THE WHALE FISHEEY. 



The annual report of the New York Chamber of Commerce for 1858, in commenting upon the condition of the 

 whale fisheries during that year, says : 



" The prospects for the coming year are far from flattering, but upon the whole, perhaps not less encouraging than 

 at the commencement of the year that has now passed. There will, from present appearances, be a further diminu- 

 tion of vessels employed iu the fleet, aud with a diminished competition the business may again regain a healthv 

 state. Other liekls of enterprise now opened and opeuing present better opportunities for investment than are now 

 offered in the whale fishery." 



li was about this time that petroleum oils for illuminating and lubricating purposes were beginning to attract 

 attention, but they had not yet attained much commercial importance. The same authority quoted above, in its 

 review of the industry for the year 1861, says: 



" The average price of whale oil has been something more than 5 cents per gallon less than the year 1860. This 

 lias been owing to the introduction of petroleum and kerosene oitej-wbich have iu a great measure taken the place of 

 \vhiilu oil for illuminating purposes." 



The first of hydrocarbon rubricating oils was produced at Mecca, Ohio. It is undoubtedly the best oil of its class 

 ever put on the market ; but, unfortunately, it did not last, and it is now almost forgotten. Small quantities of it are 

 st ill produced by sand pumps, and find a ready sale at the wells at $40 per barrel. It was a natural oil, and when it first 

 appeared on the market was of about 26 gravity. In 1866 or 1868, West Virginia natural oils first began to attract 

 the attention of the oil trade. They were obtained mostly from shallow wells and were from 27 to 28 gravity. Their 

 appearance on the market had a very serious effect on the sale of whale oil, for the railroad companies who had pre- 

 viously taken the latter for lubricating purposes, owing to the high cost of sperm oil, readily took the mineral oil at 

 good prices, one road paying as high as $1 per gallon for it. The result was that whale oil steadily declined from 

 si. '25 per gallon to about 70 cents, and it has never since (with the exception of a short time in 1869) got beyond that 

 point. The West Virginia oils have deteriorated somewhat since then, and prices are, of course, much lower. The 

 shallow wells are nearly all exhausted, and the oils now produced run from 33 to 40 gravity, though a small percent- 

 age of oil of a specific gravity as heavy as 29 degrees is still obtained. From the time of the introduction of the hydro- 

 carbon oils, the importance of the products of the whale has steadily declined, and thus one of the largest industries of 

 the United States has sunk, comparatively speaking, into insignificance. By the end of 1869 it began to be apparent 

 that the business had entirely lost its former prestige, and verj discouraging views of the future were entertained. 

 From a review published at the beginning of 1871 we extract the following: 



" The year 1870, like its predecessor, has been one of poor returns to those engaged in the whale fishery. The 

 prices of our staples, which at the opening were considered unremunerative, steadily declined throughout the year, 

 closing at the lowest quotation of any year since 1861. The decline in sperm oil was owing to the limited consump- 

 tion of the article, together with a large stock on hand at the beginning of the year, and th unexpected large import, 

 being about 10,000 barrels in excess of the estimate for the year, while whale oil and whalebone were similarly affected 

 by the introduction largely of cotton-seed oil and a closed foreign market, caused by the European war, to which wo 

 export largely, especially of bone. We note that while the importation of seal oil has been restricted by a higher 

 tariff, that cotton-seed oil has stepped into its place, and claims its share of consumption, which is by no means limited, 

 75,000 barrels, it is estimated, having been marketed the present year. * * * Our merchants do not look upon the 

 future of whaling with encouragement, and seem disposed to distrust it as to its pecuniary results, induced more by 

 extraneous causes than inherent, having to add to the list of its competitors lard, petroleum, and seal oil, that of cot- 

 ton-seed oil, said by its advocates to be but in its infancy." 



The Importance of the competition with cotton-seed oil was not overestimated, as has been practically demonstrated 

 since. Fish oil also has assumed an important place among the list of competitors. It is not astonishing, in view of 

 all the circumstances, that the whale fishery should have ceased to exert an important influence upon the commerce 

 of the country; but it has left many evidences of its former glory behind. Along our coast are a number of ports 

 once teeming with life and activity, their inhabitants nearly all identified, in one way or another, with what was 

 then one of the most remunerative industries of the United States. Now these ports are silent and deserted; their 

 once busy wharves are vacant and fallen iuto decay ; their streets are grass-grown, and most of their inhabitants 

 have; long since departed. In place of the numerous harbors affording shelter for the large fleet of whalers, one or 

 two ports now suffice to shelter them all. 



What possibilities there may be for a revival of the former greatness of the industry remains for the future to 

 show ; but so far as the immediate future is concerned there seems to be no good reason to believe that further depre- 

 ciation in the value of whale or sperm oil will occur. Prices have at last touched " rock-bottom," and there are now 

 indications of improvement. Foreign consumers manifest a strong prejudice in favor of these staples, aud as long as 

 they can be obtained at a reasonable price, an export outlet is assured. With regard to the home consumption, it is 

 impossible, unless the production of mineral oils should greatly decrease, that it can ever again attain the prominence 

 it once enjoyed. The hydrocarbon oils, which at first seriously interfered with the consumption of whale and sperm, 

 now help it, as many of the manufactured mineral lubricating oils contain more or less of these products which are 

 used to give body and weight to the lubricants. In this way, also, a certain outlet is assured. 



A factor iu the whale-oil trade, which promises to attain some prominence in the future, is the shipment of oil by 

 rail from San Francisco by tank cars. The project was first made known last fall at the close of the whaling 

 season, but did not make much headway. This year it was renewed, but so far has met with little success, apart from 

 exerting a depressing influence upon the Eastern markets. So far as we can learn there is not much oil to come that 

 way, the bulk of the catch being shipped in the usual manner. It is likely that 5,000 to 8,000 barrels will be 



