THE AMERICAN WHALE FISHERIES 241 



1893 there were thirty-three vessels at that port, of 

 which about twenty-two were steamers. What 

 really happened was a transfer of the whaling 

 interests. Instead of being owned in New Bedford 

 and New London and working out of 'Frisco, the 

 eastern interests were transferred to vessels 

 registered at the latter port. 



For the ten years ending 1905 the whaling fleet 

 averaged fifty-one sail with a tonnage of 10,184, 

 yielding whaling products yalued at a million 

 dollars. 



In 1906 there were three whaling ports employing 

 fleets, namely, New Bedford twenty-four vessels, 

 tonnage five thousand six hundred and eighteen; 

 San Francisco fourteen vessels, tonnage three 

 thousand six hundred and twenty-six ; and Province- 

 town three vessels, tonnage three hundred and forty. 

 Norwich, Connecticut, had one brig with a tonnage 

 of two hundred and ninety-four, its first reappear- 

 ance as a whaling port after a lapse of seventy years. 



A few American whalers still follow Sperm 

 whaling in the Atlantic, but the bulk of the fleet, 

 practically all the large vessels, work the Arctic 

 grounds from San Francisco. 



One cause of the downfall of whaling has been the 

 uncertainty of the business. In no other occupation 

 does the element of chance enter so largely. In 

 1866 two New Bedford ships each made a profit of 

 one hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars on a 

 capital of twenty-five thousand dollars. 



On the other hand, out of sixty-eight vessels due 



Q 



