THE WUALE FISHERY. 41 



Capt. J. Bickford, a native of Wiuter Harbor, is reported by Mr. C. T. Guptil to have cruised 

 off the coast in 1845 in schooner Huzza, and to have captured eight whales, one of which was a 

 finback, the rest humpback whales. This schooner made only one season's work, but in 1870 Cap- 

 tain Bickford again tried his luck in a vessel from Prospect Harbor and captured one finback 

 whale. 



Mr. Earll states that according to Capt. George A. Clark and Captain Bickford whaling was 

 extensively carried on from Prospect Harbor for many years. The fishing began about 1810, 

 when Stephen Clark and Mr. L. Hiller, of Rochester, Mass., came to the region, and built try- 

 works on the shore, having their lookout station on the top of an adjoining hill. The whales 

 usually followed the menhaden to the shore, arriving about the first of June and remaining till 

 September. When one was seen the boats, armed with harpoons and lances, immediately put 

 out from the land and gave chase. If they succeeded in killing the whale, it was towed to the 

 flats of the harbor at high water, where it was secured and left to be cut up at low tide. Ten 

 years later they began using small vessels in the fishery, and by this means were enabled to go 

 farther from land. The fishery was at its height about 1835 to 1840, when an average of six or 

 seven whales was taken yearly. The largest number taken in any one season was ten. The 

 average yield of oil was 25 to 30 barrels for each whale. The business was discontinued about 

 1860, since which date but one or two whales have been taken. 



COAST OF MASSACHUSETTS. 



Iii the early part of the present century whales were abundant along this coast, and Province- 

 town whalers in small boats frequently captured a large number in a season. The Gloucester 

 Telegraph of November G, 1850, says : "A right whale was taken at Provincetown last Thursday 

 by a party in three boats. It is estimated to yield (50 barrels of oil." 



In the Barnstable Patriot of November 12, 1861, is the following item: 



" Whale. On Saturday morning the spout of a whale which was discovered playing around 

 off Nauset in the midst of a fleet of some 200 mackerel fishermen was suddenly cut short by a 

 Nautucket fisherman, the Sam Chase making fast to him. This is the fifth whale taken by Sam 

 Chase since July 25, and will make about 25 barrels. The five will have made 125 barrels, worth 

 $1,500." 



Whales have from time to time been stranded on the beaches about Cape Ann; several have 

 also been found by fishing vessels and towed into Gloucester Harbor. In July, 1833, one 50 feet 

 long, and measuring 10 feet through, was towed into the harbor and tried out on Eastern Point. The 

 Cape Ann Advertiser of October 21, 1870, records the capture off Eastern Point of a whale 45 feet 

 in length. In the spring of 1880 finback whales were unusually abundant in Ipswich and Massa- 

 chusetts Bays, so that fishermen in their dories were in some cases alarmed for their own safety, 

 as the whales were darting about in pursuit of schools of herring. Six of this species of whale 

 were found dead floating in the bay and towed into Gloucester harbor. They bad been killed by 

 Provincetown whalers. Three of them were tried out at Gloucester; the remainder were allowed 

 to drift to sea again. 



Captain Atwood writes the following account of the shore-whaling at Proviucetown in 1880: 

 "Early in March there came into our bay and harbor immense quantities of herring and shrimp. 

 They were followed by a great number of flub ack whales, that remained here most of the time in 

 greater or less numbers until about the middle of M;iy, when they all left the coast. During the 

 time they were here many of them were killed with bomb-lances. They sank when killed, and 



