WHALE HUNTING WITH GUN AND CAMERA 



3-inch bore, and turns easily upon a swivel up and 

 down and from side to side. 



At the butt end, under a short wooden handle, is 

 an iron lever, the trigger, which when pressed up- 

 ward explodes the gun. The charge is 300 to 375 

 drams of very coarse, black powder which is sewed 

 up in a cheesecloth sack and rammed home from the 

 muzzle; then come wads of qkum, hard rubber or 

 cork, and wool, after which the harpoon, well greased, 

 is pushed in and hammered solidly into place with a 

 wooden mallet. Some guns require more powder than 

 others but if too much is used the iron will be bent 

 as it leaves the muzzle. 



The harpoon is 76 inches in length, and has a double 

 shaft, at the end of which are 4 twelve-inch flukes, 

 or barbs; these are tied to the shaft but spread widely 

 upon entering the whale's body and prevent the iron 

 from drawing out. The harpoon is tipped with a hol- 

 low point, called the "bomb," which is filled with pow- 

 der and ignited by a time fuse set for the desired in- 

 terval. Three or four seconds after the gun is fired 

 the bomb bursts, frequently killing the whale almost 

 instantly. 



The harpoon is made of the best Swedish iron and 

 weighs one hundred and ten pounds. After it has 

 been fired into the body of a whale it is usually badly 

 bent and twisted, but the tough, elastic iron can be 

 straightened by the station blacksmith and made as 

 good as new. 



Aiarge ring slides easily along the double shaft of 

 the harpoon, and to this one end of a five-inch rope 



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