[17] FISHEEIES OF THE UNITED STATES. 287 



frame-work of wood, from the center of whicli the immense blubber tackle 

 lashed to mast-head shackles is suspended. The necessary chains and 

 toggles for fluking the whale and for hoisting in the blubber, head, case, 

 etc., are placed about the front. A forward cutting stage is suspended 

 at the right, upon which a lay figure, life size, of the second mate stands 

 with a wide cutting-spade in its hands in the act of scarfing the blubber. 

 A semicircular rack in the rear contains full-sized cutting- spades of all 

 kinds, including the heavy head-spades and the throat-spade. The case- 

 bucket, boarding-knives, hand and machine knives for mincing blubber 

 are displayed at the ends. The blubber-gaffs, pikes, and forks are 

 arranged in a small rack in front, i^on the left. These, together with 

 the bailers and scrap-dippers which are in the rear, where length of 

 space may be obtained, constitute a fair representation of the imple- 

 ments employed when boiling-out. About the top of this immense struct- 

 ure of whaling apparatus, which is strongly suggestive of the odor pecu- 

 liar to a whaling vessel, the boat-waifs for locating dead whales are 

 placed in prominent positions, Slabs of whalebone cross each other 

 near the top. The superstructure consists of a main royal pole to which 

 lookout bows are shackled. An American ensign, saturated in oil, car- 

 ried by the schooner " Abbie Bradford " twelve years in the Hudson Bay 

 whale-fishery, floats from the pole, and at the lookout a petty officer 

 stands with a marine glass at his eye, sweeping the horizon for whales. 

 This display contains sixty-eight objects. 



CHAINS. 



The chains used when working about a dead whale are the u fluke- 

 chain," the "fin-chain," and the " head-chain." These large heavy chains 

 are employed in the order stated: (1) for fastening the whale to the 

 ship 5 (2) for raising the first "piece" of blubber with either the lar- 

 board or starboard fin, according to the side on which the whale is lying, 

 and (3) for hoisting in the head. These chains have large triangular 

 loose links at one end, fitting the broad thread of the blubber-hook, to 

 prevent the strain from bursting the links, or, as they are commonly 

 called, the " rings," although they have the form of an isosceles tri- 

 angle. 



The Fluke-Chain. — A large rope, known as the fluke-rope, was for- 

 merly used for fluking a whale, and is used now, to a limited extent ; but, 

 on the majority of the whaling vessels the chain is preferred. The pro- 

 cess of fluking a whale, especially in rugged weather, or at night, is 

 often accompanied by vexatious annoyances and delays. One end of 

 the chain, with the large link, is passed around the small of the whale 

 by means of a large buoy and rope, or by an instrument recently intro- 

 duced, known as the "fluker" (55817) ; the other end, with the smaller 

 link, is rove through the large link, which is slacked to the whale ; the 

 free end is taken inboard, and when the chain has been hauled taut, 



