130 A HISTORY OF THE WHALE FISHERIES 



employed was annually about thirty ; soon after the 

 fishery was thrown open this number considerably 

 increased. There is no detailed account of the 

 conditions at Smeerenburg at the period of its 

 greatest prosperity. Dirck Albertsz Raven of 

 Hoorn 1 describes a few days spent there in 1639, 

 when, according to Miiller, decay had already set 

 in. Raven's ship was wrecked in the ice off 

 Spitsbergen, most of the crew losing their lives. 

 The survivors were taken off by another Dutch 

 whaler, of which Gale Hamkes was master. Gale 

 Hamkes' ship, the Oranje Boom, put into Smeeren- 

 burg harbour. " On the 4th July we came into 

 West Bay; the sloops of Gale Hamkes then 

 brought us to our tents, where we at once set to 

 work and got ready our three sloops with all their 

 accessories, wherewith we afterwards still caught 

 three whales. On the 26th our one sea-fisher came 

 to us in the Bay, with a good quantity of blubber. 

 On the 22nd August our second sea-fisher also came 

 to us in the Bay, with his ship full of blubber, whereat 

 we were very glad ; we then divided our men on the 

 two ships, and got ready to depart again." It is 

 evident at this time that whales were captured 

 partly at sea and partly in the bay. 



It is impossible to give a full account of each 



1 Journael ofte Beschrijvinge van de reyse ghedaen by den 

 Commandeur Dirck Albertsz. Raven nae Spitsbergen in den 

 Jare 1639, ten dienste van de C. Heeren Bewindt-hebbers van de 

 Groenlandtsche Compagnie tot Hoorn. Waer in verhaelt wordt 

 sijn droevighe Schip-breucke sijn ellende opt wrack, en sijn 

 blijde verlossinge. Met noch eenighe ghedenckweerdige 

 Historien. Hoorn, 1646. 



