318 WHALING 



recuperate from the terrific raids of the Civil War, then it 

 dropped, in 1865 to 85 cents and in 1868 to 65 cents. But that 

 was its low-water mark. In 1876 I find prices varying between 

 $1.12| to $1.35. In 1879 they suddenly jumped to $2.50; in 

 '85, $3.60 was quoted. In 1890 came the amazing price of $4, 

 which was unprecedented until, in that same year, bone reached 

 the unbelievable heights of $4.50. 



About that time an ambitious whalebone agent in New Bed- 

 ford saw a tremendous opportunity before him : he began quietly 

 to get the agency of all the bone that came into the market, so 

 that before long he controlled the entire supply — a corner in 

 whalebone. Now, of course, he could control the price; there 

 was no one to underbid him and he forced the price higher and 

 higher. But he reckoned without his purchasers. When the 

 price reached $6 the manufacturers struck. If they could not 

 have whalebone at a reasonable price they would do without. 

 And without they did. They invented substitutes which cost 

 far less and served the same purposes, and the enterprising 

 whalebone agent, when he had held it for two years — having 

 to have it cleaned and recleaned two or three times as it deterio- 

 rated — sold his whalebone at a tremendous sacrifice. 



Five years ago George Messman, the last whalebone cutter in 

 New York, went out of business. In 1864, when he began to 

 learn his trade, whalebone was used to stiffen basques and 

 bodices and corsets and hats; it was used in the best whips, 

 and provided hoops for hoop skirts and ribs for umbrellas. 



One day in February, when he was fifteen years old, he an- 

 swered an advertisement by William Forster of 161 Duane 

 Street, for a boy who could speak German. Although young 

 Messman could not speak the language freely, his father had 

 emigrated from Germany in the 'forties, and German was 

 spoken in the Messman home; so he could readily understand it. 

 His knowledge proved sufficient and his penmanship pleased 

 the whalebone merchant. He was told to report at half-past 

 seven the next morning. 



In accordance with the traditions of those old days of humble 

 beginnings and honest labour, his first task was sweeping out the 



