The Golden Era of Whaling. 51 
noticeably higher, and bone was bringing twice as much 
as it had in 1820. At the same time the quantities 
of whale products imported was increasing rapidly, 
though not constantly, from year to year. In 1835, also, 
a Nantucket whaler captured the first right whale on the 
northwest coast of America, thereby opening one of the 
most important grounds ever visited by the whaling 
fleet. Under these favorable conditions the rapid growth 
of the next few years was almost inevitable. 
From 1835 to 1860 the whaling fleet averaged about 
620 vessels annually with a tonnage aggregating 190,500 
tons. The annual imports averaged 117,950 barrels of 
sperm oil, 215,913 barrels of whale oil and 2,323,512 
pounds of bone—with a total average value of over 
$8,000,000 a year.!® 
The six years from 1834 to 1840 witnessed an increase of 
the fleet from 421 to 552 vessels. In the latter year there 
were thirty-eight different ports regularly engaged in 
whaling, though about two-thirds of the total fleet were 
owned at New Bedford and Fairhaven, Nantucket, New 
London and Sag Harbor." Another six years and the 
whaling fleet had assumed the greatest proportions it was 
ever to know. In 1846 the fleet numbered 680 ships and 
barks, 34 brigs and 22 schooners, with a total tonnage of 
233,262 tons.” The value of the fleet alone at this time 
exceeded $21,000,000," while all the investments con- 
nected with the business were estimated to have a value 
of at least $70,000,000, furnishing the chief support for 
70,000 persons. But as was characteristic of the whale 
fishery, in spite of the greater number of vessels employed 
and the larger amount of capital invested, the importa- 
tions in 1846 were less than for the years just previous; 
and less than the quantities imported in some of the suc- 
* Compiled from Scammon’s figures, p. 243. 
™ Goode, p. 171. 
12 ““Whalemen’s Shipping List.” 
48 Scammon, p. 213. 
