Description of the Whale Fishery. Being again on board a whale ship, I
propose giving my readers a brief description of the Whale, and of the
manner of capturing them.
There are a number of varieties of whales; the three principal of
which are the common Greenland, or what sailors call the right whale,
the "razorback" or "finner;" and, thirdly, the cachelot or sperm
whale. These three varieties do not differ very essentially in their
general structure, though each has its peculiarities. The common full
grown right whale varies in length from fifty to seventy feet. Many
exaggerated notions are held respecting the size of the whale. Writers
of standard works of history have stated that they were frequently
found an hundred and fifty or sixty feet in length; and that they had
been found even of the extreme length of two hundred and fifty feet.
But such is not the fact; they seldom will exceed the length above
stated, and measure round the body, directly behind the head, from
thirty to forty feet. The head is of great size, and occupies one third
of the whole extent from snout to tail. The greatest circumference
of the body is just back of the head, whence it tapers sharply away
towards the tail. The mouth of the whale is extremely large and long,
and will admit, when opened wide, a whaleboat with its crew, if
placed crosswise of the jaw,--cases have been known where the whole
length of a boat has thus been taken in. The animal has no fin upon
the back, and the two side fins are five or six feet broad, and nine
or ten feet in length. The tail or "flukes," as the seamen term it,
is some twenty-five feet broad, in the shape of a crescent, and is
appended horizontally. This is a dangerous and powerful instrument with
which the whale often deals destruction to men and boats, or whatever
chances to be in the way during what the sailors term her "_flurry_,"
or when she is in the agonies of death. Boats are frequently thrown
high into the air, and broken into ten thousand pieces by a stroke
from the whale's "flukes." The eyes of the whale are not larger than
those of an ox,--the color of the body is mainly black; the under part
of the head and abdomen partly white, and partly of a speckled gray.
The two spout-holes of the "right" whale are on the top of the head,
and descend perpendicular into it for the length of twelve inches or
so to the windpipe. The throat is quite small; an inch and a half is
the extreme diameter of the gullet in the largest right whales. The
food of these whales is, of course, of a very minute nature; they feed
upon a multitude of smaller inhabitants of the ocean; and the mouth is
provided with a remarkable apparatus, composed of numerous whale-bones
extending from the centre of the arch to the lips, tapering away into
mere bristles, and forming a kind of fringe, by which means the small
particles of food are retained; not so with the sperm whale; they are
distinguished by having teeth in the lower jaw, and but one spout-hole
on the upper part of the snout. The sperm whale attains to a great
size; sometimes reaching the length of eighty feet; the head is of
enormous bulk, and ends abruptly in front. It has a small hump like
a camel on the back; and the side fins are also of small size; they
generally have from forty to fifty teeth which fit into cavities in the
upper jaw.
In this whale the gullet is large enough to admit a man; and the food
is large fish, principally "_squid_." A fine oil is obtained from the
head of the sperm whale called spermaceti, and from its intestines
ambergris. The sperm whale's spout can be seen at the distance of
three miles, and is easily distinguished. This whale does not produce
as much oil as the other variety, but it is much more valuable; they
fight fiercely among themselves, locking jaws with one another, and
exerting themselves in the most powerful manner; but they do not
attack a boat or man, and are easily frightened away. They are fond of
their young, and of one another, and will commonly remain near to a
wounded companion. They have the ability, on noticing any object, to
communicate intelligence to their companions four or five miles--though
the manner in which this is done remains a secret. It is often seen
to leap entirely out of water for the purpose, as is supposed, to
rid themselves of crabs and sucking-fish which are fond of fastening
upon their bodies. This act is termed by the sailors "_breaching_."
The swordfish and others frequently attack the whale with the utmost
audacity.
I have given my readers a brief account of some of the general features
and peculiarities of the whale; and I shall now proceed to describe
briefly the manner of catching them. No species of fishing can compare
in interest with the whale-fishery. The magnitude of the object of
the chase, and the perilous character of the seas which it peculiarly
frequents, are features which prominently distinguish the profession
of the whale-fisher from all similar pursuits. Before proceeding to
the account of capturing one of these monsters, I will speak of the
whaleboat and its appurtenances used for the purpose.
The whaleboat is from twenty-two to thirty feet in length, and is
provided with five or six oars. It is so formed as to float lightly
on the water, move with speed, and turn easily round. The best are
composed of straight, one-half inch cedar boards, ruppled and bent
to the required shape, by which means their elasticity is greatly
increased--the rapid and dangerous movements of the whale render these
various qualities indispensable. The principal weapons with which the
whale-fishery are supplied are the harpoon and lance. The harpoon is
an instrument about three feet long, composed of iron, and consists
of three conjoined parts--the socket, shank, and withers or barbs.
Much attention is paid to the manufacture of the shank of the harpoon
because on its flexibility the retention of a harpooned whale depends.
If the shank should break during the plunges of the whale, the animal
is lost. The lance is a more simple instrument; it is about ten feet
long, and has a sharp flat point or tongue of steel seven inches long.
This instrument and the harpoon, together with lines and boat, are all
the apparatus actually necessary for capturing a whale.
On the ship reaching the fishing ground, preparations are immediately
made for commencing the business of capture. Three or four boats are
always kept suspended from the cranes, by the side of the ship, in
such a position that they can be lowered into the water with their
complement of men and the whole necessary apparatus, in the space of
one minute.
Previously to this time the harpoons and line have been got in order.
The socket of the harpoon is furnished with a stock or handle, six
or eight feet long, and fastened in its place by means of a splice
of strong rope called a foreganger. To this is attached five or six
fathoms of line, called the stray line; and this is connected with the
other lines of the boat, neatly coiled up in each boat, and about 4300
feet of rope, made of the best hemp, and about two and a half inches
in circumference. A hatchet, bucket, and a few other articles, are put
into the boat.
When on the fishing ground, a man is kept constantly at the mast-head
on the look out for whales, and to give the notice to the men on deck
of the appearance of one upon the surface--which he does by crying
out "_there she blows_," or "_there she spouts_," which is responded
to by the captain on deck, who inquires "_where away_." The direction
being ascertained, one or more of the boats are lowered, manned by the
respective crews of each to row out, and if necessary give chase to the
whale--every boat eager to reach him first. There is much competition
between the different boats to see which shall first "fasten," or
get a harpoon into the whale; and this is sometimes carried to such
extreme length, that the unfortunate rear boat, seeing no chance of
success themselves, will throw every obstacle in the way of the other
to prevent their securing the whale; and sometimes go so far even as
to purposely frighten the whale away--thus seriously injuring the
interest of the owners as well as the whole crew. But this is not
allowed in well disciplined ships; for there the officer who goes in
each boat is required to guard against it.
The boats pull on, and as they approach the whale they see him spouting
more slowly. This is a signal that he is soon going down, and for
them to hasten if they would secure him. The successful boat shoots
alongside. "Peak your oar!" exclaims the officer to the harpooner--the
order is obeyed. "Stand up," continues the officer; and the glistening
harpoon is seen above the head of the harpooner, who instantly darts
it with unerring force and aim, and it is buried deeply in the side of
the gigantic creature. "_Stern all_," cries the master, and every man
bends his whole strength to the oar, and the boat is rapidly backed
from the whale's side. Now the pained whale plunges, and lashes the sea
in a most terrific manner--the noise of which may be heard for miles.
Suddenly he disappears, drawing the line out rapidly after him; many
hundred fathoms are run out before the whale again makes his appearance
on the surface, which he generally does somewhere in the vicinity, in a
very much exhausted state, owing to the loss of blood, and his violent
exertions to escape the harpoon by plunging furiously to the depths of
the sea. He is usually absent about the space of thirty minutes before
he rises again to the surface, and then the boat is run rapidly up to
him, and the headsman buries his lance in the vitals of the trembling
monster. He is now made desperately furious,--the lance is again driven
into his side; his motions become wild and irregular; and, after what
is called the mortal flurry, he turns over on his side, and dies. The
Leviathan of the deep is conquered! He is now towed to the ship, and
there firmly secured by ropes. Then comes the process of what whalemen
call "Cutting in," which is the separating and securing the fat or
blubber of the whale. It is effected in the following manner:
The man appointed for the purpose, with stockings on his feet to
prevent from slipping, leaps upon the body, and, secures a piece of
about a foot and a half wide, which has been flayed up near the head,
to a heavy purchase which is worked in board, men standing on deck with
blubber knives, cut it while others work away at the purchase which
rolls the body over as the blubber is removed. It is taken on deck, and
cut in pieces fit for the pots, when it is tried out, and put in casks.
After the bone has been secured, the carcase is allowed to sink.
[Illustration]