290 THE SEAS 



which is necessary for future legislation. In the course 

 of the cruises undertaken the conditions of the whales' 

 environment and the distribution of their food have also 

 been studied and great advances have been made in our 

 knowledge of the whole oceanography of the southern 

 ocean and antarctic waters. 



In the early days ot whale fishing the chase must have 

 been fraught with danger and excitement, for the hunters 

 ventured forth in frail boats and came to close quarters 

 with the whale in order to drive their harpoons in by hand. 

 A whaling vessel usually carried six of these small chasers, 

 sailing boats twenty-seven feet in length. 



To-day the whale chaser is a steam driven steel ship of 

 anything up to 130 feet in length and capable of speeds 

 of thirteen to fifteen knots. The harpoon is shot from a 

 gun and is itself six feet long and 100 pounds in weight. 

 It has four barbs, each a foot long, which spring out when 

 the harpoon is buried in the whale's flesh ; in the nose 

 of the harpoon is a small shell loaded with powder which is 

 exploded by time fuse and helps to hasten the end of the 

 whale (Plate 103). Attached to the harpoon are 1,000 

 fathoms of stout rope on which with the help of a steam 

 winch the whale is played. 



The captured whale, with air pumped into it to make it 

 float lightly, is towed back to harbour where the factory 

 is situated and there the blubber is stripped off it and other 

 parts are put through the various processes necessary for 

 producing the oil. The whalebone is cut off and the 

 meat is cut into chunks and packed in boxes ready for 

 shipment. 



In order to remove the blubber, incisions are made along 

 the whole length of the body. A stout hook is then 

 inserted into the blubber at the head end and by means of 

 a chain and winch the blubber is stripped from the body. 



