New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1928-07-14
WHALERS Still
i HUNT THE SEAS
Methods Are Different But Oil Is
h Demand Whaling IS Sport
BY J. VANCE

Most folk In these modern days OF
electric light and gas for heat and
power are unaware OF the fact that
the whaling industry, which once
furnished oil for heating and light
Ing purposes 10 still carried on by 4
remarkably large number Of ships.
They would assume that the need
for the oil was gone and the giants
Of tho sea pursued the even tenor
of their ways undisturbed by man.
This IL not so. however. There are
several whaling stations In Alaska.
near the feeding grounds Of the
whale and many ships operating
from these stations. A fine grade OF
oil u produced.
Conc are the methods of CEN
fury and more ago when square rig
gers from New Bedford and New
London started on cruises lasting for
years, sometimes. circling the con-
tinent Of South America and pene-
trating far northward even into the
Berinx Sea before their holds were
full of oil In casks and they were
ready to return. In those days the
whale. were sighted from the mast
head Of 4 schooner. small boats were
put over the side and the prey vas
chased with oars as propelllne
power. When he was approached
and 1t Ii comparatively easy to come
upon a whale even now when gaso-
lin or steam is the propelling power
and the ships wheel raises consid-
cradle commotion. he was impaled
with harpoon thrown by husky
man. There followed an exciting
ride for the boats crew until the
animal could be again approached
and the captain was able to cut MS
life OUT with a spade shaped lance.
In those days man gambled much
for his oil. Many a vicious whale
vas encountered. many boat stove
In, and many a whaler killed but
the traffic continued.
To day the whale is hunted with
fire arms from a larger boat and
the attendant danger Is thereby
much reduced. The great animal
has rather steady habits. He may
be either feeding. sleeping or trav-
cling when seen from the boat that
" after him. If he Is travelling he
continues in a straight line, coming
up to tho surface to breathe, or
blow. at frequent intervals. If feed
ing he will sound" throwing up his
great tail fluke and going down al
most perpendicular and staying
down for a longer interval. coming
up again to blow in the neighbor-
hood OF his dive. II sleeping, and he
10 seldom found this way. he lies
quietly at the surface. The whale
has practically no enemies excepting
man and occasionally another kill
sr'' whale. He picks his food from
the depths OF the sea. Consequently
he needs vision in but one direction
-down-and he cannot see along
the surface or above 1t. He does not
xeem to be disturbed by propellers
or surface noises and il one can
determine what he is doing and
whittier he Is bound he Is eaaly
ApHlVANACus ~ OVdL Sdu 4ulClSVpS
him II he Is travelling or 60 to his
neighborhood II he is feeding. After
that he becomes a target for the
marksman at the whale gun and,
though he is big. it takes quick
shooting to get in a hit. Today he
Ia killed and towed to a shore sta
ton where the blubber is tried out
and all Of the oil taken from the
fat and the we'll in the head. unlike
the olden days when the ship was
used for boiling out the oil. the
whale being made fast alongside
until all blubber was removed.
All Of which Is by way of pream-
BILE to the whaling" which our par
ty thought to indulge in. In the first
place 1t is illegal to take whales I'M
less q method of disposing of them
is handy. They cannot be killed and
left. This, of course, handicapped us
on the Westward" somewhat as our
field Of activities was restricted to
the neighborhood of a whaling sta
ton where We could sell the carcass
II we were successful in our sport
ing venture. We made arrangement
to sell our whale. II we got one, to
the whalers at Port Holburn in the
Aleutians.
Modern methods of whaling had
been changed about somewhat by
the sportsman who owned the West
ward. He wished to make a sporting
proposition out of the whale game,
instead OF q business. Mounted at
the bow. we'll forward. was a
brass gun Of between two and three
inches bore. This gun shot a har-
poon With loaded head. The flukes
Of the harpoon were tied down at
the side with light wire SO that it
would penetrate more easily and.
when the head exploded, they were
fashioned 50 as to spring out thus
anchorinS the whale. Attached to
the harpoon was $500 feet of steel
cable wound onto a drum. A fric-
ton clutch. attached to ten horse
power gasoline motor turned this
drum. The theory back of all OF
this was the same as will be found
IN trout-fishing circles. We were to
play" our whale as fish would
be played with rod and reel. The
motor would be constantly pulling
against him. II he got too strong
for the motor the clutch which
turned the drum would slip and he
could take out line, even though
drag of the clutch and motor was
against him. As soon as he relented
the clutch would again catch and
allow the motor to retrieve line. All
Of this was theory. We did not get
the necessary combination of whale
and whaling station but once and
We were not lucky enough to get an
opportunity to place shot that one
time. Consequently the theory re-
NAMED INFESTED.
1t was with mingled pleasure and
anticipation of dangerous possible
ties that the cry of whale oh, She
raooj,od ~, ~ o.o,,