19th-century weapon found in whale

Newsteel · 13th June 2007, 07:32 AM

This might excite you. 19th-century weapon found in whale.

Latest news : http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070612/...tury_old_whale

Details -
By ERIN CONROY, Associated Press Writer
Tue Jun 12, 6:24 PM ET

A 50-ton bowhead whale caught off the Alaskan coast last month had a weapon fragment embedded in its neck that showed it survived a similar hunt — more than a century ago.

Embedded deep under its blubber was a 3 1/2-inch arrow-shaped projectile that has given researchers insight into the whale's age, estimated between 115 and 130 years old.

"No other finding has been this precise," said John Bockstoce, an adjunct curator of the New Bedford Whaling Museum.

Calculating a whale's age can be difficult, and is usually gauged by amino acids in the eye lenses. It's rare to find one that has lived more than a century, but experts say the oldest were close to 200 years old.

The bomb lance fragment, lodged a bone between the whale's neck and shoulder blade, was likely manufactured in New Bedford, on the southeast coast of Massachusetts, a major whaling center at that time, Bockstoce said.

It was probably shot at the whale from a heavy shoulder gun around 1890. The small metal cylinder was filled with explosives fitted with a time-delay fuse so it would explode seconds after it was shot into the whale. The bomb lance was meant to kill the whale immediately and prevent it from escaping.

The device exploded and probably injured the whale, Bockstoce said.

"It probably hurt the whale, or annoyed him, but it hit him in a non-lethal place," he said. "He couldn't have been that bothered if he lived for another 100 years."

The whale harkens back to far different era. If 130 years old, it would have been born in 1877, the year Rutherford B. Hayes was sworn in as president, when federal Reconstruction troops withdrew from the South and when Thomas Edison unveiled his newest invention, the phonograph.

The 49-foot male whale died when it was shot with a similar projectile last month, and the older device was found buried beneath its blubber as hunters carved it with a chain saw for harvesting.

"It's unusual to find old things like that in whales, and I knew immediately that it was quite old by its shape," said Craig George, a wildlife biologist for the North Slope Borough Department of Wildlife Management, who was called down to the site soon after it was found.

The revelation led George to return to a similar piece found in a whale hunted near St. Lawrence Island in 1980, which he sent to Bockstoce to compare.

"We didn't make anything of it at the time, and no one had any idea about their lifespan, or speculated that a bowhead could be that old," George said.

Bockstoce said he was impressed by notches carved into the head of the arrow used in the 19th century hunt, a traditional way for the Alaskan hunters to indicate ownership of the whale.

Whaling has always been a prominent source of food for Alaskans, and is monitored by the International Whaling Commission. A hunting quota for the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission was recently renewed, allowing 255 whales to be harvested by 10 Alaskan villages over five years.

After it is analyzed, the fragment will be displayed at the Inupiat Heritage Center in Barrow, Alaska.

Mark · 13th June 2007, 03:03 PM

That is cool! Now, would the weapon qualify as "excavated?"

Jeff D · 13th June 2007, 03:34 PM

A couple years ago they found a preColumbian stone spear head in a killed bowhead. This lead to the increased investigation into how old these whales get.

Jeff

Andrew · 13th June 2007, 03:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff D

A couple years ago they found a preColumbian stone spear head in a killed bowhead. This lead to the increased investigation into how old these whales get.

Jeff

That's incredible. Got a link to a story on this, Jeff?

Jeff D · 13th June 2007, 03:43 PM

Hi Andrew,

There was a documentary on Canadian Geographic a couple months ago. I am late for work right now but will see if I can find a link later tonight.

Jeff

Andrew · 13th June 2007, 04:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff D

Hi Andrew,

There was a documentary on Canadian Geographic a couple months ago. I am late for work right now but will see if I can find a link later tonight.

Jeff

That would be great, thanks.

Battara · 13th June 2007, 06:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark

That is cool! Now, would the weapon qualify as "excavated?"

I guess it would being it was "Buried" in the whale.....

Jim McDougall · 13th June 2007, 07:57 PM

This is a fantastic and fascinating article!!! 130 years old???cripes I thought I was old!!!

This has to be a unique example of 'excavation', and really presents some great evidence for those studying these whales, and in this case to those who study these type weapons.

While whaling items are not generally thought of as 'weapons' in the sense that we study most ethnographic weapons it seems that hunting weapons do indeed enter the category often. It would interesting to know more on the type of weaponry, harpoons etc. that were used by the whalers (cannot resist thinking of Moby Dick with this article!).

Were there really such whales as albinos? Could these whales really live up to 200 yrs?

Thanks very much for posting this, and I too look forward to the item you brought up Jeff.

Best regards,
Jim

Tim Simmons · 13th June 2007, 08:42 PM

Amazing!! Fascinating news. I had no idea that some whales lived so long. I can understand some communities need to carry on a "subsistence" hunt but not waving a banner. It seems a little sad even barbarous to wantonly destroy such creatures in the 21 century. can you imagine 100 years of excruciating pain.

Jeff D · 14th June 2007, 05:58 AM

Hi Jim and Andrew,

I just got home and was able to see that the episode "Immortals of the Arctic" is to be rebroadcast this Friday on Animal Planet (I am not sure if this applies to the American channel as well); http://www.animalplanet.ca/schedule/...hic%20Presents
I will see if I can find any papers on the topic.

All the Best
Jeff

Newsteel · 14th June 2007, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim Simmons

can you imagine 100 years of excruciating pain.

Hi Tim,
Just imagine having splinter till the rest of your life. I found this hurting too.

The weapon found is still in good condition (from rust). This is due that the weapon were buried in thick blubber. Basically, the fat prevent the metal part from rust.

Andrew · 14th June 2007, 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff D

Hi Jim and Andrew,

I just got home and was able to see that the episode "Immortals of the Arctic" is to be rebroadcast this Friday on Animal Planet (I am not sure if this applies to the American channel as well); http://www.animalplanet.ca/schedule/...hic%20Presents
I will see if I can find any papers on the topic.

All the Best
Jeff

Thanks, Jeff. I'll check my TV listings tonight.

fernando · 14th June 2007, 10:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim Simmons

I can understand some communities need to carry on a "subsistence" hunt but not waving a banner. It seems a little sad even barbarous to wantonly destroy such creatures in the 21 century. can you imagine 100 years of excruciating pain.

Completely agree.

Jim McDougall · 22nd June 2007, 10:36 PM

Apparantly these 'bomb lances' were 'invented' about 1846 in New Bedford, and were fired from a shoulder gun much like a heavy guage rifle.Some sources say these were produced only in New Bedford and for only about six years (1879-1885)...not sure what followed.....bazookas?
Just thought that was interesting

This thread did inspire me to watch "Moby Dick" out of curiosity, and still was wondering about 'albino whales', never found much more on that topic.
Naturally cannot be sure that harpoons in the context of these New England whalers could be considered 'weapons'...but certainly in the ethnographic context the implements used in hunting, fishing, whaling etc. were often multipurpose. In any case, learning about the harpoon forms (they were termed loosely 'irons' by whalers) is interesting from a developmental standpoint, and correlates in that regard with similarity to weapon development.

Best regards,
Jim

13th June 2007, 07:32 AM	#1
Newsteel Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 132	19th-century weapon found in whale This might excite you. 19th-century weapon found in whale. Latest news : http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070612/...tury_old_whale Details - By ERIN CONROY, Associated Press Writer Tue Jun 12, 6:24 PM ET A 50-ton bowhead whale caught off the Alaskan coast last month had a weapon fragment embedded in its neck that showed it survived a similar hunt — more than a century ago. Embedded deep under its blubber was a 3 1/2-inch arrow-shaped projectile that has given researchers insight into the whale's age, estimated between 115 and 130 years old. "No other finding has been this precise," said John Bockstoce, an adjunct curator of the New Bedford Whaling Museum. Calculating a whale's age can be difficult, and is usually gauged by amino acids in the eye lenses. It's rare to find one that has lived more than a century, but experts say the oldest were close to 200 years old. The bomb lance fragment, lodged a bone between the whale's neck and shoulder blade, was likely manufactured in New Bedford, on the southeast coast of Massachusetts, a major whaling center at that time, Bockstoce said. It was probably shot at the whale from a heavy shoulder gun around 1890. The small metal cylinder was filled with explosives fitted with a time-delay fuse so it would explode seconds after it was shot into the whale. The bomb lance was meant to kill the whale immediately and prevent it from escaping. The device exploded and probably injured the whale, Bockstoce said. "It probably hurt the whale, or annoyed him, but it hit him in a non-lethal place," he said. "He couldn't have been that bothered if he lived for another 100 years." The whale harkens back to far different era. If 130 years old, it would have been born in 1877, the year Rutherford B. Hayes was sworn in as president, when federal Reconstruction troops withdrew from the South and when Thomas Edison unveiled his newest invention, the phonograph. The 49-foot male whale died when it was shot with a similar projectile last month, and the older device was found buried beneath its blubber as hunters carved it with a chain saw for harvesting. "It's unusual to find old things like that in whales, and I knew immediately that it was quite old by its shape," said Craig George, a wildlife biologist for the North Slope Borough Department of Wildlife Management, who was called down to the site soon after it was found. The revelation led George to return to a similar piece found in a whale hunted near St. Lawrence Island in 1980, which he sent to Bockstoce to compare. "We didn't make anything of it at the time, and no one had any idea about their lifespan, or speculated that a bowhead could be that old," George said. Bockstoce said he was impressed by notches carved into the head of the arrow used in the 19th century hunt, a traditional way for the Alaskan hunters to indicate ownership of the whale. Whaling has always been a prominent source of food for Alaskans, and is monitored by the International Whaling Commission. A hunting quota for the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission was recently renewed, allowing 255 whales to be harvested by 10 Alaskan villages over five years. After it is analyzed, the fragment will be displayed at the Inupiat Heritage Center in Barrow, Alaska. Attached Images

13th June 2007, 03:03 PM	#2
Mark Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 987	That is cool! Now, would the weapon qualify as "excavated?"

13th June 2007, 03:34 PM	#3
Jeff D Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: B.C. Canada Posts: 473	A couple years ago they found a preColumbian stone spear head in a killed bowhead. This lead to the increased investigation into how old these whales get. Jeff

13th June 2007, 03:43 PM	#5
Jeff D Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: B.C. Canada Posts: 473	Hi Andrew, There was a documentary on Canadian Geographic a couple months ago. I am late for work right now but will see if I can find a link later tonight. Jeff

13th June 2007, 07:57 PM	#8
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 9,938	This is a fantastic and fascinating article!!! 130 years old???cripes I thought I was old!!! This has to be a unique example of 'excavation', and really presents some great evidence for those studying these whales, and in this case to those who study these type weapons. While whaling items are not generally thought of as 'weapons' in the sense that we study most ethnographic weapons it seems that hunting weapons do indeed enter the category often. It would interesting to know more on the type of weaponry, harpoons etc. that were used by the whalers (cannot resist thinking of Moby Dick with this article!). Were there really such whales as albinos? Could these whales really live up to 200 yrs? Thanks very much for posting this, and I too look forward to the item you brought up Jeff. Best regards, Jim

13th June 2007, 08:42 PM	#9
Tim Simmons Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: What is still UK Posts: 5,806	Amazing!! Fascinating news. I had no idea that some whales lived so long. I can understand some communities need to carry on a "subsistence" hunt but not waving a banner. It seems a little sad even barbarous to wantonly destroy such creatures in the 21 century. can you imagine 100 years of excruciating pain.

14th June 2007, 05:58 AM	#10
Jeff D Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: B.C. Canada Posts: 473	Hi Jim and Andrew, I just got home and was able to see that the episode "Immortals of the Arctic" is to be rebroadcast this Friday on Animal Planet (I am not sure if this applies to the American channel as well); http://www.animalplanet.ca/schedule/...hic%20Presents I will see if I can find any papers on the topic. All the Best Jeff

22nd June 2007, 10:36 PM	#14
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 9,938	Apparantly these 'bomb lances' were 'invented' about 1846 in New Bedford, and were fired from a shoulder gun much like a heavy guage rifle.Some sources say these were produced only in New Bedford and for only about six years (1879-1885)...not sure what followed.....bazookas? Just thought that was interesting This thread did inspire me to watch "Moby Dick" out of curiosity, and still was wondering about 'albino whales', never found much more on that topic. Naturally cannot be sure that harpoons in the context of these New England whalers could be considered 'weapons'...but certainly in the ethnographic context the implements used in hunting, fishing, whaling etc. were often multipurpose. In any case, learning about the harpoon forms (they were termed loosely 'irons' by whalers) is interesting from a developmental standpoint, and correlates in that regard with similarity to weapon development. Best regards, Jim