperlng 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
Mr.. Messman. I'm this way We as
semble a quantity of whalebOne Of q
light tone. 1t RUIZ about the shade
Of manila paper"
Mr.. Mesmann showed a box Of this
bone, such as he had sold to dry goods
stores and dressmakers' supply houses.
The bone, cut in lengths of %thirty-six
inches, very flexible and almost as
thin as heavy note paper, was part Of
q lot which he used to sell to a de-
partment store, where it was used in
ball dresses, according to Mr.. Mess
Manu..
9 Whalebone Bullet Probes.
During the var w%halebone probes
we're used to search for bullets, the
strip of whalebone about IA 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 w%halebone 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 humpbacked whale. These
must not be confused with the sperm
whale, from which sperm oil is taken,
The whalebone Of the humpbacked
whale Is not considered desirable. The
whalebone or baleen, as it is called
is so placed within the jaws Of the
whale that he uses it for straining the
small living organisms on which he
feeds.
Mr.. Messmann treasures a slab
found tossed In with a large lot o.
bone, on which some member OF
whaler:s crew had evidently put IL
a lot Of time. Craven on It's polished
surface is a panorama, showing heav
Ing pillows, a full-rigged ship, whales
and more whales, some Of then
"sounding," with just their tails stick
Ing up; one with his bulky head jut
ting up like a cliff, with q whaleboa
neatly bitten in two by his giganti
Jaws. The decorations include
shore, with lighthouse, cottage an
trees, and decorative emblems-eagae!
flags and patriotic inscriptions sue
as "E Pluribus Unum," Liberty" an
Columbia"
The last whale known to have bee
caught off New York, according I
Mr.. Messmann, was taken by Captai
Joshua Edwards. off ~Amagansett,
l., fifteen years ago.
II got there as fast as I could, bl