A Long Period of Depression 117 



with its own motive power. It was large enough 

 to pick up a loaded whale ship and carry it across 

 the bar. Though it was used for the purpose 

 intended, it was not a practical success, and it was, 

 in time, abandoned. 



In 1857 four whale ships cleared from Nantucket 

 and ninety-five from New Bedford. New Bed- 

 ford at that time owned 329 whale ships; Nan- 

 tucket owned only forty-one, and these were 

 handled chiefly from other ports. In 1874 Nan- 

 tucket's name disappeared from the list of Ameri- 

 can whaling ports. Because only ten feet of water 

 was found on their harbor bar at best, the whalers 

 who taught their arts to the whaling world were 

 beaten at last and compelled to emigrate to other 

 ports where the water was deeper. 



The story of the American whalers during the 

 War of 1812, though brief, is interesting. At 

 the beginning of the war Nantucket owned forty- 

 six whale ships. Of these about twenty sailed 

 for the Pacific in the year 1811. New Bedford 

 sent one ship to those grounds, the Barclay, Cap- 

 tain Gideon Randall. These ships were yet on 

 the Pacific when the war began, and that fact was 



