316 The Story of the New England Whalers 



the days of Champlain and Hudson whale oil 

 was exported from New England. Most of this 

 oil was probably obtained from whales that 

 floated dead to the beach, for the early court 

 records are full of troubles arising from opposing 

 claimants to such whales. Nevertheless the peo- 

 ple of every settlement alongshore were prepared 

 to go afloat in pursuit of whales seen from the 

 beach, and it is interesting to note that the people 

 of Salem, for going as far as Cape Cod in search 

 of whales, were counted extraordinarily venture- 

 some. Of the profits made on Massachusetts 

 Bay and Long Island by the alongshore whalers 

 in the early days, no definite record exists. The 

 records of Nantucket are more satisfactory. 

 Thus, in 1715 six sloops that averaged 38 tons in 

 size secured 600 barrels of oil and 11,000 pounds 

 of bone, the value of the whole being 1100. At 

 first thought this seems a small take for a year's 

 work of six sloops, but it must be remembered that 

 these sloops were not constantly at sea; the 

 owners, who were also the crews, were, as already 

 noted, farmers who worked their land besides 

 going whaling. They, at least, produced their 



