336 fisheries of the united states. [66] 



Wide cutting-spade. 



Head, cast steel ; socket, wrought iron. Pole, wood. Blade has 

 curved edge. Bare. Total length, 15 feet 6 inches. New Bed- 

 ford, Massachusetts, 1876. 25008. Gift of J. H. Thomson. A 

 kind of spade used for "leaning-up," that is, severing the pieces 

 of flesh which adhere to the blubber when cutting-in a whale. 



Morticing Holes in Blubber. 



Half-round spade. 



Blade, in the shape of a gouge, cast-steel; shank, wrought iron. 

 Pole, spruce. Length of spade, 15£ inches. Length of spade 

 and handle, 15 feet 4 inches. New Bedford, Massachusetts, 

 1876. 25927. Gift of E. B. and F. Macy. The half-round 

 spade is used by sperm -whalemen for making a large hole in 

 the blubber for the blubber-hook. It is also used, though sel- 

 dom, from the waist of the vessel, for making the holes in the 

 blanket-piece which are used in fastening the blubber to the 

 cutting-tackle. 



Decapitating the Whale. 



Head-spade with wooden handle. 



Large, heavy head, cast-steel; strong wrought-iron shank, 1£ inches 

 in diameter, with socket and sleeve riveted in three places to 

 a stout wooden handle. Total length 10 feet. New Bedford, 

 Massachusetts, 1882. 55813. Gift of Jonathan Bourne. Used 

 for cutting through the bone when decapitating the whale. 



Iron head-spade. 



A very heavy head-spade with steel head; wrought-iron handle 

 served with spun -yarn, with a rigid eye in extreme end for a 

 rope. Length 10 feet 10 inches. New Bedford, Massachustts, 

 1882. 55867. Gift of Jonathan Bourne. Bare; usually 

 wooden poles. Employed in cutting the head-bone when de- 

 capitating the whale. 



Cutting Slivers. 

 Sliver spade. 



The widest cutting-in spade used by whalemen. Blade, cast-steel; 

 short shank with socket and wooden handle. Length of spade 

 21 inches. Total length, including handle, 13 feet 7£ inches. 

 Provincetown, Massachusetts, 1882. 55805. U. S. Eish Com- 

 mission. A kind of spade used when cutting off the head of 

 a whale for severing the connecting pieces of flesh, which 

 are technically termed u slivers." It may also be used as a 

 blubber-room spade by inserting a shorter handle. 



