A voyage to the arctic in the whaler Aurora (1911) (14803970673)

Flensing. Showing the smaller boats.
Identifier: voyagetoarctici00lind (find matches)
Title: A voyage to the arctic in the whaler Aurora
Year: 1911 (1910s)
Authors: Lindsay, David Moore, 1862-
Subjects: Aurora (Ship) Whaling
Publisher: Boston : Dana Estes & Co.
Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: University of Toronto



Text Appearing Before Image:
, the headtackle is cut out and the carcass, or kreng as it iscalled, sinks as soon as the tail is cut off. Thetail is taken on board and used afterwards forchopping blubber on. The blubber as it comeson board is cut into smaller pieces by the boat-steerers and thrown into the tween-decks by theline managers, from which it is taken a day or twolater, cut small and put into tanks. Flensing afish is a very cheerful occupation and the shipis certainly oily, but there is no unpleasantsmell. As soon as a whale is killed, the fulmarpetrels (P. Glacialis) come in swarms, and theygorge themselves with fat until they cannot situp; then they become dreadfully ill and beginall over again. There was always a current wherewe flensed and this current would carry away astream of overgorged birds, too full to do any-thing but drift. I sat in a boat one day andamused myself catching the birds as they paddledpast until I had numbers in the boat. I found itbetter, however, to leave them in the water, or
Text Appearing After Image:
Copyright, liy I ihIciwoo,! and IihIviuimxI, X. Y. Flensing. Showing the smaller Boats IN THE WHALER AURORA 163 to let them stagger about among the mens feetat work. This was a ten-foot fish and would prob-ably yield thirteen tons of oil. The following isa copy of the scale used long ago by whalers:— Bone in feet OU in tons 1 iy2 2 3 3 SH 4 4 5 4^ 6 53^ 7 7 8 9 9 11 10 13 11 16 12 20 Of course there are exceptions to this old rule. The afternoon clouded up while we were sobusy, and by the time we had finished, it wasblowing. When I turned in there was some snowand it was much colder. July 6th. SunUay. I found the ship with themain yard aback, dodging about in a ratherchoppy sea. The sky was cloudy and it looked likewinter. Three ships were in sight down theSound, all under canvas. We were quite close to the south side, as the captain believed that fishwould come up that way, and it proved that he wascorrect. After breakfast a whale was seen blow-ing among some loose ice to the north