THE DUTCH WHALERS PREDOMINANT 127 



Zorgdrager 1 gives a detailed account of the Dutch 

 operations at Spitsbergen at the time when they 

 first took the lead at the Northern whale fisheries. 

 The ships anchored in Dutch Bay, off the flat of 

 Smeerenberg, in a row one behind another, or so 

 near to one another that a sloop could just pass 

 between to tow the oil-casks from ashore on board. 

 An anchor was let go from forward into the bay and 

 the ship made fast astern with a rope to the shore, 

 either to the foundations of the kettles (coppers), or 

 to some large stone, or to the jawbone of a whale, 

 whereof some are still (1720) to be seen in various 

 places as high piles set up for the purpose on the 

 beach. Lying here, as in a desired and safe haven, 

 three or four miles inland from the sea, preserved 

 and protected from all winds, they pursued their 

 fishery with convenience and enjoyment, rowing 

 their sloops round and to the ships in the bay, 

 which in those days was generally full of fish, as 

 their doings and remains sufficiently manifest irt 

 various accounts of this fishery, otherwise they 

 would not have settled themselves so solidly by 

 their oil cookeries and laid up their ships so com- 

 fortably at anchor. Besides, they brought up 

 double crews of sixty, seventy, and even eighty 

 men, which were apportioned some to the sloops to 

 kill the fish and tow them to the oil cookeries on the 

 shore, others to remain on land and cut up the 

 blubber from the fish, chop it up small, boil down 



1 Zorgdrager. Bloyende Ofikomst, ist edition, Amsterdam, 

 1720, p. (in my copy) 174-5; obviously a misprint for 184-5. 



