1V)4 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



siiuilai- iiuitorijils are burned, and sometimes even n part of the rieli 

 blubber is consumed as fuel in order to sa.ve the remainder. 



It is well known that the boiling point of oil far exceeds that of 

 water. So intense is the heat at times that the solder upon the imjile- 

 ments used about the iDots is melted. It is important that all water 

 should be expelled in order that the oil may not become rancid when 

 barreled. It is equall}" important that every precaution should be 

 taken to prevent water from getting into the pots during the process 

 of boiling, the action of the oil under such circumstances depending 

 ui)on the quantity of the extraneous fluid which is suddenlj^ brought 

 in contact with it. If the pots are not sheltered heavy rain may cause 

 the oil to foam up, and when the vessel ships a heavy sea or when a 

 very heavy rainstorm occurs, the contents of the pots are apt to throw 

 up an immense cloud of steam and scatter the seething oil. Commu- 

 nicating with the fire, the oil is ignited with a flash, and the streams 

 of burning liquid pour out uj)on the deck, sometimes with disastrous 

 effect. As soon as the contents of the pots show a tendency to boil 

 over, pieces of fresh blubber are pitched in, and if this is not suffi- 

 cient the fire is immediately banked. 



To prevent the vagrant j)ieces of loan which have accompanied the 

 blubber from clinging and burning to the side and bottom of the pot 

 and thus darkening the oil, the boiling mass is vigorously stirred. 

 This is one of the most important duties in the process of oil-rendering. 



Instruments are never used on a whale ship for testing the heat or 

 culinary condition of the oil; the men rely mainly on their experience 

 as to the best time for removing it, judging either bj' the color of the 

 scrap or by spitting into the boiling nmss, this producing a peculiar 

 crepitating noise when the blubber has been sufficiently cooked. 



As fast as the pieces of blubber are resolved into oil, the residuary 

 fragments are transferred to a rough box called the ' ' scrap-hopper " 

 or "strainei'-cooler." Its size depends uj)on the dimensions of the 

 try- works, but usually it holds from 1 to 1^ pots of scrap. It consists 

 of two compartments, the upper portion, or hopper, for the scrap and 

 the lower i^art for the oil, the two separated by a Avooden partition 

 containing numerous holes, so tliat the oil may readily drain from the 

 material. 



The best and most economical way of utilizing the scrap has always 

 been an important problem to the whalemen. The body of the sperm 

 whale usually boils out freely, and consequently the scrap is dry, 

 contains little oil, and is valuable only as fuel. The refuse of the 

 right whale, however, retains considerable oil, and the whalemen are 

 averse to burning it until after they have exti-acted the oil by com- 

 l^ression. The scrap from both the sperm and the right whales is 

 regarded as an important fuel suppl}^ and is economically saved at 

 each fare during the voyage and used for boiling the blubber of whales 

 taken subsequently. 



Although the oil may be thoroughly cooked when the first scrap 



