542 MODERN SEA FISHING 



the powder and explodes the shell. The harpooneer tries to 

 fasten the fish in the ribs, or as near as possible to the spinal 

 column. 



As the whale is generally killed dead by the shell and 

 almost always sinks, it is necessary that the line should be long 

 enough to reach the bottom where you are fishing ; the usual 

 length is five hundred fathoms of five-inch, with a foregore of 

 thirty fathoms of four and a half inch stuff. 



The vessels are rigged as fore and aft schooners, and carry 

 a crow's nest on their foremast. They are also supplied with 

 a very ingenious apparatus for raising the dead whale from 

 the bottom. If the harpooneer fails to strike the fish dead, it 

 often takes hours to kill, necessitating the use of a bomb gun 

 or a lance from a whaleboat carried for the purpose. 



The whales are not flensed at sea, but lashed alongside the 

 steamer and towed to the station on shore, where the oil is 

 boiled. 



Captain Foyn established his fishery at Vad^o in 1884, 

 and was successful from the first. The number of stations 

 gradually grew until there were five in 1881 and eight in 

 1882, when Captain Foyn's patent expired. Since then the 

 number has continued to increase. 



The species of whales said to be taken are : Blaahvalen 

 (Balcznoptera Sibbaldi, Gray), Finhvalen (Balanoptera mus- 

 culus), Seivalen (possibly Baltznoptera laticeps], Knolhvalen 

 (Megaptera boops, Fabricius). The first of these is the largest, 

 reaching sometimes ninety feet. 



Owing to the kindness of Captain Thomas Bech, of 

 Christiania, I am enabled to give the dimensions of two of 

 these whalers. Ingebong: Length 81 ft. ; beam 16 ft. 8 in. ; 

 depth 10 ft. 7 in. Gross tonnage 86. Register 25. Price 

 60,000 kroner (about 3,333/.). Plan of whale steamer Captain 

 Bech : Length 90 ft. ; beam 17 ft. 6 in. ; depth 10 ft. 8 in. 



