Floating Whale Station, Spitzenbergen, Lapland
[Lat. 77 deg. N. ; Long. 25 deg., E.]
About the island of Spitzenbergen are noted whale fisheries.
Whale fishing is an old industry here. The sailors of England caught whales
in these waters as long ago as 1598.
In those days, and until recently, whales were captured
by hand harpooning. A whaling vessel would sail into the waters known to
be inhabited by the sea monsters. When one was seen, a crew, consisting
usually of four rowers and a man with a harpoon, would quietly steal up
behind the animal. When within a few yards, the harpoon was thrown. The
whale would immediately start to race through the waters, and would sink.
After several hours, it would come to the surface. By this time other crews
were standing by, and the battle was soon ended. The whale was towed alongside
the ship, inflated with air, and the fishing continued.
In 1864 the harpoon gun was invented. This completely
changed the method of capturing whales. The gun fires a harpoon which contains
a torpedo. This torpedo has a time fuse, and explodes a second after the
whale is pierced.
The view shows the success of this method of whale catching.
The ship here seen is referred to as a whaling station, because it is in
the center of the waters in which its group of fisherman hunts. What appears
to be great sheets of steel near the ship are bodies of whales that have
been shot by the harpoon gun. These are rorqual whales, a species that
live near the shore. The particular variety of rorquals here shown are
the humpback, which grows to be 50 feet long. The flippers on it weigh
a half ton each. The largest animal in the world is the blue sulpher whale,
which sometimes weighs 75 tons.
source: Stereoview, #415-15768,
Whale Station, Spitzenbergen, Lapland,Keystone
View Company, Meadville, PA New York, NY., Portland Oregon, London England,
Sydney, Aus. , Circa 1900
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