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  ALASKA 
  FISHEEIES 
  AND 
  FUR 
  INDUSTRIES, 
  1913. 
  

  

  The 
  killing 
  boats 
  are 
  of 
  the 
  modern 
  type 
  common 
  to 
  whale 
  fishing. 
  

   At 
  the 
  bow 
  of 
  each 
  is 
  mounted 
  a 
  muzzle-loading 
  whale 
  gun 
  of 
  3^-inch 
  

   bore. 
  These 
  guns 
  are 
  now 
  fitted 
  with 
  recoil 
  cylinders, 
  which 
  is 
  an 
  

   improvement 
  over 
  the 
  original 
  form 
  of 
  Svend 
  Foyn 
  gun. 
  The 
  charge 
  

   of 
  black 
  powder 
  in 
  a 
  bag 
  is 
  first 
  put 
  in, 
  then 
  a 
  bunch 
  of 
  waste, 
  and 
  

   next 
  the 
  harpoon, 
  to 
  which 
  is 
  attached 
  the 
  line 
  leading 
  back 
  to 
  the 
  

   steam 
  winches 
  which 
  are 
  made 
  to 
  play 
  a 
  whale 
  after 
  it 
  is 
  struck, 
  in 
  

   manner 
  similar 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  angler 
  who 
  plays 
  his 
  catch. 
  Outside 
  the 
  

   gun 
  and 
  made 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  harpoon 
  is 
  the 
  bomb, 
  with 
  expanding 
  

   arms 
  and 
  so 
  timed 
  as 
  to 
  explode 
  within 
  the 
  whale. 
  The 
  average 
  

   shooting 
  distance 
  is 
  about 
  120 
  feet. 
  In 
  rough 
  weather 
  it 
  is 
  difficult 
  

   to 
  hit 
  a 
  whale 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  motion 
  both 
  of 
  the 
  vessel 
  and 
  the 
  animal, 
  

   and 
  this 
  factor 
  has 
  much 
  to 
  do 
  with 
  the 
  success 
  or 
  failure 
  of 
  whaling 
  

   operations. 
  Unfavorable 
  weather 
  was 
  experienced, 
  particularly 
  dur- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  early 
  part 
  of 
  this 
  season's 
  operations. 
  

  

  Sperm 
  whales 
  generally 
  run 
  in 
  schools. 
  One 
  day, 
  July 
  24, 
  the 
  

   three 
  killing 
  boats 
  got 
  11 
  sperms, 
  which 
  considerably 
  overtaxed 
  the 
  

   station's 
  capacity. 
  Sperms 
  are 
  more 
  indifferent 
  to 
  the 
  approach 
  of 
  

   a 
  vessel; 
  hence 
  are 
  easiest 
  to 
  kill. 
  Heretofore 
  the 
  trouble 
  has 
  been 
  a 
  

   scarcity 
  of 
  this 
  species, 
  which 
  is 
  exceeded 
  in 
  value 
  only 
  by 
  the 
  great 
  

   bowhead 
  of 
  the 
  Arctic. 
  

  

  In 
  1912, 
  when 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  Whaling 
  Co. 
  established 
  its 
  station 
  

   at 
  Port 
  Armstrong, 
  arrangements 
  were 
  not 
  made 
  to 
  dispose 
  of 
  any 
  

   portion 
  of 
  the 
  carcasses 
  other 
  than 
  the 
  blubber 
  and 
  gill 
  bone. 
  With 
  

   the 
  advent 
  of 
  the 
  season 
  of 
  1913 
  the 
  plant 
  was 
  much 
  enlarged 
  and 
  

   additional 
  machinery 
  was 
  installed, 
  so 
  that 
  aU 
  of 
  each 
  carcass 
  could 
  

   be 
  utilized. 
  This 
  process 
  includes 
  the 
  preparation 
  of 
  oil 
  from 
  the 
  

   blubber, 
  also 
  from 
  the 
  meat 
  and 
  bones, 
  and 
  the 
  reduction 
  of 
  the 
  

   residue 
  to 
  fertilizer. 
  In 
  anticipation 
  of 
  the 
  installation 
  of 
  fertilizer 
  

   machinery 
  in 
  1913, 
  the 
  carcasses 
  of 
  whales 
  taken 
  in 
  1912, 
  after 
  being 
  

   stripped 
  of 
  their 
  blubber, 
  were 
  cut 
  up 
  and 
  piled 
  out 
  of 
  doors 
  near 
  the 
  

   plant. 
  The 
  material 
  thus 
  accumulated 
  was 
  worked 
  up 
  this 
  season 
  

   into 
  fertilizer, 
  though 
  much 
  of 
  its 
  value 
  was 
  lost 
  through 
  action 
  of 
  

   the 
  elements. 
  

  

  The 
  plant 
  as 
  it 
  now 
  stands 
  is 
  capable 
  of 
  handling 
  500 
  whales 
  a 
  sea- 
  

   son. 
  The 
  main 
  building 
  is 
  200 
  by 
  80 
  feet, 
  in 
  addition 
  to 
  which 
  is 
  a 
  

   large 
  warehouse 
  for 
  storage 
  of 
  fertilizer. 
  There 
  are 
  also 
  quarters 
  for 
  

   employees 
  and 
  various 
  minor 
  buildings. 
  

  

  When 
  a 
  whale 
  is 
  to 
  bo 
  processed, 
  it 
  is 
  hauled 
  up 
  by 
  a 
  winch 
  on 
  

   an 
  inclined 
  platform, 
  and 
  the 
  blubber 
  is 
  torn 
  off 
  in 
  strips, 
  also 
  by 
  

   means 
  of 
  a 
  winch, 
  licensing 
  knives 
  having 
  first 
  been 
  run 
  along 
  the 
  

   body 
  of 
  the 
  animal 
  to 
  cut 
  the 
  strips. 
  The 
  blubber 
  is 
  then 
  cut 
  up 
  1)V 
  

   revolving 
  knives 
  and 
  is 
  lifted 
  in 
  a 
  conveyor 
  to 
  the 
  blubber 
  boilers, 
  

   which 
  are 
  of 
  open-top 
  pattern, 
  about 
  6 
  feet 
  in 
  diameter 
  and 
  12 
  feet 
  

   high. 
  Steam 
  is 
  turned 
  into 
  these 
  boilers 
  or 
  cookers 
  for 
  six 
  or 
  eight 
  

  

  