184 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. [18] 
one of the best points fer the capelan-fisheries; it has even been noticed 
that the schools of capelan seemed to prefer that portion of the sound 
which bordered on Mr. oyn’s establishment. On the south side of the 
fiord the bay into which the Jacobs River empties has always been the 
best place for the capelan-fisheries, and is still considered so, although 
the whaling-establishment of the larfiord Company is quite near. As 
regards the refuse, it is true that the Iarfiord Company only uses the 
oil and the whalebone, while Foyn’s establishment utilizes everything 
except the entrails. These are taken outside of the fiord and thrown 
into the water to be carried away by wind and waves; they continue 
to float near the surface until they are either scattered or sink to the 
bottom after the fatty substances have disappeared. During my excur. 
sions I have several times had occasion to see such refuse. These half- 
decayed substances do not emit the most pleasant odor, and it is any- 
thing but agreeable for the inhabitants of Vadsoe to have the current, 
as will sometimes happen, carry such matter into the immediate neigh- 
borhood of the town. But the poisoning of the water of the Varanger- 
fiord is entirely out of the question. Another disagreeable conse- 
quence is this, that during the slaughtering of the whales at Foyn’s 
establishment a quantity of oil and fat is carried across the sound to 
Vadsoe by wind and current, and adheres to the piers, which suffer much 
from this cause, and are destroyed in a comparatively short time. One 
can easily convince himself of the presence of these oily substances, 
which are of course confined to the surface of the water whenever there 
is a fresh sea-breeze. It can then be noticed that the water in the imme- 
diate neighborhood of Foyn’s establishment does not show the slightest 
ripple, but remains as smooth as a mirror, just as if there was no wind, 
and at the same time boats may be seen passing by at a short distance, 
their sails filled by the breeze. It must, however, be said that’ this 
phenomenon is only noticed in the Vadsoe Sound, and that the sea out- 
side of the sound preserves its usual appearance. It is hardly probable 
that the fatty substances floating about on the surface of the water 
should drive the capelan away, and experience has shown that the 
capelan have entered the Vadsoe Sound in spite of the existence of this 
fatty matter. In slaughtering the captured whales a large quantity of 
blood likewise flows into the sea, but as it is heavier than the sea-water 
it is not carried as far as the oil; and I have never seen blood in the 
water except in the immediate neighborhood of Foyn’s establishment, 
where the sea certainly at times resembles a pool of blood. The ques- 
tion has also been asked whether the close proximity of Foyn’s estab- 
lishment to the town of Vadsoe could in any way affect its sanitary con- 
dition. Although this question, properly speaking, did not belong to 
the subject which I intended to investigate, I nevertheless thought that 
it might be useful to gather some information on this point from the 
resident physician, Dr. Hartman, who has assured me that there had 
