whaling
A wondrous tale, could the rave old whale, Of the mighty deep disclose; Of the skeleton forms, of by-gone storms, And of treasures, that no one knows. He has seen the crew, when the tempest blew. Drop down from the slippery deck, As he shook the tide, from his glassy side, And sporting mongst ocean and wreck. Sea Song, from the Journal of a Sailor.The history of whaling embodies the American spirit in its absolute form. Expansion, industrialization, innovation, self-reliance and cultural contrast are all inter-woven in this tale of America's first manufacturing industry and the first opportunities presented to men of color and foreign origin. While America's native Indians first hunted whales in canoes during the early 17th century, it wasn't until fifty years later that whaling became a organic venture off the shores of Long Island Sound and Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts. A the United States became
The crew of 22 to 25 sailors, however, lived in the very bow, or the front of the ship, "before the mast" in the foc's'le (forecastle), where conditions were cramped, dark, smelly, and often unhealthy. To entertain themselves during these slow periods, sailors read (if they knew how), sang the salty songs of a ship's shanty, and occasionally socialized with members of other whaleships at sea. Scrimshaw proved to be functional as well as decorative, as instruments such as spoons and swifts for winding yarn were created out of whalebone. The agent of the ship maintained the controlling interest, and it was not uncommon for profits of $18,000-20,000 to be made in a single voyage. By the 1840's, many native New England whalemen left the high seas to pursue the gold rush in California, to work in textile mills, or the railroad. When a whale was sighted, small boats carrying crews of six were sent into the waters to harpoon the whale and then Athe carcass would be brought back to the Commercial Wharf @ (# 2) where the whale blubber would be boiled and converted into crude oil. Known as "gamming@, this meeting of two or more ships at mid-ocean would sometimes extend for periods of a week or more. @ (# 3) Look-out stations were set up along the beaches to spot Right Whales, which frequented the New England coast from October until June. Today, this skillful craft of the whalemen is much admired and considered highly collectable. While young men in their late teens were lured by the adventures of the sea, the average age was 25 for crew members and 32 for masters and mates. Instead, he received a "lay," which was a consistent share in the proceeds of the voyage. Often as many as half the crew would end up in debt to the ship after a four-year voyage and would therefore have to immediately sign up for the next voyage. A "Slop-Chest" containing ready-made clothes, knives, tobacco, and other items, acted as the ships store, where sailors could purchase items against their draw. At the height of on-shore hunting in 1726, eighty-six whales were taken in one season alone, with the record catch of eleven in one day! Endless hunting decreased.
Common topics in this essay:
Sperm Whale,
Whales Scrimshaw,
Green Hand,
Ichabod Paddock,
Journal Sailor,
AThe American,
Sea Islands,
,
Nantucket Island,
Commercial Wharf,
sperm whale,
whaling industry,
# 4,
shores island,
blue whales,
foreign origin,
century nantucket,
whale oil,
blue whale,
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Acceptance Essays
