Rare 1800's Whale Blubbering Wood & Iron Hand Hook

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This is an original whale blubbering hand hook similar to a cargo hookexcept the it came out of a Massachusetts whaling collection and blacksmith made from a round iron bar coming to a sharp high arch point and original wooden handle. This one is iron. It is the small size sometimes called a hook hand. Excellent condition. Round shaft that has been squared before entering the handle. This is definitely mid to late 1800's based on the iron bar stock and construction. Hook is 5 1/4 inches long and 4 3/4 inches across at the handle. Hook is in excellent condition. This hook saw moderate use and is a mid 1800's whaling tool. This is from a collection that I recently acquired in New Bedford Massachusetts. Excellent condition and is a museum piece. Hardwood handle. Used to pull back the whale skin as blubber strips were removed for the smelting pots. It is unknown when humans began hunting whales. The earliest archaeological record of whaling is found in South Korea w carved drawings, dating back to 6,000 BC, show that Stone Age people hunted whales using boats and spears. However, over time, whaling techniques have grown more technologically sophisticated. Initially, whaling was confined to (near) coastal water, such as the Basque fishery targeting the Atlantic Northern right whale around 15th to 18th century and the Atlantic Arctic fishery around and in between Spitzbergen and Greenland from around the 17th to the 20th century. However, after the emergence of modern whaling techniques, certain species of whale started to be seriously affected by whaling. These techniques were spurred in the 19th century by the increase in demand for whale oil, and later in the 20th century by a demand for whale meat. Whaling history has affected both the development of many cultures as well as their environment. A little whaling history: The Whaling era took place from the 1700's to the early 1900's. At first whalemen hunted for the meat and then they shifted to the oil extracted from whale blubber. Whale oil was the primarily used for lamp fuel in many parts of the world. In 1859, petroleum was discovered and whale oil became a less necessary commodity. The usage of whale oil also declined with the popularization of kerosene after the 1860's. Hunting whales might have died after the Civil War, but it continued for the baleen of the whale. Baleen was used for umbrellas, buggy whips, fishing rods, and hair brushes. The baleen could be molded for use in a variety of every day objects. Baleen could be found in the whale's upper mouth. Baleen, rich in keratin, contained much strength and flexibility. It was used for bedsprings, ladies' corsets, weaving swifts and umbrellas. Whale teeth, carved with inscriptions and decorations, which were popular amongst the upper class. This was called srimshaw. Although many ports gave up whaling after 1847, the New Bedford area fleet continued to grow, reaching a peak in 1857. At this time t were over 700 whaleships on the east coast. New Bedford boasted 329 New Bedford whaleships, valued at more than $12,000,000 and employing 10,000 men. Ninety-five more vessels sailed from nearby towns of Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Marion, Mattapoisett, and Westport. (NB Whaling Museum Statistics). The decline of whaling continued into the 20th century with the electric lamps becoming commercially available in 1879 and with the invention of the steel spring in 1906. Whale Blubbering: Whaling involved risk and violence for both hunters and prey. When lookouts on shore sighted whales, two or more boats were launched. Each carried a harpooner, a steersman and four or five oarsmen. The crew rowed alongside the whales, then the harpooner heaved his weapon. Floats attached to the harpoon line slowed the whale's attempts to escape. The animal was struck repeatedly with harpoons, lances and louchets before it died wallowing in a red sea. Once the whales were brought to shore, the blubber was rendered into oil at the tryworks. Men worked day and night flensing the blubber, chopping it into cubes and mel... read more

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