Harpoons, Lances, Guns, and Boats 239 



of fifty-two vessels that were so employed during 

 the next two years, so many were lost in the ice 

 that steamers went out of style almost as rapidly 

 as they had risen in favor. Then the work of 

 building steamers, especially for the fishery, was 

 begun, and ever since that time steam has had a 

 firm hold on the whalers of the world. 



The first American steam whaler was the bark- 

 rigged Pioneer of 212 tons register. She had 

 been built for a transport during the Civil War. 

 In 1865 Williams and Havens, of New Bedford, 

 rebuilt her and sent her to Davis Straits. She 

 reached home on November 14, 1866, with 340 

 barrels of oil and 5300 pounds of bone. In her 

 next cruise she was crushed in the ice. (The 

 Whale Fishery.) The first steam whaler to make 

 a notable success was the Mary and Ellen, built 

 by William Lewis and others, of New Bedford, 

 especially for the purpose. She measured 508 

 tons. She sailed September 9, 1879, for the 

 North Pacific, under Captain L. C. Owen, and 

 on October 10, 1880, reached San Francisco with 

 265 barrels of sperm oil worth $28 per barrel, 

 2350 barrels of whale oil worth $16 per barrel, 



