Harpoons, Lances, Guns, and Boats 221 



try-works. When the whale had been well se- 

 cured to the steamer, a live bomb that was in the 

 whale's blubber suddenly exploded. The explo- 

 sion opened a hole in the vessel, which sank so 

 quickly that the crew had barely time to escape. 



In May, 1877, the New Bedford Mercury had 

 the following: 



"During last year Captain Eben Pierce, the 

 well-known manufacturer of bomb lances, and 

 Selmar Eggers . . . perfected ... a breech-load- 

 ing whaling gun varying from the ordinary 

 weapon as much as a modern sixteen shooting 

 rifle does from the flint-lock shot-gun of our 

 ancestors. 



"The great superiority of this weapon lies in 

 the manner of loading. The old guns were loaded 

 with loose powder, and were more dangerous to 

 handle when charged; the powder would also 

 become dampened with flying spray when in a 

 boat that was going through the water at a lively 

 rate, and it has often occurred that when the 

 pursuers had arrived within easy range of their 

 prey they would find the charge moistened, and 

 the weapon consequently useless. Mr. Eggers' 



