IN QUEST OF WHALES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 15096, 12 September 1912, Page 7

IN QUEST OF WHALES.

RAKIURA IN PORT.

" TRYING-OUT" THE CAPTIVES

A PROFITABLE INDUSTRY.

A fine sample of modren tramp steamer, , with a queer-looking boiler arrangement on the forward deck, is now • lying . at,,, anchor in Auckland Harbour. She is the Rakiura, the boiling-down ship of tho NowZealand Whaling Company's fleet, which has its headquarters at Russell. The vessel is of 6000 tons, and was formerly a Henderson tramp - trading between Chineseand ' English" ports. She was formerly called the Burmah, then the Hamilton, and latterly, when the whaling company' purchased her, sho was rechristerted the Rakiura.

A Herald representative who visited the shin was shown how the products from the whale are treated and made ready for the market. The whale is > brought alongside the ship, -hoisted up by davits, and while the carcase is on the ropes, the blubber is cut out in-large chunks. ' The boiling down of the best fat is done in eight, boilers in the forward part of the vessel, and from these the No. 1 oil, after eight hours' treatment,, is run out into tanks. After the blubber has been cut out, the carcase is towed aft,' and is cut ■up preparatory to being' also treated for oil.' The whole of the- meat, bones, and tail of the whale is boiled, arid the No. 3 oil: is extracted; . -

One of the most important parts of the whale is the tongue, out of which soruo six barrels of oil are extracted. The tongue is practically \ all fat, and :' trie second quality oil. is taken from it. Four tongues recently treated by ; the Rakiura's plantyielded 20 barrels of oil. -

Some idea of the value of the Rakiura's work can bo. gleaned from the fact that when her tanks of . oil are ifull,. these ; are "sufficient* to fill : 23,000 barrels, each' holding .40 gallons of oil, so that the valueof her full cargo is approximately £72,000. ' It is seldom, however, that all the tanker will be full,, but even if a 'fair average is kept - up. by the whalers, the industry must be a profitable one. It will now -be readily' understood why the Now Zealand Whaling Company spent £40,000 in fitting ' out the Rakiura with one of the most modern boiling-down : plants 'in ' the world. '

The Rakiura is. commanded by, Captain Staalhanea, and when in working trim she carries a crew of 80. . Her . present complement are Norwegians, and only a few of them can speak English.