198 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



with that obtained, from the blubber of the next capture, this being 

 effected by putting a few gallons of it into the cooling tank every time 

 a pot of the subsequent fare is bailed oft". Notwithstanding the impor- 

 tance of keeping the different grades of oil separate, some whalemen 

 adulterate the blubber oil to a greater or less degree by the addition 

 of fat-lean oil, yet they are prudent enough to save several casks 

 of the latter grade to show on their return that the fat-lean has not 

 only been economically saved, but also that its product has not been 

 mixed with oils of higher grades. 



The slivers, or small pieces that have been cut and hacked from the 

 blubber while reducing it to horse-pieces and mincing it, are also saved 

 and boiled with the blubber. The ' ' slumgullion " and ' ' lipperings " or 

 ' ' dreenings " of the blubber — consisting of a mixture of the blood which 

 issues from the fat-lean and the salt water and oil which flows fi'om the 

 blubber while the men are handling it as they hoist it aboard ship, stow 

 it away, and prepare it for the try-pots — though discarded in the palmy 

 days of whaling, are now carefully husbanded and amalgamated. 

 Like the sweepings of the floors of mints, this liquid refuse of the 

 catch is refined in the whaleman's crucible in order that nothing maj'' 

 be lost. After the solid matter lias been disposed of, both the deck 

 lipperings and the blubber-room lipperings are usually deposited in 

 barrels or tubs and there scalded with hot oil. The oil thus obtained is 

 raked off and transferred to the cooling tank. In case the lipperings 

 are not clean the}^ are cooked with the fat-lean. 



"Slush " is the skimmings from the tops of the pots, and is usually 

 saved by the cook, who is commonly entitled to one-half of it. On 

 arrival home it is sold to manufacturers of soap, and it is even clarified 

 and mixed with lard. At sea the whalemen sometimes eat the slush 

 as a dressing in the form of gravy on sweet potatoes, etc., but it is 

 doubtful if thej^ could be induced to eat it ashore, although it is quite 

 clean and nutritious. 



The different varieties of oils are barreled separately. A cask that 

 has contained whale or humpback oil should be thoroughly cleansed 

 before putting sperm oil into it, but a cask that has been used for 

 sperm oil need not be cleansed should it be necessary to use it for 

 whale oil; tlie small quantity of whale oil that might be left in the 

 cask would iierhaps make the sperm oil somewhat lieavj^ but a little 

 sperm oil would not injure the whale oil. The casks of a ship engaged 

 solely in right- whaling are not marked at all; should the vessel 

 incidentallj^ catch sperm whales, the casks containing oil from this 

 species are marked S O, and the other casks are supposed to contain 

 whale oil. Casks containing right- whale oil taken bj'^ a sperm- whafer 

 are marked \V or W O. The head oil of the sperm whale, unless the 

 quantitj^ be verj^ small, is always kept in separate packages, which 

 are marked H ; those containing the body oil of this species are marked 

 S O or Sj) O. The packages of fat-lean oil bear the initials F L O, 

 and black-lish oil B F O. Except when large catches are made, black- 



