284 FISHEEIES OF THE UNITED STATES. [14] 



azine and imbed the fragments in the most vulnerable parts of the in- 

 ternal structure of the animal. 



Bomb-Harpoons. — The bomb-harpoons, or harpoons with explosive 

 heads, also known as " harpoon-guns," of which there are two examples 

 in this series (42762 and 5G370), have detachable lance-like heads, 

 which are chambered to receive the charge of powder, and the ordinary 

 harpoon shank and socket. When used they are attached to poles, and 

 thrust by hand, serving the double purpose of " fastening on to " and 

 killing or seriously wounding the whale. Although these instruments 

 are undoubtedly very effective, they are not regarded with much favor 

 by the whalemen, who aver that they u are afraid of them." 



One of the Provincetown schooners, when on a whaling voyage, 

 " doubled the cape" with a box of bomb-harpoons stowed in her run ; 

 but the box was never unpacked — as the captain was unwilling to run 

 the risk of lowering his boats with its contents — until some time after 

 the return of the vessel to her home port, when I found the box in an 

 old loft, and sent one of the instruments (56,370) to the National Museum. 

 Upon its arrival the head was " soaked " in kerosene and the powder 

 removed. 



Owing to the prejudices of whalemen, these instruments have never 

 been fairly tested, and few of the whalemen know anything of them by 

 practical experience. 



GUN-LANCES. 



The lances, which are discharged from the different kinds of guns, 

 and used with better effect and at a safer distance from the whales than 

 were the hand-lances, are explosive and non-explosive ; the former are 

 by far the most effective, and are universally used in preference to the 

 latter, which, although they were the results of American genius ex- 

 erted in revolutionizing the system of whaling, are seldom met with in 

 the American fishery, though worthy of mention in this class. 



The non-explosive gun-lance. — Subsequent to the introduction of 

 the whaling-gun, various efforts were made to perfect a projectile for 

 killing whales. The result was the non-explosive lance and the bomb- 

 lance. The former has never been successfully employed. Among the 

 most prominent of this type is the one made by Captain Josiah Ghenn, 

 of Provincetown, Massachusetts, which was used principally for "wait- 

 ing" dead whales ; the one made and patented by Eobert Brown, of New 

 London, Connecticut, and several other patents of which very little is 

 known. This kind of instrument has been supplanted by the bomb- 

 lance. 



Explosive gun-lances. — Of the explosive gun-lances there are prop- 

 erly four types: (1) The primitive bomb-lance for killing whales, and its 

 modified successors, of which latter there are many kinds and which 

 shall be designated here as bomb-lances to distinguish them from the fol- 

 lowing; (2) the rocket-bomb, which was invented expressly lor the 



