252 HISTORY AND METHODS OP THE FISHERIES. 



men's law, as determined by custom, and nothing better could be devised. In March, 1688, the 

 universally recognized law of whalemen that "craft claims the whale" was placed on the colonial 

 records of Massachusetts Bay, wherein, among other things, it is specified "61y, that each com- 

 pany's harping Iron & lance be Distinckly marked on ye heads and socketts with a public mark: 

 to ye prevention of strife." * 



THE HAND LANCE. Next in importance to the harpoon was the old hand-lance, which has 

 been superseded by (lie bomb lance. Its head is made of steel and its shank of the best wrought 

 iron. The total length, including the handle, is about 12 feet. The lance itself is from 5 to 6 feet 

 long. It is used by the officer of the boat to kill the whale after it has been harpooned. Not- 

 withstanding hand-lances are rarely employed at present, three of them are always included io tlie 

 outfit of a whale-boat to be used in cases of necessity. Oapt. William Martin, of Provincetowu, 

 tells me he always kills his sperm whales with the hand-lance, but uses the bomb-lance for right 

 whales and humpbacks. 



THE WHALE LINE. It is essential that the whale line or "main- warp" should be of the 

 best quality of its kind, for should it " part " the whale would of course escape. It is loose laid, 

 soft, pliable, and may be stretched until its diameter is greatly reduced before it breaks. Unlike 

 cordage, it is fr* e from tar, but during the process of manufacture the tow is sprinkled with whale 

 oil as a preservative. It is made of the fibers of the "mauila hemp" or wild plantain (Musa tex- 

 tilis), an endogenous plant, indigenous in the Philippine Isles, and the islands of the Indian Archi- 

 pelago, and known as Abaca to the natives of the first-named group. 



The whale-line is laid in Flemish coils in two tubs, 225 fathoms in tlie large tub and 75 

 fathoms in the small tub. The upper and lower ends of each line are exposed and provided with 

 eye-splices in order that one end of the line may be made fast to the harpoon and the other end 

 to the other line when fast to a whale. Each boat carries 300 fathoms of line, and if a whale by 

 running or sounding a great distance takes it all out another boat is signaled and assists in the 

 capture. It is, however, unusual for a whale to take out over two thirds of the 300 fathoms belong- 

 ing to a boat; but of course much depends upon the disposition of the whale and the skill of its 

 captors. 



One end of the whale-line is made fast to the "first iron," that is, the first harpoon darted at 

 or into the whale, and the "second iron " is connected with the main line by a short warp attached 

 by a runuiflg bow line. The harpooner, having darted the first iron, endeavors to dispose of the 

 second in a similar manner as soou as possible; but if the whale gets beyond darting distance he 

 " heaves " it overboard anyhow to prevent it from fouling with the main line. During the capture; 

 harpoon No. 2 is towed, and usually found near the head of the boat. 



THE WHALING- GUN. The whaling-gun was primarily intended to impel harpoons, but as the 

 weight of the line deflected the instruments from their true course of flight it became necessary 

 that a mie sile should be so constructed as to be used with the gun for killing the whale instead of 

 merely fastening to it. The gun-harpoon has therefore given way to the bomb-lance. We must 

 give the English the credit for inventing the whaling-gun, that is, the heavy swivel-gun. The 

 eminent whaleman and author, Scoresby, tells us that this gun was invented in 1731, but was little 

 used, and also that in 1771 or 1772 it was again brought forward, having been improved so much 

 that it was regarded as a new invention. The Society of Arts urged its introduction in the Green- 

 laud fishery, and offered rewards for whales killed with it. But the early English and Dutch, 

 particularly the latter, apparently feared the gun more than they did the whales. American 



Hist. Amer. Whale Fishery, Alexander Starbuck; published iu U. S. Fish Commission Report, part iv, p. 8, and 

 Mass. Col. MSS., Treasury, iii, p. 80. 



