82 REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 
Boats and apparatus of capture . — A full description of the boats and 
apparatus would occupy more space than is available ; therefore for de- 
tailed information reference is made to the admirable treatise by James 
Templeman Brown on u The Whalemen, Vessels, and Boats, Apparatus, 
and Methods of the Whale Fishery 77 (vol. n, section y, “ Fisheries and 
Fishery Industries of the United States, 77 pp. 218-318.) 
The typical whaleboat propelled by oars and sails is still in favor and 
universally employed. That it has held its own in this age of innova- 
tion and invention is sufficient evidence of its excellent qualities and 
the high degree of specialization which it attained many years ago. 
In 1882, according to Brown, a very noticeable innovation was sug- 
gested by Lieut. Commander Z. L. Tanner, U. S. Navy, who is now in 
command of the U. S. Fish Commission steamer Albatross. 
During the u season 77 in the Arctic calms or light winds are often 
prevalent, and at such times it is difficult and generally impossible for 
sailing ships to reach the vicinity of whales seen many miles distant. 
Without steam launches the only available course is to row the boats 
to the point where the whales are seen, which is frequently a distance 
of 8 or 10 miles from the ship. The desire to reach them in advance 
of others, or before they disappear in the ice, prompts the crews to put 
forth every possible effort, the consequence usually being that the men 
are exhausted with pulling before they come up with the whales, and 
thus are often more or less unfitted for the arduous and dangerous duty 
of effecting captures, and the still more laborious task of towiug dead 
whales to the ship. 
The thought occurred to Captain Tanner that under such circum- 
stances a steam whaleboat could be most effectively used to tow the 
other boats rapidly to the scene of action, so that the men could begin 
their work in a fresh and vigorous condition, with much greater assur- 
ances of success. In like manner the whales and boats could be towed 
to the ship by the launch, or, if more convenient, the ship could be 
brought to the whales. The idea was a good one, and but for the 
peculiar conditions under which the fishery is prosecuted complete suc- 
cess would doubtless have been attained. 
The firm of I. H. Bartlett & Sons, of New Bedford, made the first 
experiment with steam-launches (building one in 1882), and others soon 
tried them. These boats were built in New Bedford at an average 
cost of $1,250. They had oak frames and cedar plank ; were .sharp aft 
like a whaleboat, and were fitted with coil boilers of the Herreshoff 
pattern ; the screw propeller was amidships, and so arranged that it 
would fold into the keel whenever it was necessary to go upon a beach 
or ice. The dimensions were as follows : Length, from 30 to 32 feet; 
beam, 7J to 8 feet; depth, 4 feet. The first one built was 28 feet long 
and 7 feet wide. 
So far as can be learned the use of these launches has been to some 
extent discontinued. It was soon found in practice that the service 
