New Bedford, Massachusetts - its history, industries, institutions, and attractions (1889) (14596873509)

Identifier: newbedfordmassac00peas (find matches)
Title: New Bedford, Massachusetts : its history, industries, institutions, and attractions
Year: 1889 (1880s)
Authors: Pease, Zeph. W. (Zephaniah Walter), b. 1861 New Bedford Board of Trade Hough, George A Sayer, William L. (William Lawton), 1848-1914
Subjects: Industries -- Massachusetts New Bedford New Bedford (Mass.) -- History
Publisher: (New Bedford, Mass.) : Published by order of the Board of Trade
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN



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his encouraged them to make whaling a per-manent business, as whales were numerous about the shores, and thepursuit was soon extensively carried on in small boats. In 1672the islanders, eager for further knowledge, sent to the main land forwhalers from Cape Cod and Easthampton, L. I., to instruct them inthe art. By 1715 the people of Nantucket were pursuing the whalesupon the ocean in small sloops and schooners, making brief vo3ages,bringing home the blubber and trying out the oil on the shore. Thiswas in the primitive days of whaling. In the vicinity of New Bedford whaling probably commencedabout 1760. To Joseph Russell, the founder of the city, is attributedthe lienor of being the pioneer of the whale-fishery, he having beenengaged in the business as early as 1755. His calling demanded theuse of boats, consequently the earliest settlers of the town wereindustrious and enterprising mechanics and the earliest settlementwas of an industrial more than an agricultural character. In 1765,
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THE WHALE-FISHERY. 29 Joseph Rotch, of Nantucket, an enterprising merchant of experienceand knowledge, selected New Bedford harbor as eligible and advan-tageous for the prosecution of the whale-fishery and brought to thevillage an acquisition of capital which had been needed to stimulatethe industry. Mr. Rotch purchased land, built ships and sent them out.New Bedford brains designed the vessels and planned their voyages.New Bedford hands built them and then n>anned them on the sea.Thus were born many allied industries on the land, and refineriesand candle factories, with other important branches of business, wereestablished. In the year of Mr. Rotchs arrival four sloops, from 40to 60 tons burden, were engaged in the business. These small ves-sels usually sailed in pairs and so long as they kept company theblubber of the captured whales was divided equally among them.The voyages were gradually extended and, in the ten years follow-ing, the whaling fleet was increased from two or thr