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A WHALING STATION ON THE CALIFORNIA COAST
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From the front page of the famous 1800’s American publication “HARPER’S WEEKLY, Journal of Civilization” and
is dated “”New York, Saturday, June 23, 1877.” No location given. It is further titled “Drawn By Frenseny
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Here and there along the Coast of California may be found whaling stations, established chiefly by
the Portuguese or Sandwich Islanders. Our first-page engraving shows the general character of
these stations, and manner in which the cutting out of the captured whales is carried on.
Watch is carefully kept from an elevated look-out, and the raising of a flag is the signal to
the fishermen on the beach that whales are in sight. The men instantly take to their boats
and give chase to their prey. Harpoon bombs and explosive guns are used to dispatch the whale
as soon as the boat gets within striking distance, and the body is then secured and towed ashore
where the blubber is stripped off. It is tried out over ovens similar to those shown in the engraving.
and the oil is collected in casks for shipping. The whale most commonly taken in this manner is the “grey-back.”
A large one often yields a profit of several hundred dollars.
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