40 A HISTORY OF THE WHALE FISHERIES 



and the interior of places of worship, houses, shops 

 and factories. It was extensively employed in the 

 manufacture of soft soap and in the preparation of 

 leather and coarse woollen cloths, in the manu- 

 facture of coarse varnishes and paints, and as a 

 lubricant for machinery. A gas was manufactured 

 from whale oil in 1816 or 1817, and in 1819 

 Ipswich, Norwich and other towns in England 

 lighted their streets with gas made from oil. 



The discovery of petroleum in America in 1859 

 decided the fate of whale oil as an illuminant. 



Modern methods of extraction of oil and its uses 

 are dealt with below. 



A superior kind of oil was found in the head of 

 the Sperm Whale. 



In this whale the valuable part was the spongy 

 mass dug from the cavity of the head. 



Spermaceti may be defined as a neutral, inodorous 

 and nearly tasteless fatty substance extracted from 

 the oily matter of the head of the Sperm Whale by 

 filtration and treatment with potash-ley. It is 

 white, brittle, soft to the touch with a specific 

 gravity of 0-943 at 15, melts from 38 to 47. 



Spermaceti was formerly used in the manufacture 

 of candles, being mixed with beeswax to preyent 

 granulation. It is also used in the manufacture of 

 unguents and ointments. 



At one period in the history of whaling whale- 

 bone was the most important product of the fishery. 

 " Whalebone " is a substance of horny nature 

 adhering in thin parallel laminae to the upper jaw 



