44 WHALE FISHERY OF NEW ENGLAND 



died out altogether had it not been for the discovery of its use in making 

 women's stays. Many a whaleman has lost his life in the endeavor to 

 improve the female figure. It is a curious fact that fifty years or more 

 ago this product was always thrown away as worthless. The value 

 has gone down in the past few years on account of the invention of steel 

 stays, which take the place of whalebone. 



The high and low prices of these three commodities are of interest. 

 Sperm oil was $2.55 per gallon in 1866, and is 46 cents now. Whale 

 oil was $1.45 per gallon in 1865, and is 26 cents now. Whalebone was 

 $5.80 per pound in 1904, Scents in 1809, and is $1.75 now. 



Ambergris, the rarest and most valuable of all the products, is a 

 secretion from the intestines of the sperm whale and results from a 

 disease. It is a very rare article and is worth almost its weight in 

 gold, selling usually at $300 a pound. Its chief use is in the prepara- 

 tion of fine perfumeries. It is believed that the largest amount taken 

 by one ship was brought back by the "Watchman" of Nantucket, 

 which vessel found eight hundred pounds in 1858. Small amounts were 

 sold every year in New Bedford even up to the year 1913. The Turks 

 used it in cooking and also carried it to Mecca for the same purpose 

 that frankincense is carried to St. Peter's in Rome. Some wine mer- 

 chants used to drop a little into their wine as a spice, and it was said that 

 the Moors used it in green tea as a flavoring to present to their guests. 



The whale is used for food chiefly by the Japanese and Esquimaux, 

 and a famous doctor belonging to the latter tribe some years ago rec- 

 ommended the blubber for infants. In fact, the whale would perhaps 

 be considered a good dish were there not so much of him. Whale- 

 meat is said by some to resemble boarding-house steak. In France, 

 during the Middle Ages, the tongue was considered a great delicacy, 

 and by some epicures the brains, mixed with flour, were much sought 

 after. 



The largest income received by the whalers of America in any one 

 year was in 1854, when they netted $10,802,594.20, although the record 

 size of the fleet was attained eight years before. The five years from 

 1853 to 1857 inclusive yielded a return of $51,063,659.59, the catch of 

 each year selling for fifty per cent, of the total value of the whaling fleet. 

 The total value of the cargoes from 1804 to 1876 was $331,947,480.51. 



Captain W. T. Walker, of New Bedford, is called the counting-house 

 hero of the American Whale Fishery. He purchased in 1848 an old 

 whaleship called the "Envoy" that was about to be broken up, and 

 when ready for sea this ship stood the owner $8,000. He could get 

 no insurance; nevertheless he "took a chance," and after a three 

 years' voyage he returned and had netted for himself the extraordinary 

 sum of $138,450, or 1,630 per cent. The largest profit, however, was 

 made by the "Pioneer" of New London, in 1865, the value of her cargo 

 being $151,060. For a short voyage Frederick Fish, who has been 

 mentioned before, holds the record for his ship the "Montreal," which 

 brought back a cargo worth over $36,000 after a voyage occupying 

 only two months and fifteen days. 



