HISTORY OP THE WHALE. 
15 
navigated by 12,000 seamen— -about one tenth of the 
whole navigation of our country. Taking into con- 
sideration the manufactories, wharves, stores, and 
other incidental investments, we shall find that the 
immense amount of $70,000,000 are involved in it, 
and that more than 70,000 people derive from it their 
subsistence. In prosecuting this business there are 
consumed 45,000 barrels of flour, 36,000 barrels of 
beef and pork, 900,000 pounds of copper and copper- 
nails, 1,500,000 barrels, 2500 tons of iron hoops, &c. 
Among the accidents that have occurred in the 
prosecution of this business, the loss of the ship Es- 
sex, of Nantucket, is the most remarkable. The fol- 
lowing is an abridgment of the narrative of the event, 
published by the mate of the ship, Mr. Owen Chase. 
“ I observed a very large whale, as well as I could 
judge, 85 feet in length. He was lying quietly with 
his head towards the ship, about twenty rods from the 
bow. He spouted two or three times, and then dis- 
appeared. In less than three seconds he came up 
again, about the length of the ship off, and made di- 
rectly for us. I ordered the boy at the helm to shift 
it, intending to sheer off and avoid him. The words 
were scarcely out of my mouth before he came down 
upon us at full speed, and struck the ship with his 
head on the bow. He gave such an appalling and 
tremendous jar as nearly threw us all on our faces. 
The ship brought up as suddenly and violently as if 
she had struck a rock. We looked at each other in 
perfect amazement, deprived almost of the power of 
