$0.30. [7] It has a strong fishy odor. Spermaceti was also used, distilled in liquid form, as an oil to fuel lamps. –Baleen Whales • 13 species • Blue Whales • Right Whales (3 spp.) Hemp seeds were popular as birdseed and residual cake after oil extraction, meal, marketed as cattle feed. [18] Burning fluid known as camphine was the dominant replacement for whale oil until the arrival of kerosene. The first principal use of whale oil was as an illuminant in lamps and as candle wax. One typical corset advertisement from the 1800s proudly proclaims, “Real Whalebone Only Used.” Whalebone was also used for collar stays, buggy whips, and toys. In his diary, Adams wrote that he told Pitt, “the fat of the spermaceti whale gives the clearest and most beautiful flame of any substance that is known in nature, and we are surprised you prefer darkness, and consequent robberies, burglaries, and murders in your streets to receiving as a remittance our spermaceti oil.”. The "bone" of the whale which was most commonly used wasn’t technically a bone, it was baleen, a hard material arrayed in large plates, like gigantic combs, in the mouths of some species of whales. Pieces of scrimshaw, or carved whale's teeth, would probably be the best remembered use of whale's teeth. Whale oil, or train oil as it used to be called from the Dutch traan, meaning a tear or drop, is oil from baleen whales.It is a true fat consisting largely of triglycerides, a compound formed from glycerol and fatty acids. The blubber is cooked until rendered into oil, known as whale oil, that can be used for soap, and as a component in makeup that contributes a glossy shine. The use of whale oil had a steady decline starting in the late 19th century due to the development of superior alternatives, and later, the passing of environmental laws. It did have a certain odeur de poisson but represented a huge improvement over pig fat. By using ThoughtCo, you accept our, Differences Between Baleen and Toothed Whales, Examples of Petrochemicals and Petroleum Products, Facts About Leviathan, the Giant Prehistoric Whale, Facts About Mysticetes - the Baleen Whales, Cetaceans: Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises, The Most Important Inventions of the Industrial Revolution. Then, hydrocarbon fuels replaced both hemp and whale oil for lighting. Whale oil is mainly composed of triglycerides[10] (molecules of fatty acids attached to a glycerol molecule). They are slow and docile, and they float when killed. In addition, the whale was the source of a boney substance called baleen used in women's corsets, hairbrushes, buggy whips, collar stays and various other products. We all know that men set forth in sailing ships and risked their lives to harpoon whales on the open seas throughout the 1800s. Soap and margarine were also made from it. [4] Most of the fatty acids are unsaturated. For the blog commonly known as. Hemp seed oil was also extensively used for making soap and linoleum. [17] It was replaced in the late 19th century by cheaper, more efficient, and longer-lasting kerosene. Whale oil comes from the blubber of right and bowhead whales, and the head cavity of sperm whales. 1/2 gallon. As the dema… And spermaceti was a major component of that success. [1] Whale oil from the bowhead whale was sometimes known as train oil, which comes from the Dutch word traan ("tear" or "drop"). In a sense, a 19th century whaler regarded a whale as a swimming oil well. Their oil is exclusively composed of triglycerides, whereas that of toothed whales contains wax esters. In fact, candles made of spermaceti were considered the best in the world, producing a bright clear flame without an excess of smoke. The gigantic carcasses of whales were chopped and boiled down and turned into products such as the fine oil needed to lubricate increasing advanced machine tools. Oil sourced from toothed whales contains a substantial amount of wax esters (especially the oil of sperm whales). [23], Whale oil was used to make soap. Whale oil in margarine has been replaced by vegetable oil. Their relative rarity, of course, is why genuine pieces of 19th century scrimshaw are considered to be valuable collectibles today. Although whaling reached its peak during the 19th and 20th centuries, it had been practiced for thousands of years, usually by societies such as the ancient Norwegians and Japanese, who had strong cultural ties to the ocean. The ships that set out from ports in New England roamed as far as the Pacific in hunt of specific species of whales. [22], After the invention of hydrogenation in the early 20th century, whale oil was used to make margarine,[8] a practice that has since been discontinued. When a whale was killed, it was towed to the ship and its blubber, the thick insulating fat under its skin, would be peeled and cut from its carcass in a process known as “flensing.” The blubber was minced into chunks and boiled in large vats on board the whaling ship, producing oil. Whaling in America Over time, European whaling ventures spread to North America. Perhaps the most common use of whalebone was in the manufacture of corsets, which fashionable ladies in the 1800s wore to compress their waistlines. Another source mentions that the average price from 1845 to 1855 was $1.77 per gallon (Stotz, 1938). • Pygmy Right Whales • Gray Whales • Bowhead Whales • Humpback Whales *Some odotocetes also commercially whaled: sperm, bottlenose, killer whales . When John Adams was the ambassador to Great Britain before serving as president he recorded in his diary a conversation about spermaceti he had with the British Prime Minister William Pitt. Summer Riches: Coal Oil Lamps, Cool Well Water, and Blackberries with Cow’s Cream . [8][9], The composition of whale oil varies with the species from which it was sourced and the method by which it was harvested and processed. [20] It was also a major component of tractor hydraulic fluid (like the ubiquitous JDM Type 303 Special Hydraulic Fluid) until its withdrawal in 1974. As European colonists began to regularly hunt great whales sighted fro… And later, in the 20th century, whale oil was even used in the production of edible goods like margarine. On longer deep-sea whaling expeditions, the trying-out was done aboard the ship in a furnace known as a trywork and the carcass was then discarded into the water. Adventure may have been the draw for some whalers, but for the captains who owned whaling ships, and the investors which financed voyages, there was a considerable monetary payoff. In the early 19th century, a typical American household might contain several items manufactured from whale products, such as candles or corsets made with whalebone stays. It wasn’t until the 19th – 20th centuries that advances in technology and better alternative resources began etching away at … This article discusses a natural product. Soap Margarine. Soap Margarine. The bones and teeth of various species of whales were used in a number of products, many of them common implements in a 19th century household. The principle sources for whale oil in the days of Yankee whaling were right whales, bowhead whales and humpback whales. The phrase “whaling ship” often calls to mind images of tall ships with sails, the nineteenth century and Captain Ahab, but despite these associations, whaling has a long historyacross many different cultures and eras. A clean-burning kerosene lamp invented by Michael Dietz in 1857 saved the whales from extinction. Whale oils were the first of all oils — animal or mineral — to achieve commercial importance. This is the stiff… I represent an important part of Gaspé life and economy, and I knew the many Gaspé families whose lives were based on the sea. • Fin Whales • Sei Whales • Brydes Whales • Minke Whales (2 spp.) Carved from the teeth of sperm whales, whale stamps were used to record types of whales and the number of barrels of oil rendered from them. One typical corset advertisement from the 1800s proudly proclaims, “Real Whalebone Only Used.”. See Aboriginal whaling. Over a span of 35 years which embraced the Civil War, whale oil ranged from 30 1/2¢ per gallon to $1.92 according to the following prices which are taken from Eaton's book, "Petroleum", 1866: 1831. But the teeth of other whales, such as the sperm whale, would be used as ivory in such products as chess pieces, piano keys, or the handles of walking sticks. Baleen whales do not have teeth. The pursuit and use of whale oil, along with many other aspects of whaling, are discussed in Herman Melville's Moby-Dick (1851). ", Perhaps the most common use of whalebone was in the manufacture of corsets, which fashionable ladies in the 1800s wore to compress their waistlines. Native American Whaling Unlike some native peoples of the Pacific Northwest, there is little recorded evidence that eastern woodland native peoples either developed whaling cultures or systematically hunted great whales before Europeans arrived in the Americas. Whale oil was used as a cheap illuminant, though it gave off a strong odor when burnt and was not very popular. The machine tools that made the growth of industry possible in the United States were lubricated, and essentially made possible, by oil derived from spermaceti. Whale Uses Whale Oil Lighting Textiles Trench Foot Explosives Lubricants. The newer lamps ultimately used kerosene. Oil from the nose of the Sperm Whale, known as “ spermaceti“, was the most widely sought after fuel, and was available only to the rich at an 1800s cost of $2.00/gallon, which today equates to $200/gallon. Ivory Whale Stamp, 1800s View Object Record. In the 1800s Whaling Became an Industry Blubber is also turned into fuel for lamps, wax for candles and grease for machinery. However, the carved teeth were created to pass the time on whaling voyages and were never a mass production item. [4] The bowhead whale and right whale were considered the ideal whaling targets. Other uses came in time. Robert J. McNamara is a history expert and former magazine journalist. [16] See Aboriginal whaling. [19], In the US, whale oil was used in cars as a constituent of automatic transmission fluid until it was banned by the 1973 Endangered Species Act. I am a cast iron try pot made in Scotland in the 1800s. Although once widely conducted, whaling has declined since the mid-20th century, when whale populations began to drop catastrophically. In the 1700's it was noted that the burning oil from sperm whales glowed brightly and clearly and did not have a disagreeable odor like the oil from right whales did (Bonner, 1989). The sperm whale was the main whale being sought for its oil when the petroleum industry opened in 1859. Friedrich Ratzel in The History of Mankind (1896), when discussing food materials in Oceania, quoted Captain James Cook's comment in relation to "the Maoris" saying "No Greenlander was ever so sharp set upon train-oil as our friends here, they greedily swallowed the stinking droppings when we were boiling down the fat of dog-fish."[25]. (New Zealand, 1911), An Inuit woman tending a qulliq, a traditional whale oil lamp (Nunavut, 1999), Whale oil lamp in brown-glazed earthenware with candle bowl for the wick and base drip pan. Whale oil, in particular, was preferred because it burned cleaner and with less odor. Dolphin and whale meat are both sold in tins, the fins are used to make soup and the organs can be used for research. ThoughtCo uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. [2] In the 21st century, with most countries having banned whaling, the sale and use of whale oil has practically ceased. In turn, the sperm whales were hunted mercilessly in the mid 1700s and early 1800s. [1] In 1986, the International Whaling Commission declared a moratorium on commercial whaling, which has all but eliminated the use of whale oil today. And while Moby Dick and other tales have made whaling stories immortal, people today generally don't appreciate that the whalers were part of a well-organized industry. By the 1800s, the whaling industry off the Atlantic coast was in full swing, and a waxy substance from the whale's head, called spermaceti, made excellent, durable and much less foul-smelling candles and lamp oil. Even though the sperm whale was hunted for its oil this species remains fairly abundant compared to its relatives the blue whale, right whale & bowhead whale. As you may know, early lamps used animal fats, olive oil, beeswax or whale oil. The stamps were inked into a whaleship’s log, with an empty space for writing in the number. Its remarkable flexibility even caused it to be used as the springs in early typewriters. They yield plenty of high-quality oil and whalebone,[5] and as a result, they were hunted nearly to extinction. Until the invention of hydrogenation, it was used only in industrial-grade cleansers, because its foul smell and tendency to discolor made it unsuitable for cosmetic soap. Whale oil is oil obtained from the blubber of whales. Prior to the 1800s, the we used oils that were rendered from animal fat for our lighting needs. 1/2 gallon. The uses of whale products changed as time progressed. I was used to “try out” or boil whale blubber down into precious lamp oil. Oil obtained from a whale’s blubber has been used for both lighting and lubricating purposes, and the bones of the whale were used to make a variety of useful products. Spermaceti could be refined into a lubricant that was ideal for precision machinery. Think of common items which today might be made of plastic, and it's likely that similar items in the 1800s would have been made of whalebone. Whale oil was also utilized in some processes used to manufacture textiles and rope. A peculiar oil found in the head of the sperm whale, spermaceti, was highly prized. In the heyday of Yankee whaling from around 1860 to 1890, sperm whales in particular and then right whales were the most sought after. In the 20th century it was made into margarine. Whale oil became the main oil used for oil lamps and lubrication. 1843. American colonists relied on whale oil to light most of their lamps. Whale oil, in addition to be used for lubrication and illumination, was also used to manufacture soaps, paint, and varnish. Whaling even continues today in a more limited form, after the outcry against whaling and the bans on most whaling a… Prior to the 1800s, light was provided by torches, candles made from tallow, and lamps which burned oils rendered from animal fat. Whaling ships of the 18th and 19th centuries used a variety of tools to butcher whales. John R. Jewitt, an Englishman who wrote a memoir about his years as a captive of the Nootka people on the Pacific Northwest Coast in 1802–1805, describes how whale oil was used as a condiment with every dish, even strawberries. Home Whale uses Whale oil Lighting Textiles Trench foot Explosives. In the 2012 video game Dishonored, whale oil is an important source of power for ships, lighting, weaponry, and the generation of electricity. Whale Oil. The comparison to plastic is apt. Whale oil was obtained by boiling strips of blubber harvested from whales. Early industrial societies used whale oil in oil lamps and to make soap. Prior to the 1800s, torches, candles made from tallow, and lamps which burned oils rendered from animal fat were in popular use. The sperm whale supplied spermaceti, an oily, waxy substance in great quantity and the right whale also supplied large amounts of whale bone. Sperm oil, a special kind of oil obtained from the head cavities of sperm whales, differs chemically from ordinary whale oil: it is composed mostly of liquid wax. But blubber wasn’t the only product the whalers took from their prey. He was Amazon.com's first-ever history editor and has bylines in New York, the Chicago Tribune, and other national outlets. The whale fishery, … For several centuries whale oil remained a popular chemical for margarine, cleaning chemicals, transmission fluids and burning oils. In the late 1700s sperm whale oil was popular for lamp oils and candles because it burned with less odor and smoke than most fuels. This stamp is carved in the shape of a sperm whale. [3] The removal is known as "flensing" and the boiling process was called "trying out". Lyse parish, Bohuslän – now in Nordiska museet, Stockholm, Sweden. [21], In the UK, whale oil was used in toolmaking machinery as a high-quality lubricant. In 1745 under the Empress Elizabeth of Russia the first oil well and refinery were built in Ukhta by Fiodor Priadunov. In 1986, the International Whaling Commission declared a moratorium on commercial whaling, which has all but eliminated the use of whale oil today. Its properties and applications differ from those of regular whale oil, and it sells for a higher price. Through the process of distillation of the "rock oil" (petroleum) he received a kerosene-like substance, which was used in oil lamps by Russian churches and monasteries (though households still relied on candles). The diagrams in this illustration display only a few of the tools used to butcher whales. Baleen whales were a major source of whale oil. Alternative Title: train oil Whale oil, also called train oil, any oil derived from any species of whale, including sperm oil from sperm whales, train oil from baleen whales, and melon oil from small toothed whales. The British were not interested. Lubricants. Most whales were hunted for their blubber, which was boiled and turned into "whale oil," used as fuel for lamps and candles. Perhaps the most common use of whalebone was in the manufacture of corsets, which fashionable ladies in the 1800s wore to compress their waistlines. By the early years of the 20th century, though, development of the internal combustion engine shifted demand of petroleum products to automobiles--the market that has driven demand ever since. $1.28. I n the days before the discovery of petroleum, whale oil supplied the fuel for the lamps that illuminated the nights in American homes. The boiling was carried out on land in the case of whales caught close to shore or beached. From the ports it would be sold and transported across the country and would find its way into a huge variety of products. https://www.dispatch.com/story/opinion/columns/2020/11/04/column-markets-and-consumers-not-president-control-oils-future/6136112002/, "The composition of marine-oil triglycerides as determined by silver ion-thin-layer chromatography", "The Races of OceaniaLabour, Dwellings and Food in OceaniaSimilarities and coincidences in labour and implements of labour, Food", "Conversion of blubber into whale oil, Refining sperm oil and whale oil", International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Whale_oil&oldid=990831522, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica with Wikisource reference, Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 26 November 2020, at 19:15. By the end of the 18th century, the burgeoning industrial revolution was requiring more and more oil, for the lubrication of machinery, including the spinning-jenny that had so revolutionized the woolen textile industry. Whalebone was also used for collar stays, buggy whips, and toys. $1.92. Despite the failed sales pitch John Adams made in the late 1700s, the American whaling industry boomed in the early to mid-1800s. Whaling started becoming important commercially around the Middle Ages and Renaissance, when whale oil was used for oil lamps and whalebones were used for corsets. A British infantry battalion on the Western Front could be expected to use 10 gallons of whale oil a day. 1/2 gallon. [9], Whale oil was widely used in the First World War as a preventive measure against trench foot. In short, whales were a valuable natural resource the same as wood, minerals, or petroleum we now pump from the ground. Spermaceti, as well as whale oil obtained from rendering the blubber of a whale, was also used to lubricate precision machine parts. Sperm whale oil is favored for lamps, because it burns slowly and does not emit bad odors as it burns. The purpose of the baleen is to act as a sieve, catching tiny organisms in sea water, which the whale consumes as food. They did hunt small cetaceans and utilized the carcasses of “drift” and stranded whales that washed up on shore. It was also useful as a lubricant for machinery without losing its viscosity. And the oil from whales, when used to lubricate machinery, made the industrial revolution possible. With the commercial development of the petroleum industry and vegetable oils, the use of whale oils declined considerably from its peak in the 19th century into the 20th century. The Inuit of North America are granted special whaling rights (justified as being integral to their culture), and they still use whale oil as a food and as lamp oil. However, kerosene, or coal oil, gave off an unpleasant odor and smoke. Adams, keen to promote the New England whaling industry, was trying to convince the British to import spermaceti sold by American whalers, which the British could use to fuel street lamps. The oil was rubbed directly onto bare feet in order to protect them from the effects of immersion. Eventually, whale oil began being used in candles as well and whalebones were made into hoop skirts. This is said to have saved whales from extinction. One typical corset advertisement from the 1800s proudly proclaims, "Real Whalebone Only Used." Commercially Harvested Whales . The main American whaling port, New Bedford, Massachusetts, was thus known as "The City That Lit the World.". And it became commonly known as "whalebone. Through the 1800s, most oil was used for oil lamps and kerosene lamps--replacing whale oil, which was becoming scarce by then. Its flexibility even caused it to be used as the springs in early typewriters. Because it burned with less odor and smoke than most fuels, whale oil, particularly oil from the nose of the sperm whale, became popular for lamp oils and candles. 1866. Lubricants. Native use of these as food resources is documented. The Inuit of North America are granted special whaling rights (justified as being integral to their culture), and they still use whale oil as a food and as lamp oil. It was used primarily for oil lamps. Whale oil - an overview. 1/2 gallon. From the 16th century through the 19th century, whale oil was used principally as lamp fuel and for producing soap. Whales are said to have produced “the plastic of the 1800s.”. As baleen was tough yet flexible, it could be used in a number of practical applications. 1854. Whaling, the hunting of whales for food and oil. The oil was waxy, and was commonly used in making candles. Whaling as well as opposition to it soap and linoleum is mainly composed of triglycerides [ 10 (... 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[ 11 ] a valuable natural resource same... Whale, was thus known as camphine was the main oil used collar. The most common fatty acids attached to a glycerol molecule ). [ 11.... We used oils that were rendered from animal fat for our lighting needs composed of [. For lamps, wax for candles and grease for machinery used a variety of tools to whales. Textiles and rope in oil lamps, Cool well Water, and they float when killed and would its... Strong fishy odor properties and applications differ from those of regular whale was. Of “ drift ” and stranded whales that washed up on shore course, is genuine! Up until it was replaced in the 20th century it was replaced the. Principal use of these as food resources is documented well and refinery were in! The failed sales pitch John Adams made in Scotland in the number “ try out or... A strong fishy odor and to make soap the oil was also used lubricate. 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