8 whalebone: its production and utilization, 



utilization of whalebone. 



The economic value of whalebone is due to its combined qualities 

 of lightness, elasticity or springiness, and flexibility even when 

 split into very thin strips. It has also the property of permanently 

 retaining an}^ shape that maj'^ be given to it when it is heated and 

 then cooled under compression. Although many substitutes have 

 been introduced, such as steel, cattle horn, and turkey quills, nothing 

 has 3'et been found that competes with it in a combination of all the 

 qualities above noted". It is therefore unrivaled as material for use 

 in whips, corsets, for dress stays, and similar purposes. 



The cutting of whalebone, that is, changing the rough slabs into 

 the forms and sizes suitable to the different uses, is carried on prin- 

 cipally in New York City and Boston. There are four factories in 

 New York City and one in Boston. The number of workmen em- 

 ployed is small, rarely exceeding forty, all told. The equipment con- 

 sists of two or three long narrow water tanks, a steam box or two, 

 half a dozen drawknives, a splitting machine, a transverse cutting 

 knife, a miscellaneous lot of rulers, knives for cutting and scraping, 

 and a very large amount of experience in determining the qualities of 

 the material and the needs of the. market. 



A^Hialebone is received at the factory in bundles containing 15 to 25 

 long single slabs which have been roughly cleaned. The first opera- 

 tion in working it consists in cutting off the hair or fringe along the 

 edge with a knife or a pair of shears. This hair ranges in length 

 from 2 or 3 to 18 inches or more, and about one-fourth of an ounce in 

 weight is secured from an average slab weighing 4 pounds. It is sold 

 at 10 to 15 cents per pound to brushmakers, who combine it with 

 other bristle materials and use it in the manufacture of clothes brushes 

 and the like. Formerly it Avas employed to some extent in upholstery, 

 but at present the product is too small for that purpose. 



The fiber or grain of whdlebone is not uniform throughout a single 

 slab. That on the lower side, or edge of the slab as it rests in the 

 mouth of the whale, is far more flexible and durable than that on 

 the upper side. The lower portion is known as " grain bone," that 

 from the upper side is the " back bone," and between these is the 

 " dividing-line bone." A 5-poimd slab, measuring 12 inches at the 

 base, yields usually about 1 pound of " backs," one-half pound of 

 " dividing line," and 3^ pounds of " grain bone." The grain bone 

 is the best for all uses. That from the back is entirely devoid of 

 fibrous appearance ; it does not split in a straight line, but cuts like 

 horn, and its flexibility and durability are of a low order. The divid- 

 ing-line bone, as the name indicates, is where the two grades above 

 mentioned merge together. This difference in quality determines 

 largely the special uses to which each portion of the material is put. 



