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Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Map - UNITED HUSTLER'S & REDAN & K. K. MINES - PLAN OF THE UNITED HUSTLER'S & REDAN & K. K. MINES
Plan of the United Hustler's & Redan & K. K. Mines Bulletin No 33 Plate No XXXI. Shows depth of levels, Probable positions of reefs and natural surface with the poppet legs at the two shafts. Sill of shaft of the K. K. Mine 773.56 ft above Sea Level and sill of shaft of the United Hustler's & Redan Mine 745.62 above Sea Level. Also mentioned is the average amount of gold obtained per ton. Note on the top of page - Plates 4, 8, 13, 20, 26 & 31 form a Longitudinal Section from Fortuna Hustler's to Hustler's Consols Mine. Geological Survey of Victoria emblem and signed by H S Whitelaw, Underground Survey Office, Bendigo, September 1913. This item has not been scanned or photographed.mining, parish map, united hustler's & redan & k. k. mines, plan of the united hustler's & redan & k. k. mines, geological survey of victoria, h s whitelaw, underground survey office bendigo -
Ballarat Tramway Museum
Photograph - Black & White Photograph/s, Sutcliffe Pty Ltd, c1929
Black and white photograph of the interior a W2 end saloon showing the longitudinal seats upholstered in leather. Photo taken at Preston Workshops, shows interior fit out at the time of construction, with central strap hangers (leather), light fittings. Tram would appear to have been service for some time as it is fitted with advertisements and M&MTB posters. Destination City, 4th Edition page 42 notes that W2 329, 331, 332, 335 were fitted with leather seating in 1929. Keith Kings identified that the tram is 329 in a photo held by the Melbourne Tram Museum. Taken by Sutcliffe Pty Ltd. Photographers. Has "Sutcliffe Pty. Ltd. Photographers Cromwell buildings 366a Bourke St. Melbourne" stamp in purple on back of photo.On rear in pencil "Interior W2 upholstered in leather", "M&MTB" and "40".trams, tramways, mmtb, w2 class, upholstery, interiors, tram 329 -
Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Document - ALBERT RICHARDSON COLLECTION: UNDERGROUND CONNECTIONS
Buff cover, exercise book. On front cover: Mining Information. Underground Connections Approx. Longitudinal Sections. First page contains an index of the mines. Book contains handwritten records of the connections between the mines under Bendigo. Mines in index: Carshalton Line, Lancashire Line, Napoleon Line, British and Foreign Line, Nell Gwynne Line, New Chum Line, Eureka Extended, New Chum Railway, Shenandoah, Young Chum, Garibaldi, Ellesmere, New Chum United, Lansells 222, Lazarus, North Old Chum, Lansells Big 180, Great Extended Victoria, New Victoria, Catherine, New St. Mungo, Duchess of Edinburgh, Phoenix, St. Mungo, Sadowa, Acadia, Williams United, Catherine Reef United. Garden Gully Line, Great Southern to Ulster United.bendigo, mining, underground connections -
Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Map - HUSTLER'S ROYAL RESERVE NO 2 CO. - LONGITUDINAL SECTION OF THE HUSTLER'S ROYAL RESERVE NO 2 CO
Longitudinal Section of the Hustler's Royal Reserve No 2 Co. on the Hustler's Line of Reef Bulletin No 33, Plate No VIII. Note - Plates 4, 8, 13, 20, 26 & 31 form a Longutudinal Section from Fortuna Hustler's to Hustler's Consols Mine. Mines mentioned are the Hustler's Royal Reserve No 2 Main Shaft, Hustler's Royal Reserve No 2 Park Shaft, Royal Hustler's, Imperial Hustler's, Great Extended Hustler's Freehold and the Great Extended. Section shows depth of levels, datum lines and height of sill above sea levelyield in ozs od gold. Geological Survey of Victoria emblem. H. Herman, Director, W. Dickson, Secretary for Mines and The Hon. J. Drysdale Brown MLC, Minister for Mines and signed by H S Whitelaw, Underground Survey Office Bendigo, September 1913. This item has not been scanned or photographed.mining, parish map, hustler's royal reserve no 2, longitudinal section of the hustler's royal reserve no 2 co, hustler's royal reserve no 2 (main shaft), hustler's royal reserve no 2 (park shaft), royal hustler's, imperial hustler's, great extended hustler's freehold, great extended, geological survey of victoria, underground survey office bendigo, h s whitelaw, h herman, w dickson, the hon j drysdale brown -
Ballarat Tramway Museum
Functional Object - Tramcar, Duncan and Fraser and Ballarat Tramway Preservation Society, Horse Tram No 1, 1887 - original, reconstruction 1986-1992
A double deck horse drawn tram with single saloon. drop ends, stairs, longitudinal seats, sliding doors, wheels of cast iron, hand brakes - see notes. Originally built by Duncan & Fraser in 1887. Rebuilt by BTPS 1991. From the BTM Fleet page on the website: Built in 1887 by Duncan and Fraser for the Ballaarat Tramway Company Ltd. as a double-decked horse tramcar. One of eight cars which ran as trailers behind electric trams at times of heavy patronage, after takeover and conversion of the horse lines by the Electric Supply Company of Victoria Ltd. in 1905. Withdrawn in the late 1920's when the body shell became a residential outbuilding locally, until retrieved in 1985. Fully reconstructed to its original form and placed on a modified Melbourne saloon cable car truck. See attached notestrams, horse trams, tram 1 -
Melbourne Tram Museum
Document - Press Release, Yarra Trams, "Yarra Trams 2006 - 100 Years of electric trams - Press Pack", Aug. 2006
Series of three items contained with Reg item 2400, a Folder with papers, titled "Yarra Trams 2006 - 100 Years of electric trams - Press Pack", issued 10 August 2006 by Yarra Trams and Siemens for the centenary celebrations of electric trams .1 - Bookmark - longitudinal or side on view of the Centenary Art Tram - 5006 - with the 100 years, Yarra Trams and Siemens logos. Three copies held. .2 - Have a coffee on us postcard with images of the various trams on the side of the tram and a voucher stapled to the sheet for a free coffee at Hudson's. .3 - Press or Media release for the launch of the Centenary Art Tram dated Thursday 10 August 2006 - quotes Dennis Cliche - two sheets with an image of 5006 on the second sheet. Has contact details for further information - Naomi Helleren of Yarra Trams and Joanne Woo of Siemens.trams, tramways, 100 years of electric trams, combino, siemens, yarra trams, decorated trams, tram 5006 -
Ballarat Heritage Services
Photograph, Redesdale Bridge, 2016, 18/01/2016
The Redesdale Bridge is a wrought iron and timber structure with bluestone abutments which was installed over the Campaspe River in January 1868, although the bridge actually bears the date 1867. In 1859, the "Herald of the Morning", a ship carrying a cargo including 350 tons of ironwork for the Hawthorn bridge, caught fire and was scuttled a quarter of a mile off the jetty at Sandridge. A Melbourne salvaging firm raised the ironwork from the bottom of the bay, but after details of an arranged sale to the government caused a scandal in Parliament, the material was sold privately to the Melbourne foundry Langlands & Co. Two hundred tons of it was sold to the goldfields shires of McIvor and Metcalfe for only £1000. The bridge was designed by engineer T.B. Muntz and built by a contractor named Doran, and was completed late and considerably over budget at £6274. The bridge spans 45.7m across the river and has two roadways which are carried between three metal lattice girders in a through truss configuration. The design for the Hawthorn bridge had the deck supported over the trusses, and to stiffen the through truss configuration three sets of distinctive paired arches connect the trusses above the roadways. The roadway decking is constructed of longitudinally placed timbers on timber cross girders which rest on the lower chords of the trusses. (Heritage Victoria) A number of colour photographs showing the historic bridge at Metcalfe.metcalfe, shire of metcalfe, bridge, municipal boundary, shire of mcivor, redesdale bridge, campaspe river, t.b. muntz, doran -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Legal record - Plans and Contract, Arthur H. Cutler, Architect, Warrnambool Town Hall, 1890-1892
This is a set of documents including three sheets of blueprint plans for the New Town Hall and Offices for Warrnambool, created in 1890 by the Architect Mr Arthur H. Cutler of Melbourne. The Contract was signed by the Town Mayor for Warrnambool, Mr William Simpson on May 7th 1890. Also, a Council copy of the Contract dated 26 June 1890, with the signatures and diagram where the two official stamps would be placed. The Foundation Stone was laid the following year by the next Mayor, John Hyland on February 24th 1891. The contractor for the building was granted to W. Kellas (William) of Warrnambool. The Town Hall and Offices were built on the corner of Liebig and Timor Streets in Warrnambool. On March 20th 1983 the new Performing Arts Centre was opened y the Mayor, Councillor R w Andreson, on the same site. The new building incorporates the 1890 Town Hall building. The plans, contracts, documents and various references to people on the documents are significant to the history of the City of Warrnambool and its community. The Warrnambool Town Hall building is also significant for the many community events held there over the decades after it was built. Appreciation for the significance of the almost century-old Town Hall building is demonstrated by its inclusion in the new Performing Arts Centre.Set of five documents that includes Plans for the Warrnambool Town Hall, the Contract cover page and a letter from the Architect to the Council. The Contract cover page and the Letter are hand written on cream-coloured paper with a waxy finish, with watermarks. 1) Contract Cover Page, 5th May 1890, Specification of the New Town Hall and Offices at Warrnambool. 2) Letter, 29th January 1892, from Architect Arthur H. Cutler to Mayor and Councilors, Town of Warrnambool 3) Blueprint Sheet 4, Longitudinal Section, and profiles of Liebig Street and Timor Street, Warrnambool Town Hall, 4) Blueprint Sheet 3, First Floor & Balcony Plan, and Roof Plan 5) Blueprint Sheet 2, Ground Floor Plan, Warrnambool Town Hall 6) Contract, 26 June 1890, marked (Draft Copy Tow Hall Contract), Between Mayor, Councillors and Rate Payers, and William Kellas, ContractorWatermarks on handwritten pages [horizontal lines], "36" "BUSBRIDGE'S / LOFT DRIED" Contract cover page, Oval stamp "CUTLER - 281 COLLINS ST. E. MELBOURNE - ARCHITECT " (other crossed out text) Handwritten script "This is the specifications referred to in our agreement" "Dated this 7th day of May A.D. 1890" Signed "W. Simpson Mayor" "Arthur H. Cutler Architect", [two Witnesses' signatures and others] Letter from Arthur Cutler, handwritten, has his address "472 Chancery Lane, Melbourne" CONTRACT of 26 June 1890: "The Mayor, Councillors and Rate Payers of Warrnambool" "William Kellas of Warrnambool" "Signed William Simpson, Maoyorr" "R F Kennedy, Councillor" "Wm Kellas" with diagrams where the round Common Seal and square Stamp would be applied.warrnambool, flagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime village, shipwreck coast, great ocean roaad, warrnamboo town hall, warrnambool council offices, mayor william simpson, arthur h cutler, architect, civic centre, town hall, performing arts centre, mayor john hyland, william kellas, mayor r w anderson, r f kennedy, contract -
Ballarat Heritage Services
Photograph - Photograph - Colour, Clare Gervasoni, Nimon's Bridge, 1999, 04/10/1999
Nimons Bridge was built in 1890, as part of the then Ballarat-Linton railway. The bridge is 17 spans with tall timber piers of four driven piles each, with triple sets of diagonal cross-bracing and walers and a single row of longitudinal horizontal bracing between piers. The spans are of a uniform twenty feet (6.1 metres), originally supported by four 21-inch x 9-inch (535 mm x 230 mm) Kauri timber beams per span, following the standard V.R. design of the period. When the superstructure was rebuilt after the 1953 fire, the timber beams were replaced with two 24-inch (610mm) deep rolled-steel-joists on each span. These are marked 'Lancashire Steel Co., Scotland' and are believed to have been second-hand. The deck of transverse-timber planks is 103.6 metres in length. Overall the bridge has an impressive appearance with its exceptionally tall triple-cross-braced piers creating a 'three-tiered' effect, with the deck 19.2 metres above the Woady Yaloak River. The Ballarat-Skipton line closed in 1985. Nimons Bridge has been recently restored, as part of the Ballarat-Skipton Rail Trail. How is it significant? Nimons Bridge is significant for technical, historic and aesthetic reasons at a State level. Why is it significant? Nimons Bridge is technically significant as Victoria's fourth-tallest timber trestle bridge when built, and as the third-tallest surviving example. It is also the second-largest composite bridge combining traditional timber piers with RSJ spans and a timber deck and falls within a select group of fewer than ten timber railway bridges with horizontal longitudinal bracing between the piers and three sets of double cross-bracing on its tallest piers, creating a visually striking 'three tiered' effect that enhances its viaduct form. Nimons Bridge is historically significant as having served initially the mining community at Linton, then the Western District agricultural area and in later years a kaolin quarry at Pittong. Nimons Bridge is historically significant as a representative of the 'light' branch line methodology that stimulated the explosion of railway construction in Victoria during the 1880s, and provides an interesting contrast with the more solid and vastly more expensive railway viaducts built in similar terrain on Victorian main lines, at Moorabool and Taradale, in the late 1850s. Approached by a deep cutting and high embankment at either end, the bridge represents a very cost-effective late 19th century engineering solution to the characteristic physiography of western Victoria with flat basalt plains intersected by deep wide valleys occasionally subject to severe flooding. Nimons Bridge is aesthetically significant for its visually impressive viaduct form, crossing a deep and steep-sided valley that is part of a rich cultural landscape. Within close proximity of the bridge are mullock dumps, tailings, shaft sites and other relics of the deep-lead alluvial mining era. The bridge is the most visually spectacular timber-trestle rail bridge in Western Victoria and is among the most spectacular timber-trestle rail bridges surviving anywhere in Victoria. It is part of the Ballarat-Skipton Rail Trail. Classified by the National Trust :02/10/2000 (http://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/places/67986)Colour photograph of a log bridge known as Nimon's Bridge.ballarat-linton, nimons bridge, nimon's bridge, log bridge, viaduct, timber-trestle rail bridge -
Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Map - HUSTLERS LINE OF REEFS - LONGITUDINAL SECTION THROUGH THE SADDLE REEFS
Drawing with Longitudinal Section through the Saddle Reefs along portion of Hustler's Line of Reefs, Bendigo. Map shows the depth of the mines, reef numbers and Datum 700 ft above sea level. North and South is also noted on the map. Map signed by H. S, Whitelaw, Underground Survey Office, Bendigo, September 1913. Bulletin No 33, Plate No XXXIV. Bendigo Creek, Ironbark Creek and Long Gully are also noted. Mines are: Fortuna Hustlers, Hustler's Royal Reserve No 2 Main Shaft, Hustler's Royal Reserve No 2 Park Shaft, Royal Hustler's, Imperial Hustler's, Extended Hustler's Freehold, Great Extended Hustler's Tribute (Pups), Old Shaft, Great Extended Hustler's Reef No 2, Great Extended Hustler's Main Shaft, Old Shaft, Hustler's Reef, Hustler's Reef No 1, Comet, K. K., United Hustler's & Redan, Old Shaft and Hustler's Consols. Has Geological Survey of Victoria Crest and underneath is: H. Herman, Director, W. Dickson, Secretary for Mines, The Hon. J Drysdale Brown M L C. Minister of Mines.Geological Survey of Victoria Crestmining, parish map, hustler's reef maps, hustlers line of reefs, bendigo creek, ironbark creek and long gully are also noted. mines are: fortuna hustlers, hustler's royal reserve no 2 main shaft, hustler's royal reserve no 2 park shaft, royal hustler's, imperial hustler's, extended hustler's freehold, great extended hustler's tribute (pups), old shaft, great extended hustler's reef no 2, great extended hustler's main shaft, old shaft, hustler's reef, hustler's reef no 1, comet, k. k., united hustler's & redan, old shaft and hustler's consols.h s whitelaw, underground survey office bendigo september 1913, bulletin no 33 plateno xxxiv, mi -
Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Book - MINING REPORTS - THE CONFIDENCE GROUP OF MINES BULLETIN NO 41
Light brown covered booklet 'Bulletins of the Geological Survey of Victoria issued by W Dickson, Secretary for Mines, Under the Authority of the Hon. S Barnes M L A Minister of Mines. No 41 The Confidence Group of Mines, Bendigo with Plans and Sections by H S Whitelaw, Field Geologist, dated 1918. Mines mentioned are: Confidence Extended Mine, Confidence Tribute Company and the Central Windmill Hill Mine. Mentioned in the report are crushings and gold yield, details of levels, names of leases along the reef. Extracts from Mine Manager's Half-yearly Reports, 1878-1915 of tons crushed and gold yield. Plans and sections of the Confidence Extended Mine on the Garden Gully Line of Reefs are: Plate I General Plan of All Levels, Plans of Levels Plate No II, Plans of Levels Plate No III, Transverse Section Plate No IV, Longitudinal Section Plate No V, and Central Windmill Hill Mine Transverse Section Plate No VI. Plates signed by H S Whitelaw 17 & 18/6/16 and 20/7/16. Booklet if part of the Albert Richardson Collection. book, bendigo, mining reports, mining reports, the confidence group of mines bulletin no 41, confidence extended mine, confidence tribute company, central windmill hill mine, department of mines, bulletins of the geological survey of victoria, w dickson, the hon s barnes, h s whitelaw, h j green, mr robert eddy, mr w h cundy, j foster, c j thompson -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Tool - Caulking Tool, Ward & Payne Ltd, Late 19th century
Caulking is the traditional technique used on wooden vessels built with butted or clinker-built planks to fill the gaps between these planks while still allowing the wood to flex and move. This involved driving the irons, hammered in with the mallet, deep into the seams to open them up. After this, spun yarn, oakum (hemp) or cotton was driven deep into the gaps. The hemp or cotton was soaked in creosote or pine tar to make the joins watertight. Caulking also played a structural role in tightening up the hull or deck by reducing the longitudinal movement of the neighbouring planks. The subject item was made by Ward & Payne of the Limbrick Works at Hillsborough, Sheffield England manufacturers of hand-forged tools. Their trademark registered in 1850 was a Letter "W" & "P" stamped into the steel. The firm was established by David Ward (1767-1822) in 1803 the company became David Ward & Sons, in 1837 after Ward's son Edward joined the firm. In 1845 Henry Payne the founder's son-in-law became a partner but died in 1850 after which the company reverted to the Ward family. The business then concentrated on making carving tools, chisels and gouges. In 1882 David Ward's grandson David Ward Jr. (1835-1889) purchased land and built a factory at Sheffield North known as the "Limerick Wheel". For a time Wards operated from both 106-114 West Street Sheffield and at Limbrick Road, Hillsborough on the river Loxley. By 1911 they had expanded into making spades, forks, sheep shears and many other types of edged tools including drills and wood planes. In 1967 Wilkinson Sword purchased all the company's share capital and continued to sell Ward & Payne tools until 1970 when a fire burned the factory down and housing development was built on the site. The subject item is significant as it gives a snapshot of the technological development of sailing ships and their operation before steam-powered vessels took over around the world. Tools such as the subject item demonstrate the traditional craftsmanship and skill of the shipwright and the aesthetic quality of the timber ships designs of the time. Caulking tool with square end"WARD Sheffield"flagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff hill maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, james s steele, caulking iron, caulking tool, shipwright tools, ward & payne sheffield, forged tools -
Melbourne Tram Museum
Album - Folder, Public Transport Corporation (PTC), "MMTB Electric Tramways", c2000
Providing GA drawings of the following: R1146 – General Data of Tramcars – 24-9-1924 PMTT 160 - PMTT Bogie closed car (O class) PMTT 161 - PMTT Combination car PMTT 162 – Summer car (old type) – F class PMTT 163 - PMTT Bogie car PMTT 164 – Summer car – G class PMTT – 700 – Bogie Car with dropped centre compartment and longitudinal rattan saloon seats R2461 – class W – W class converted to W2 R2460 – class W1 R2459 – class W2 R2462 – class X R2464 – class Y R2463 – class X1 R2465 - class Y1 R3071 - class W3 R3076 - class A R3077 - class G R8617 - class Sw6 and W6 R3078 - Class C R3080 – Class X2 R3093A - Class T R3812 - class W4 R4382 - class T - arrangement for one man operation R4646 - class Sw2 R4678B - class W5 R4771A - Class SW6 R5818 - class SW5 R5963 - class A - One man Coburg type R6928 - PCC Car - double end operation (based on a USA drawing) R7416 - class L R8332 - PCC Type car (980) R8999 - Class A tramcar Coburg type original R9601 - class CW5 R9529 - class W7 R9622 - Proposed SW6 car with front entrance R9980 - Freight car 17 R10-129 - class VR R11-333 - Class Z1 and Z2 trams R11-387 - class Z 0 outside dimensions R11-580 - class Z3 tram R12-052 - class W5 sliding door conversion R12-062 - class A tram Articulated tram - class B2Yields information about the MMTB fleet including scrapped trams and their General Arrangement.Album or Set of 41 A4 sheets, photocopied with the title "MMTB Electric Tramways".trams, tramways, drawings, tramcars, tramcar design, preston workshops, mmtb -
Wodonga & District Historical Society Inc
Photograph - Wodonga Creek Stock Bridge Collection
The Wodonga Creek Stock Bridge was constructed by the Country Roads Board in 1939. The date was recorded on a small plaque attached to one of the trestles. The bridge is an important reminder of one of the industries Wodonga was built on — cattle. It was constructed to develop a new stock route between Albury and Wodonga which would direct cattle away from the main bitumen roads and traffic bridges to the Wodonga Saleyards, where thousands of sheep and cattle were sold each month. It is a moderately tall timber trestle road bridge consisting of nine spans, with a deck length of 76 metres and deck width of 4.5 metres, and a maximum span length of 8.5 metres. The substantial timber deck featured decking laid horizontally and longitudinal running planks laid on top of it. The bridge also has timber side safety rails to discourage livestock from straying over the side. The bridge also became the centre of summer social activity for the young people of Wodonga as the area became a gazetted swimming area before the Wodonga Swimming Pool was constructed in 1959. In 1980 the Wodonga Saleyards were relocated to Bandiana to the east of the city. This meant that Wodonga Creek Stock Bridge was no longer needed for its original purpose. Although listed as a significant site by the Victorian Heritage and National Heritage Trust on 3/08/1998, the bridge fell into disrepair and also suffered damage from several floods. A suspension Bridge was constructed beside the Stock Route Bridge in 2013 and the old bridge was closed to traffic. Major damage caused by several floods, including a major flood in 2022 has resulted in the bridge being unsafe and its future is uncertain. The model of the Wodonga Creek Stock Bridge in our Collection made by Mr John Wild, depicts its current condition.The Wodonga Creek Stock Bridge is significant for technical, historic and social reasons and has been registered at the State Heritage level. It is of technical significance as a nine span bridge with tall timber trestles. Large bridges of this type are now very rare in Victoria. It is of historic significance as a surviving structurally authentic bridge designed specifically for livestock and drover use, on a historic stock route. The Stock Bridge is of social significance for its location at a popular riverside leisure spot since its construction in 1939.A collection of photographic images depicting the Wodonga Creek Stock Bridge. It contains both black and white and coloured images taken at different times in the Stock Bridge's history. A model of the Bridge made for Our Society is also included.wodonga creek stock bridge, wodonga heritage -
Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Document - ALBERT RICHARDSON COLLECTION: SECRETARY FOR MINES ANNUAL REPORT 1911
Three page typed report titled ' Notes on diagram showing pitch lines, Bendigo'. Longitudinal sections along the lines of reefs or anticlines within the 8 mile block at Bendigo are shown in a diagram' (diagram not included with notes) Mines and reef lines mentioned in the report are : New Chum line, New Chum Railway mine, Catherine United mine, Hercules and Energetic mine, Garden Gully, Hustlers and Redan, Sheepshead Reef, Sea Mine, Garden Gully, Miller's line of reef and Bendigo Development Mine. The 'old stacks' or chimneys, on Bendigo are described. 'Among the earliest of the stacks built at Bendigo in connexion with Quartz crushing plant, are the two figured in this Annual report No 1 was situate in Sailor's Gully but was demolished about three years ago. This, if not the first, must have been one of the first built, for it had a stone inserted on which chiselled the date 1854. It was built altogether of rough masonry. The other, No. 2, is still standing at the Sheepshead line and was apparently of later date, the upper portion being of brick. They are intersting landmarks of an era that is rapidly passing.' Map attached to report showing location of stacks. Stack at Sailors Gully was near the corner of Murchison Street and Lester Street. The stack at Sheepshead ( Deborah Triangle area) was near the intersection of Belle Vue Road and Adam Street.bendigo, mining, pitch lines bendigo -
Frankston RSL Sub Branch
Drift Recorder, W & G, A M Drift Recorder MKII, 1930 - 1939
Purpose built mechanical calculation machine for determining the drift of aircraft when operating in crosswind conditions. This device has an eyepiece and a prismatic periscope for viewing a distant feature being tracked. This device has calibrated rotary scales for height, speed (in KNOTS and MPH), and an adjustment to preset the 'crab angle' of the aircaft for cross wind compensation. The device can be opened for cleaning or maintenance purposes. Refer to the following extracts for information about bomb drift: "Crosswinds brought into the bombing problem a new factor, "drift" In order to fly a given ground track in a crosswind, an aircraft had to "crab" into the wind; the angle formed between the aircraft's true heading and its ground track was called the "drift angle" In a crosswind, the bomb would impact directly behind the aircraft and along its longitudinal axis at the moment of release. But this meant that the bomb would strike the ground at some point downwind of the aircraft's ground track. Thus, in order to score a hit, the bomber had to fly a ground track that ran upwind of the target." "Air resistance acting on a bomb after release caused it to lag behind the drop point and hit somewhere behind the bomber. The distance from a point beneath the aircraft at the instant of bomb impact to the point of bomb impact was called "trail." Trail increased as the bomber's airspeed increased or as its altitude increased. Furthermore, since different bombs encountered different resistance in the air, trail was also a factor of bomb shape."A. M. Drift Recorder MKII REF. No 6B/190 No 2668/41 X/ 3606 3E4H28 -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Tool - Caulking Tool, William Marple & Sons, Early 20th century
Caulking is the traditional technique used on wooden vessels built with butted or clinker-built planks to fill the gaps between these planks while still allowing the wood to flex and move. This involved driving the irons, hammered in with the mallet, deep into the seams to open them up. After this, spun yarn, oakum (hemp) or cotton was driven deep into the gaps. The hemp or cotton was soaked in creosote or pine tar to make the joins watertight. Caulking also played a structural role in tightening up the hull or deck by reducing the longitudinal movement of the neighbouring planks. William Marples junior joined his father's joinery making business in 1821. In 1860 William's sons joined him and the firm became William Marples and sons. Over the years they acquired John Moseley & Sons a London plane maker and Thomas Ibbotson & Co a Sheffield edge tool maker. Growing to become the most prolific and best known Sheffield tool maker. Their large factory was known as the Hibernia Works. Their trademark was a shamrock that appeared on some of their tools, in 1961 they had about 400 employees. In 1962 the record Tool Company and William Ridgway acquired a fifty percent interest in the company and in 1972 the companies merged with several others to form Ridgway Tools Ltd. After 116 years at its Hibernia Works, the company was moved to Dronfield. A 1982 takeover by A G Bahco of Sweden was short-lived and in 1985 Record Ridgway returned to British ownership first as Record Marples Woodworking Tools Ltd. In 1988 then as Record Holdings PLC in 1993. In 1998 the company accepted a bid from American Tool Corporation, subsequently trading as Record Irwin. The Irwin company itself was acquired by Newell Rubbermaid in 2002 and renamed Irwin Industrial Tool Co. Both the Marples and Record names were re-branded "Irwin" However the name has since been resurrected as Irwin/Marples and applied to wood chisels and table saw blades now made at their new facility in Udine, Italy. As a footnote, William Marples was the uncle of Robert Marples and Joseph Marples, both of whom established competing tool making businesses in Sheffield. The Robert Marples firm disappeared early in the 20th century. After several changes in the company's ownership tools are now made under the Ridgway name but in China. A tool made by a company with a long family history of tool making in Sheffield England, with a member of the Marples family, Joseph Marples establishing a competing tool company which continues today to manufacture quality products for the joinery and shipwrights trades.Caulking tool straight wide blade, Stamped "W Marples & Sons" & James S Steele tool box.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked coast, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, caulking tool, caulking iron, james s steele -
Bendigo Historical Society Inc.
Photograph - HILDA HILL COLLECTION: BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOS
Hilda Hill Collection. A Combination of Sepia & Black & White Photos Total of 5. Jonah dressed in light coloured dress with geometric pattern holding a parasol in both hands, background right is a part of a large tent in striped material, to the left is a light post with a sign attached advertising fairy floss, there are a number of people to the left of the post on a sloped surface at Lake Weeroona Bendigo. Four young ladies leaning on a hand rail of a verandah, to the left is a verandah post with a large pot plant at its base, behind the girls at right is a window partly open with a lace curtain, a white piece of rope extends from the post at an angle to a rolled up blind, directly in front of the girls on the ground is a large plant in a garden, the old V.P.S. Girls Alma, Kitty, Lorna and Hilda Hill. Eileen and Claire standing on verandah with hands on the rail, Eileen is dressed in a pale coloured dress and Claire in a white dress with a line pattern longitudinal, Verandah post to their left and cord going to a rolled up blind, large pot plant at base of post, deck chair at far right, foreground shows shadow of the photographer and garden to the right. Oval photo of Nora on the rocks Feb 1921, dressed in white with material over her left shoulder, and small round topped hat. Elma and Jonah both dressed in light coloured dresses, Elma has sailor neck blouse and her dress has a horizontal line pattern, background right is an old car and behind the girls there are large trees,The Rock 1 January 1923.Hilda Hill Personal Collectionaustralia, history, victoria post war touring boom -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Domestic object - Sharpening Steel
A honing steel, sometimes referred to as a sharpening steel, whet steel, sharpening stick, sharpening rod, butcher's steel, and chef's steel, is a rod of steel, ceramic or diamond-coated steel used to restore keenness to dulled blade edges. They are flat, oval, or round in cross-section and up to 30 centimetres (1 ft) long. The steel and ceramic honing steels may have longitudinal ridges, whereas the diamond-coated steels are smooth but embedded with abrasive diamond particles. Non-abrasive honing rods such as smooth ceramic or ribbed steel are able to remove small amounts of metal via adhesive wear. In normal use, the rod is applied to the blade at a slightly higher angle than that of the bevel, resulting in the formation of a micro-bevel. The term "hone" is associated with light maintenance performed on a blade without the effort and precision normally associated with sharpening, so the name "hone" was borrowed. In the 1980s, ceramic abrasives became increasingly popular and proved an equal, if not superior, method for accomplishing the same daily maintenance tasks; manufacturers replaced steels with ceramic (and later, manufactured diamond abrasive) sharpening "steels" that were actually hones. Use Honing steels are used by lightly placing the near edge of the blade against the base of the steel, then sliding the blade away from yourself along the steel while moving it down – the blade moves diagonally, while the steel remains stationary. This should be done with the blade held at an angle to the steel, usually about 20°, and repeating on the opposite side at the same angle. This is repeated five to ten times per side. Steeling It is often recommended that steeling be performed immediately before or after using a knife and can be done daily. By contrast, knives are generally sharpened much less frequently. A traditional smooth honing steel is of no use if the edge is blunt, because it removes no material; instead it fixes deformations along the edge of a sharp blade, technically known as burnishing. There has long been speculation about the efficacy of steeling (re-aligning the edge) vs honing (removing minor deformation with abrasives); studies tend to favour abrasives for daily maintenance, especially in high-carbide-volume "stainless" steels (such as the popular CPM S30V steel, which tends to "tear out" when steeled rather than re-forming an edge.) Small honing steel for outdoor activities Usage trends Steels have traditionally been used in the West, especially in heavy-use scenarios (e.g. butchering, where the edge deforms due to forceful contact with bone). These scenarios also lead Western trends toward blades tempered to a lower level of hardness (and thus lower brittleness). In East Asia, notably Japan, harder knives are preferred, so there is little need for steeling intra-day, as the edge does not deform as much. Instead, the blade is honed as needed on a waterstone. While tradition has kept the practice of steeling alive in Western kitchens, the majority of honing steels sold are abrasive rather than smooth, and knives are harder and more frequently made of stainless steel, which does not respond to traditional steeling techniques as well as high-carbon/low alloy tool steels.The sharpening steel is essential to maintain the sharpness of carving and other knives.Steel knife sharpener with bone handle. Part of a carving set.None.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, sharpening steel, carving set, kitchen equipment -
Melbourne Tram Museum
Document - Specification, Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board (MMTB), "Design, Manufacture and delivery of 100 only all-electric trams", Jun. 1965
Specification or Tender Document - titled "Design, Manufacture and delivery of 100 only all-electric trams", and "Background Information and Preliminary Specification", dated June 1965. Bound into a brown foolscap card cover. Details the conditions of tender, conditions of contract, notes, specification, gives background information about Melbourne, dimensions, performance, drivers and conductors, trucks, wheels, brakes, electrical equipment, control panels and drawings. The drawings give a map of the system, typical city route, Glenferrie Road route (grade diagram), concrete track construction, min. radius curves, loading gauge, all-electric tram and mounting details for the trolley base, schedule of prices, tender form, form of contract, schedule of information to be provided by the tenderer. Comprises: 1 - Conditions of Tendering - 1 page 2 - Conditions of Contract - 4 pages 3 - Contents - 3 pages 4 - Notes for prospective tenderers - dated June 1965 5 - General nature of contract - 21 pages 6 - Appendix A - climate data - two sheets 7 - List of 14 appended drawings 8 - O.6887A - cross section of trolley wire 9 - P.13855 - Glenferrie Road, Longitudinal Section 10 - P.13856 - Wattle Park Route 11 - P.13857 - East Preston Route 12 - P13858 - Concrete track construction 13 - P13859 - Open track construction 14 - P.13860 - Paved ballast track construction 15 - P.13887 - Tram Route - locations of substations and section switches 16 - P.13888 - Minimum radius service curves to give minimum clearance between tramcars 17 - P.13889 - Grooved Rail - 102 pounds per yard and tire profile 18 - R10-301 - Loading gauge, proposed electric tramcars 19 - R9706K - Rolling stock data, tramcars 20 - R10306 - Collins Points Shifter - Wiring diagram. 21 - Schedule of data to be supplied by the tenderer 22 - notes on Automatic Points shifters - 2 sheets 23 - Tender prices and delivery periods - 2 sheets. See Reg Item 2266 for the 1972 version and 1583 for the August 1966 version. See Reg Item 4049 for associated newspaper cuttings. See file htd4667i1.pdf for scans of the drawings.In ink in top right hand corner - "Lees"trams, tramways, specification, tenders, z class, mmtb, melbourne -
Melbourne Tram Museum
Document - Folder, Melbourne & Metropolitan Tramways Board (MMTB), "MMTB General Data of Tramcars", compiled to c2005
Set of 60 A3 sheets, comprising a folder of GA Drawings – from Keith Kings, held with black plastic semi elastic black clip or retaining strip. All drawings have been scanned (about 50% were already scanned, e.g. the first sheet) and placed on the Depot Tramcar Mechanical component listing. Order of drawings as received has been retained and listed as follows. R1146 – General Data of Tramcars – 24-9-1924 R11-927 – SW6 and W6 – Advertising Panel Location R11-928 – W7 Advertising Panel Location R9529 – Class W7 GA List of Tramcar GA Arrangement Drawings dated 13/12/1974 Cover sheet – “Melbourne and Metropolitan Tramways Board – Electric Tramcars Index - lists Class, numbers and Drawing Nos. R1266 – Cable Train – Dummy and 4 wheel trailer R3799 – Cable train – Dummy & 4 wheel trailer R3422 – Cable train – dummy & Bogie trailer PMTT 161 – Combination Car R3076 – Class A – Combination Car Dropped ends PMTT – 163 - Bogie car with dropped centre compartment PMTT – 700 – Bogie Car with dropped centre compartment and longitudinal rattan saloon seats R3078 – Dropped Centre bogie car – Maximum Traction R4571 – Dog Transport Car – class C converted PMTT 162 – Summer car (old type) – F class PMTT 164 – Summer car – G class R3079 – Class L R7416 – Class L PMTT 160 – Bogie Closed Car – (O class) R9787 – Class G – All night tram style R3077 – Class G – All night tram style R8999 – Class A tramcar Coburg type Original – S class R5963 - Class A tramcar Coburg type Original – S class (modified) R3093A - Class T R4382 – Class T arrangement for one-man operation Car 178 R3756A – class U R2461 – class W – W class converted to W2 R2460 – class W1 R2459 – class W2 R4646 – class SW2 R9525 – class SW2 R3071 – class W3 R3812 – class W4 R4678B – class W5 R9601 – class CW5 R5818 – class SW5 R12-052 – Class W5 – sliding door conversion R4771A – class SW6 (reversible seats) R6408A – class SW6 (Tubular Fixed Seats) R8617 – class SW6 and W6 R9529 – class W7 R10-129 – Class VR car R8332 – PCC type car R2462 – class X R1811 – types of electric cars – class X Safety car R2463 – class X1 R3080 – Class X2 R2464 – class Y R2465 – class Y1 R10-946 – All electric tram – 1041 R11-333 – class Z1 and Z2 trams R11-387 – class z outside dimensions R11-563 – Class Z tram (101-115) R11-580 - class Z3 tram R12-062 – Class A tram T4000-12 – double ended 6 axle articulated LRV – a possibly arrangement R6928 – PCC Car – double end operation R9980 – Freight car 17 – former V class passenger car See Reg Item 5639 for a similar document.trams, tramways, drawings, tramcars, cable trams, tramcar design, preston workshops, mmtb -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Tool - Caulking Tool, A Mathieson and Son, Early 20th century
Caulking is the traditional technique used on wooden vessels built with butted or clinker-built planks to fill the gaps between these planks while still allowing the wood to flex and move. This involved driving the irons, hammered in with the mallet, deep into the seams to open them up. After this, spun yarn, oakum (hemp) or cotton was driven deep into the gaps. The hemp or cotton was soaked in creosote or pine tar to make the joins watertight. Caulking also played a structural role in tightening up the hull or deck by reducing the longitudinal movement of the neighbouring planks. The subject item was made by Alexander Mathieson & Sons but the company was established in 1792 when John Manners had set up a workshop making woodworking planes at 14 Saracens Lane Glasgow. He also employed an apprentice Alexander Mathieson (1773-1851). But in the following year at Saracen's Lane, the 1841 census describes Alexander Mathieson as a master plane-maker now at 38 Saracen Lane with his son Thomas Adam working with him as a journeyman plane-maker. Presumably, Alexander must have taken over the premises and business of John Manners. Now that the business had Thomas Adam Mathieson working with his father it gradually grew and became more diversified, and it is recorded at the time by the Post-Office Glasgow Annual Directory that by 1847-1848 Alexander Mathieson was a “plane, brace, bit, auger & edge tool maker”. In 1849 the firm of James & William Stewart at 65 Nicolson Street, Edinburgh was taken over by Mathieson and Thomas was put in charge of the business, trading under the name Thomas A. Mathieson & Co. as plane and edge-tool makers. Thomas's company went on to acquire the Edinburgh edge-tool makers “Charles & Hugh McPherson” and took over their premises in Gilmore Street. In the Edinburgh directory of 1856/7, the business is recorded as being Alexander Mathieson & Son, plane and edge-tool makers at 48 Nicolson Street and Paul's Work, Gilmore Street Edinburgh. In the 1851 census, Alexander is recorded as working as a tool and plane-maker employing eight men. Later that year Alexander died and his son Thomas took over the business. Under the heading of an edge-tool maker in the 1852/3 Post-Office Glasgow Annual Directory the firm is now listed as Alexander Mathieson & Son, with further entries as "turning-lathe and vice manufacturers". By the early 1850s, the business had moved to 24 Saracen Lane. The directory for 1857/8 records that the firm had moved again only a few years later to East Campbell Street, off the Gallowgate area, and that through further diversification was also manufacturing coopers' and tinmen's tools. The ten-yearly censuses report the firm's growth in 1861 stating that Thomas was a tool manufacturer employing 95 men and 30 boys; in 1871 he had 200 men working for him and in 1881 300 men. By 1899 the firm had been incorporated as Alexander Mathieson & Sons Ltd, even though only Alexander's son Thomas appears ever to have joined the firm so the company was still in his father's name. In September 1868 Thomas Mathieson put a notice in the newspapers of the Sheffield & Rotherham Independent and the Sheffield Daily Telegraph stating that his firm had used the trade-mark of a crescent and star "for some time" and that "using or imitating the Mark would be proceeded against for infringement". The firm had acquired its interest in the crescent-and-star mark from the heirs of Charles Pickslay, the Sheffield cutler who had registered it with the Cutlers' Company in 1833 and had died in 1852. The year 1868 seems also to be the one in which the name Saracen Tool Works was first adopted; not only does it figure at the foot of the notice in the Sheffield press, but it also makes its first appearance in the firm's entry in the Post-Office Glasgow Annual Directory in the 1868/9 edition. As Thomas Mathieson's business grew, so too did his involvement in local public life and philanthropy. One of the representatives of the third ward on the town council of Glasgow, he became a river bailie in 1868, a magistrate in 1870 and a preceptor of Hutcheson's Hospital in 1878. He had a passion for books and was an "ardent Ruskinian". He served on the committee handling the bequest for the setting up of the Mitchell Library in Glasgow. When he died at Coulter Maynes near Biggar in 1899, he left an estate worth £142,764. In the Company's later years both Thomas's sons, James Harper and Thomas Ogilvie were involved in the continuing life of the firm. James followed in his father's footsteps in becoming a local public figure. He was appointed Deputy Lieutenant of the County of the City of Glasgow and was made a deacon of the Incorporation of the Hammermen of Glasgow in 1919. His brother Thomas Ogilvie was recorded as a tool manufacturer and employer in the 1911 census. Thomas Ogilvie's son Thomas Alastair Sutherland Ogilvie Mathieson was born in 1908 and took a rather different approach to engineer, however, by becoming a racing driver. In 1947 he wed the French film actress Mila Parély. The firm had won many awards at world fairs for their goods. At the Great Exhibition, London, 1851. Prize medal for joiners' tools in the class of Cutlery & Edge Tools, Great London Exposition, 1862. Prize medal honoris causa. International Exhibition, Melbourne, 1880. Gold medal International Exhibition of Industry, Science and Art, Edinburgh, 1886. Prize medalThe firm Alexander Mathieson & Sons were one of the leading makers of hand tools in Scotland. Its success went hand in hand with the growth of the shipbuilding industries on the Firth of Clyde in the nineteenth century and the emergence of Glasgow as the "second city of the Empire". It also reflected the firm's skill in responding to an unprecedented demand for quality tools by shipyards, cooperages and other industries, both locally and far and wide. The subject item is of further significance as it gives a snapshot of the technological development of sailing ships and their operation before steam-powered vessels took over around the world. Tools such as the subject item demonstrate the traditional craftsmanship and skill of the shipwright and the aesthetic quality of the timber ships designs of the time. Caulking tool Off-set. Stamped on blade "Mathieson & Son Glasgow" also stamped in handle, James S Steele tool box.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, flagstaff hill maritime museum, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill maritime village, great ocean road, james s steele, caulking iron, caulking tool, offset caulking tool, alexander mathieson & sons, shipwrights tools, ship building, clinker hull caulking, sailing ships -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Animal specimen - Whale bone, Undetermined
Prior to carrying out a detailed condition report of the cetacean skeletons, it is useful to have an understanding of the materials we are likely to encounter, in terms of structure and chemistry. This entry invites you to join in learning about the composition of whale bone and oil. Whale bone (Cetacean) bone is comprised of a composite structure of both an inorganic matrix of mainly hydroxylapatite (a calcium phosphate mineral), providing strength and rigidity, as well as an organic protein ‘scaffolding’ of mainly collagen, facilitating growth and repair (O’Connor 2008, CCI 2010). Collagen is also the structural protein component in cartilage between the whale vertebrae and attached to the fins of both the Killer Whale and the Dolphin. Relative proportions in the bone composition (affecting density), are linked with the feeding habits and mechanical stresses typically endured by bones of particular whale types. A Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus Linnaeus, 1758) skeleton (toothed) thus has a higher mineral value (~67%) than a Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus Linnaeus, 1758) (baleen) (~60%) (Turner Walker 2012). The internal structure of bone can be divided into compact and cancellous bone. In whales, load-bearing structures such as mandibles and upper limb bones (e.g. humerus, sternum) are largely composed of compact bone (Turner Walker 2012). This consists of lamella concentrically deposited around the longitudinal axis and is permeated by fluid carrying channels (O’Connor 2008). Cancellous (spongy) bone, with a highly porous angular network of trabeculae, is less stiff and thus found in whale ribs and vertebrae (Turner Walker 2012). Whale oil Whales not only carry a thick layer of fat (blubber) in the soft tissue of their body for heat insulation and as a food store while they are alive, but also hold large oil (lipid) reserves in their porous bones. Following maceration of the whale skeleton after death to remove the soft tissue, the bones retain a high lipid content (Higgs et. al 2010). Particularly bones with a spongy (porous) structure have a high capacity to hold oil-rich marrow. Comparative data of various whale species suggests the skull, particularly the cranium and mandible bones are particularly oil rich. Along the vertebral column, the lipid content is reduced, particularly in the thoracic vertebrae (~10-25%), yet greatly increases from the lumbar to the caudal vertebrae (~40-55%). The chest area (scapula, sternum and ribs) show a mid-range lipid content (~15-30%), with vertically orientated ribs being more heavily soaked lower down (Turner Walker 2012, Higgs et. al 2010). Whale oil is largely composed of triglycerides (molecules of fatty acids attached to a glycerol molecule). In Arctic whales a higher proportion of unsaturated, versus saturated fatty acids make up the lipid. Unsaturated fatty acids (with double or triple carbon bonds causing chain kinks, preventing close packing (solidifying) of molecules), are more likely to be liquid (oil), versus solid (fat) at room temperature (Smith and March 2007). Objects Made From the Whaling Industry We all know that men set forth in sailing ships and risked their lives to harpoon whales on the open seas throughout the 1800s. 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. The ships that set out from ports in New England roamed as far as the Pacific in hunt of specific species of whales. 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. 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. And beyond the oil derived from whales, even their bones, in an era before the invention of plastic, was used to make a wide variety of consumer goods. In short, whales were a valuable natural resource the same as wood, minerals, or petroleum we now pump from the ground. Oil From Whale’s Blubber Oil was the main product sought from whales, and it was used to lubricate machinery and to provide illumination by burning it in lamps. 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. The oil taken from whale blubber was packaged in casks and transported back to the whaling ship’s home port (such as New Bedford, Massachusetts, the busiest American whaling port in the mid-1800s). From the ports it would be sold and transported across the country and would find its way into a huge variety of products. Whale oil, in addition to be used for lubrication and illumination, was also used to manufacture soaps, paint, and varnish. Whale oil was also utilized in some processes used to manufacture textiles and rope. Spermaceti, a Highly Regarded Oil A peculiar oil found in the head of the sperm whale, spermaceti, was highly prized. The oil was waxy, and was commonly used in making candles. In fact, candles made of spermaceti were considered the best in the world, producing a bright clear flame without an excess of smoke. Spermaceti was also used, distilled in liquid form, as an oil to fuel lamps. The main American whaling port, New Bedford, Massachusetts, was thus known as "The City That Lit the World." 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. 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 British were not interested. 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.” Despite the failed sales pitch John Adams made in the late 1700s, the American whaling industry boomed in the early to mid-1800s. And spermaceti was a major component of that success. Spermaceti could be refined into a lubricant that was ideal for precision machinery. 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. Baleen, or "Whalebone" 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. Whales are said to have produced “the plastic of the 1800s.” 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. The purpose of the baleen is to act as a sieve, catching tiny organisms in sea water, which the whale consumes as food. As baleen was tough yet flexible, it could be used in a number of practical applications. And it became commonly known as "whalebone." Perhaps the most common use of whalebone was in the manufacture of corsets, which fashionable ladies in the 1800s wore to compress their waistlines. One typical corset advertisement from the 1800s proudly proclaims, “Real Whalebone Only Used.” Whalebone was also used for collar stays, buggy whips, and toys. Its remarkable flexibility even caused it to be used as the springs in early typewriters. The comparison to plastic is apt. 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. Baleen whales do not have teeth. 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. Pieces of scrimshaw, or carved whale's teeth, would probably be the best remembered use of whale's teeth. However, the carved teeth were created to pass the time on whaling voyages and were never a mass production item. Their relative rarity, of course, is why genuine pieces of 19th century scrimshaw are considered to be valuable collectibles today. Reference: McNamara, Robert. "Objects Made From the Whaling Industry." ThoughtCo, Jul. 31, 2021, thoughtco.com/products-produced-from-whales-1774070.Whale bone was an important commodity, used in corsets, collar stays, buggy whips, and toys.Whale bone in two pieces. Advanced stage of calcification as indicated by deep pitting. Off white to grey.None.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, whale bones, whale skeleton, whales, whale bone, corsets, toys, whips -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Animal specimen - Whale bone, Undetermined
Prior to carrying out a detailed condition report of the cetacean skeletons, it is useful to have an understanding of the materials we are likely to encounter, in terms of structure and chemistry. This entry invites you to join in learning about the composition of whale bone and oil. Whale bone (Cetacean) bone is comprised of a composite structure of both an inorganic matrix of mainly hydroxylapatite (a calcium phosphate mineral), providing strength and rigidity, as well as an organic protein ‘scaffolding’ of mainly collagen, facilitating growth and repair (O’Connor 2008, CCI 2010). Collagen is also the structural protein component in cartilage between the whale vertebrae and attached to the fins of both the Killer Whale and the Dolphin. Relative proportions in the bone composition (affecting density), are linked with the feeding habits and mechanical stresses typically endured by bones of particular whale types. A Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus Linnaeus, 1758) skeleton (toothed) thus has a higher mineral value (~67%) than a Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus Linnaeus, 1758) (baleen) (~60%) (Turner Walker 2012). The internal structure of bone can be divided into compact and cancellous bone. In whales, load-bearing structures such as mandibles and upper limb bones (e.g. humerus, sternum) are largely composed of compact bone (Turner Walker 2012). This consists of lamella concentrically deposited around the longitudinal axis and is permeated by fluid carrying channels (O’Connor 2008). Cancellous (spongy) bone, with a highly porous angular network of trabeculae, is less stiff and thus found in whale ribs and vertebrae (Turner Walker 2012). Whale oil Whales not only carry a thick layer of fat (blubber) in the soft tissue of their body for heat insulation and as a food store while they are alive, but also hold large oil (lipid) reserves in their porous bones. Following maceration of the whale skeleton after death to remove the soft tissue, the bones retain a high lipid content (Higgs et. al 2010). Particularly bones with a spongy (porous) structure have a high capacity to hold oil-rich marrow. Comparative data of various whale species suggests the skull, particularly the cranium and mandible bones are particularly oil rich. Along the vertebral column, the lipid content is reduced, particularly in the thoracic vertebrae (~10-25%), yet greatly increases from the lumbar to the caudal vertebrae (~40-55%). The chest area (scapula, sternum and ribs) show a mid-range lipid content (~15-30%), with vertically orientated ribs being more heavily soaked lower down (Turner Walker 2012, Higgs et. al 2010). Whale oil is largely composed of triglycerides (molecules of fatty acids attached to a glycerol molecule). In Arctic whales a higher proportion of unsaturated, versus saturated fatty acids make up the lipid. Unsaturated fatty acids (with double or triple carbon bonds causing chain kinks, preventing close packing (solidifying) of molecules), are more likely to be liquid (oil), versus solid (fat) at room temperature (Smith and March 2007). Objects Made From the Whaling Industry We all know that men set forth in sailing ships and risked their lives to harpoon whales on the open seas throughout the 1800s. 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. The ships that set out from ports in New England roamed as far as the Pacific in hunt of specific species of whales. 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. 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. And beyond the oil derived from whales, even their bones, in an era before the invention of plastic, was used to make a wide variety of consumer goods. In short, whales were a valuable natural resource the same as wood, minerals, or petroleum we now pump from the ground. Oil From Whale’s Blubber Oil was the main product sought from whales, and it was used to lubricate machinery and to provide illumination by burning it in lamps. 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. The oil taken from whale blubber was packaged in casks and transported back to the whaling ship’s home port (such as New Bedford, Massachusetts, the busiest American whaling port in the mid-1800s). From the ports it would be sold and transported across the country and would find its way into a huge variety of products. Whale oil, in addition to be used for lubrication and illumination, was also used to manufacture soaps, paint, and varnish. Whale oil was also utilized in some processes used to manufacture textiles and rope. Spermaceti, a Highly Regarded Oil A peculiar oil found in the head of the sperm whale, spermaceti, was highly prized. The oil was waxy, and was commonly used in making candles. In fact, candles made of spermaceti were considered the best in the world, producing a bright clear flame without an excess of smoke. Spermaceti was also used, distilled in liquid form, as an oil to fuel lamps. The main American whaling port, New Bedford, Massachusetts, was thus known as "The City That Lit the World." 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. 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 British were not interested. 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.” Despite the failed sales pitch John Adams made in the late 1700s, the American whaling industry boomed in the early to mid-1800s. And spermaceti was a major component of that success. Spermaceti could be refined into a lubricant that was ideal for precision machinery. 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. Baleen, or "Whalebone" 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. Whales are said to have produced “the plastic of the 1800s.” 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. The purpose of the baleen is to act as a sieve, catching tiny organisms in sea water, which the whale consumes as food. As baleen was tough yet flexible, it could be used in a number of practical applications. And it became commonly known as "whalebone." Perhaps the most common use of whalebone was in the manufacture of corsets, which fashionable ladies in the 1800s wore to compress their waistlines. One typical corset advertisement from the 1800s proudly proclaims, “Real Whalebone Only Used.” Whalebone was also used for collar stays, buggy whips, and toys. Its remarkable flexibility even caused it to be used as the springs in early typewriters. The comparison to plastic is apt. 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. Baleen whales do not have teeth. 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. Pieces of scrimshaw, or carved whale's teeth, would probably be the best remembered use of whale's teeth. However, the carved teeth were created to pass the time on whaling voyages and were never a mass production item. Their relative rarity, of course, is why genuine pieces of 19th century scrimshaw are considered to be valuable collectibles today. Reference: McNamara, Robert. "Objects Made From the Whaling Industry." ThoughtCo, Jul. 31, 2021, thoughtco.com/products-produced-from-whales-1774070.Whale bone was an important commodity, used in corsets, collar stays, buggy whips, and toys.Whale bone piece. Advanced stage of calcification as indicated by deep pitting. Off white to grey.None.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, whales, whale bone, corsets, toys, whips -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Animal specimen - Whale bone, Undetermined
Prior to carrying out a detailed condition report of the cetacean skeletons, it is useful to have an understanding of the materials we are likely to encounter, in terms of structure and chemistry. This entry invites you to join in learning about the composition of whale bone and oil. Whale bone (Cetacean) bone is comprised of a composite structure of both an inorganic matrix of mainly hydroxylapatite (a calcium phosphate mineral), providing strength and rigidity, as well as an organic protein ‘scaffolding’ of mainly collagen, facilitating growth and repair (O’Connor 2008, CCI 2010). Collagen is also the structural protein component in cartilage between the whale vertebrae and attached to the fins of both the Killer Whale and the Dolphin. Relative proportions in the bone composition (affecting density), are linked with the feeding habits and mechanical stresses typically endured by bones of particular whale types. A Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus Linnaeus, 1758) skeleton (toothed) thus has a higher mineral value (~67%) than a Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus Linnaeus, 1758) (baleen) (~60%) (Turner Walker 2012). The internal structure of bone can be divided into compact and cancellous bone. In whales, load-bearing structures such as mandibles and upper limb bones (e.g. humerus, sternum) are largely composed of compact bone (Turner Walker 2012). This consists of lamella concentrically deposited around the longitudinal axis and is permeated by fluid carrying channels (O’Connor 2008). Cancellous (spongy) bone, with a highly porous angular network of trabeculae, is less stiff and thus found in whale ribs and vertebrae (Turner Walker 2012). Whale oil Whales not only carry a thick layer of fat (blubber) in the soft tissue of their body for heat insulation and as a food store while they are alive, but also hold large oil (lipid) reserves in their porous bones. Following maceration of the whale skeleton after death to remove the soft tissue, the bones retain a high lipid content (Higgs et. al 2010). Particularly bones with a spongy (porous) structure have a high capacity to hold oil-rich marrow. Comparative data of various whale species suggests the skull, particularly the cranium and mandible bones are particularly oil rich. Along the vertebral column, the lipid content is reduced, particularly in the thoracic vertebrae (~10-25%), yet greatly increases from the lumbar to the caudal vertebrae (~40-55%). The chest area (scapula, sternum and ribs) show a mid-range lipid content (~15-30%), with vertically orientated ribs being more heavily soaked lower down (Turner Walker 2012, Higgs et. al 2010). Whale oil is largely composed of triglycerides (molecules of fatty acids attached to a glycerol molecule). In Arctic whales a higher proportion of unsaturated, versus saturated fatty acids make up the lipid. Unsaturated fatty acids (with double or triple carbon bonds causing chain kinks, preventing close packing (solidifying) of molecules), are more likely to be liquid (oil), versus solid (fat) at room temperature (Smith and March 2007). Objects Made From the Whaling Industry We all know that men set forth in sailing ships and risked their lives to harpoon whales on the open seas throughout the 1800s. 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. The ships that set out from ports in New England roamed as far as the Pacific in hunt of specific species of whales. 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. 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. And beyond the oil derived from whales, even their bones, in an era before the invention of plastic, was used to make a wide variety of consumer goods. In short, whales were a valuable natural resource the same as wood, minerals, or petroleum we now pump from the ground. Oil From Whale’s Blubber Oil was the main product sought from whales, and it was used to lubricate machinery and to provide illumination by burning it in lamps. 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. The oil taken from whale blubber was packaged in casks and transported back to the whaling ship’s home port (such as New Bedford, Massachusetts, the busiest American whaling port in the mid-1800s). From the ports it would be sold and transported across the country and would find its way into a huge variety of products. Whale oil, in addition to be used for lubrication and illumination, was also used to manufacture soaps, paint, and varnish. Whale oil was also utilized in some processes used to manufacture textiles and rope. Spermaceti, a Highly Regarded Oil A peculiar oil found in the head of the sperm whale, spermaceti, was highly prized. The oil was waxy, and was commonly used in making candles. In fact, candles made of spermaceti were considered the best in the world, producing a bright clear flame without an excess of smoke. Spermaceti was also used, distilled in liquid form, as an oil to fuel lamps. The main American whaling port, New Bedford, Massachusetts, was thus known as "The City That Lit the World." 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. 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 British were not interested. 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.” Despite the failed sales pitch John Adams made in the late 1700s, the American whaling industry boomed in the early to mid-1800s. And spermaceti was a major component of that success. Spermaceti could be refined into a lubricant that was ideal for precision machinery. 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. Baleen, or "Whalebone" 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. Whales are said to have produced “the plastic of the 1800s.” 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. The purpose of the baleen is to act as a sieve, catching tiny organisms in sea water, which the whale consumes as food. As baleen was tough yet flexible, it could be used in a number of practical applications. And it became commonly known as "whalebone." Perhaps the most common use of whalebone was in the manufacture of corsets, which fashionable ladies in the 1800s wore to compress their waistlines. One typical corset advertisement from the 1800s proudly proclaims, “Real Whalebone Only Used.” Whalebone was also used for collar stays, buggy whips, and toys. Its remarkable flexibility even caused it to be used as the springs in early typewriters. The comparison to plastic is apt. 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. Baleen whales do not have teeth. 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. Pieces of scrimshaw, or carved whale's teeth, would probably be the best remembered use of whale's teeth. However, the carved teeth were created to pass the time on whaling voyages and were never a mass production item. Their relative rarity, of course, is why genuine pieces of 19th century scrimshaw are considered to be valuable collectibles today. Reference: McNamara, Robert. "Objects Made From the Whaling Industry." ThoughtCo, Jul. 31, 2021, thoughtco.com/products-produced-from-whales-1774070. Whale bone was an important commodity, used in corsets, collar stays, buggy whips, and toys.Whale bone vertebrae. Advanced stage of calcification as indicated by deep pitting. Off white to grey.None.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, whales, whale bone, corsets, toys, whips -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Animal specimen - Whale bone, Undetermined
Prior to carrying out a detailed condition report of the cetacean skeletons, it is useful to have an understanding of the materials we are likely to encounter, in terms of structure and chemistry. This entry invites you to join in learning about the composition of whale bone and oil. Whale bone (Cetacean) bone is comprised of a composite structure of both an inorganic matrix of mainly hydroxylapatite (a calcium phosphate mineral), providing strength and rigidity, as well as an organic protein ‘scaffolding’ of mainly collagen, facilitating growth and repair (O’Connor 2008, CCI 2010). Collagen is also the structural protein component in cartilage between the whale vertebrae and attached to the fins of both the Killer Whale and the Dolphin. Relative proportions in the bone composition (affecting density), are linked with the feeding habits and mechanical stresses typically endured by bones of particular whale types. A Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus Linnaeus, 1758) skeleton (toothed) thus has a higher mineral value (~67%) than a Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus Linnaeus, 1758) (baleen) (~60%) (Turner Walker 2012). The internal structure of bone can be divided into compact and cancellous bone. In whales, load-bearing structures such as mandibles and upper limb bones (e.g. humerus, sternum) are largely composed of compact bone (Turner Walker 2012). This consists of lamella concentrically deposited around the longitudinal axis and is permeated by fluid carrying channels (O’Connor 2008). Cancellous (spongy) bone, with a highly porous angular network of trabeculae, is less stiff and thus found in whale ribs and vertebrae (Turner Walker 2012). Whale oil Whales not only carry a thick layer of fat (blubber) in the soft tissue of their body for heat insulation and as a food store while they are alive, but also hold large oil (lipid) reserves in their porous bones. Following maceration of the whale skeleton after death to remove the soft tissue, the bones retain a high lipid content (Higgs et. al 2010). Particularly bones with a spongy (porous) structure have a high capacity to hold oil-rich marrow. Comparative data of various whale species suggests the skull, particularly the cranium and mandible bones are particularly oil rich. Along the vertebral column, the lipid content is reduced, particularly in the thoracic vertebrae (~10-25%), yet greatly increases from the lumbar to the caudal vertebrae (~40-55%). The chest area (scapula, sternum and ribs) show a mid-range lipid content (~15-30%), with vertically orientated ribs being more heavily soaked lower down (Turner Walker 2012, Higgs et. al 2010). Whale oil is largely composed of triglycerides (molecules of fatty acids attached to a glycerol molecule). In Arctic whales a higher proportion of unsaturated, versus saturated fatty acids make up the lipid. Unsaturated fatty acids (with double or triple carbon bonds causing chain kinks, preventing close packing (solidifying) of molecules), are more likely to be liquid (oil), versus solid (fat) at room temperature (Smith and March 2007). Objects Made From the Whaling Industry We all know that men set forth in sailing ships and risked their lives to harpoon whales on the open seas throughout the 1800s. 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. The ships that set out from ports in New England roamed as far as the Pacific in hunt of specific species of whales. 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. 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. And beyond the oil derived from whales, even their bones, in an era before the invention of plastic, was used to make a wide variety of consumer goods. In short, whales were a valuable natural resource the same as wood, minerals, or petroleum we now pump from the ground. Oil From Whale’s Blubber Oil was the main product sought from whales, and it was used to lubricate machinery and to provide illumination by burning it in lamps. 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. The oil taken from whale blubber was packaged in casks and transported back to the whaling ship’s home port (such as New Bedford, Massachusetts, the busiest American whaling port in the mid-1800s). From the ports it would be sold and transported across the country and would find its way into a huge variety of products. Whale oil, in addition to be used for lubrication and illumination, was also used to manufacture soaps, paint, and varnish. Whale oil was also utilized in some processes used to manufacture textiles and rope. Spermaceti, a Highly Regarded Oil A peculiar oil found in the head of the sperm whale, spermaceti, was highly prized. The oil was waxy, and was commonly used in making candles. In fact, candles made of spermaceti were considered the best in the world, producing a bright clear flame without an excess of smoke. Spermaceti was also used, distilled in liquid form, as an oil to fuel lamps. The main American whaling port, New Bedford, Massachusetts, was thus known as "The City That Lit the World." 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. 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 British were not interested. 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.” Despite the failed sales pitch John Adams made in the late 1700s, the American whaling industry boomed in the early to mid-1800s. And spermaceti was a major component of that success. Spermaceti could be refined into a lubricant that was ideal for precision machinery. 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. Baleen, or "Whalebone" 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. Whales are said to have produced “the plastic of the 1800s.” 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. The purpose of the baleen is to act as a sieve, catching tiny organisms in sea water, which the whale consumes as food. As baleen was tough yet flexible, it could be used in a number of practical applications. And it became commonly known as "whalebone." Perhaps the most common use of whalebone was in the manufacture of corsets, which fashionable ladies in the 1800s wore to compress their waistlines. One typical corset advertisement from the 1800s proudly proclaims, “Real Whalebone Only Used.” Whalebone was also used for collar stays, buggy whips, and toys. Its remarkable flexibility even caused it to be used as the springs in early typewriters. The comparison to plastic is apt. 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. Baleen whales do not have teeth. 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. Pieces of scrimshaw, or carved whale's teeth, would probably be the best remembered use of whale's teeth. However, the carved teeth were created to pass the time on whaling voyages and were never a mass production item. Their relative rarity, of course, is why genuine pieces of 19th century scrimshaw are considered to be valuable collectibles today. Reference: McNamara, Robert. "Objects Made From the Whaling Industry." ThoughtCo, Jul. 31, 2021, thoughtco.com/products-produced-from-whales-1774070.Whale bone was an important commodity, used in corsets, collar stays, buggy whips, and toys.Whale bone piece. Advanced stage of calcification as indicated by deep pitting. Off white to grey.None.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, whales, whale bone, corsets, toys, whips -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Animal specimen - Whale bone, Undetermined
Prior to carrying out a detailed condition report of the cetacean skeletons, it is useful to have an understanding of the materials we are likely to encounter, in terms of structure and chemistry. This entry invites you to join in learning about the composition of whale bone and oil. Whale bone (Cetacean) bone is comprised of a composite structure of both an inorganic matrix of mainly hydroxylapatite (a calcium phosphate mineral), providing strength and rigidity, as well as an organic protein ‘scaffolding’ of mainly collagen, facilitating growth and repair (O’Connor 2008, CCI 2010). Collagen is also the structural protein component in cartilage between the whale vertebrae and attached to the fins of both the Killer Whale and the Dolphin. Relative proportions in the bone composition (affecting density), are linked with the feeding habits and mechanical stresses typically endured by bones of particular whale types. A Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus Linnaeus, 1758) skeleton (toothed) thus has a higher mineral value (~67%) than a Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus Linnaeus, 1758) (baleen) (~60%) (Turner Walker 2012). The internal structure of bone can be divided into compact and cancellous bone. In whales, load-bearing structures such as mandibles and upper limb bones (e.g. humerus, sternum) are largely composed of compact bone (Turner Walker 2012). This consists of lamella concentrically deposited around the longitudinal axis and is permeated by fluid carrying channels (O’Connor 2008). Cancellous (spongy) bone, with a highly porous angular network of trabeculae, is less stiff and thus found in whale ribs and vertebrae (Turner Walker 2012). Whale oil Whales not only carry a thick layer of fat (blubber) in the soft tissue of their body for heat insulation and as a food store while they are alive, but also hold large oil (lipid) reserves in their porous bones. Following maceration of the whale skeleton after death to remove the soft tissue, the bones retain a high lipid content (Higgs et. al 2010). Particularly bones with a spongy (porous) structure have a high capacity to hold oil-rich marrow. Comparative data of various whale species suggests the skull, particularly the cranium and mandible bones are particularly oil rich. Along the vertebral column, the lipid content is reduced, particularly in the thoracic vertebrae (~10-25%), yet greatly increases from the lumbar to the caudal vertebrae (~40-55%). The chest area (scapula, sternum and ribs) show a mid-range lipid content (~15-30%), with vertically orientated ribs being more heavily soaked lower down (Turner Walker 2012, Higgs et. al 2010). Whale oil is largely composed of triglycerides (molecules of fatty acids attached to a glycerol molecule). In Arctic whales a higher proportion of unsaturated, versus saturated fatty acids make up the lipid. Unsaturated fatty acids (with double or triple carbon bonds causing chain kinks, preventing close packing (solidifying) of molecules), are more likely to be liquid (oil), versus solid (fat) at room temperature (Smith and March 2007). Objects Made From the Whaling Industry We all know that men set forth in sailing ships and risked their lives to harpoon whales on the open seas throughout the 1800s. 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. The ships that set out from ports in New England roamed as far as the Pacific in hunt of specific species of whales. 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. 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. And beyond the oil derived from whales, even their bones, in an era before the invention of plastic, was used to make a wide variety of consumer goods. In short, whales were a valuable natural resource the same as wood, minerals, or petroleum we now pump from the ground. Oil From Whale’s Blubber Oil was the main product sought from whales, and it was used to lubricate machinery and to provide illumination by burning it in lamps. 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. The oil taken from whale blubber was packaged in casks and transported back to the whaling ship’s home port (such as New Bedford, Massachusetts, the busiest American whaling port in the mid-1800s). From the ports it would be sold and transported across the country and would find its way into a huge variety of products. Whale oil, in addition to be used for lubrication and illumination, was also used to manufacture soaps, paint, and varnish. Whale oil was also utilized in some processes used to manufacture textiles and rope. Spermaceti, a Highly Regarded Oil A peculiar oil found in the head of the sperm whale, spermaceti, was highly prized. The oil was waxy, and was commonly used in making candles. In fact, candles made of spermaceti were considered the best in the world, producing a bright clear flame without an excess of smoke. Spermaceti was also used, distilled in liquid form, as an oil to fuel lamps. The main American whaling port, New Bedford, Massachusetts, was thus known as "The City That Lit the World." 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. 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 British were not interested. 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.” Despite the failed sales pitch John Adams made in the late 1700s, the American whaling industry boomed in the early to mid-1800s. And spermaceti was a major component of that success. Spermaceti could be refined into a lubricant that was ideal for precision machinery. 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. Baleen, or "Whalebone" 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. Whales are said to have produced “the plastic of the 1800s.” 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. The purpose of the baleen is to act as a sieve, catching tiny organisms in sea water, which the whale consumes as food. As baleen was tough yet flexible, it could be used in a number of practical applications. And it became commonly known as "whalebone." Perhaps the most common use of whalebone was in the manufacture of corsets, which fashionable ladies in the 1800s wore to compress their waistlines. One typical corset advertisement from the 1800s proudly proclaims, “Real Whalebone Only Used.” Whalebone was also used for collar stays, buggy whips, and toys. Its remarkable flexibility even caused it to be used as the springs in early typewriters. The comparison to plastic is apt. 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. Baleen whales do not have teeth. 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. Pieces of scrimshaw, or carved whale's teeth, would probably be the best remembered use of whale's teeth. However, the carved teeth were created to pass the time on whaling voyages and were never a mass production item. Their relative rarity, of course, is why genuine pieces of 19th century scrimshaw are considered to be valuable collectibles today. Reference: McNamara, Robert. "Objects Made From the Whaling Industry." ThoughtCo, Jul. 31, 2021, thoughtco.com/products-produced-from-whales-1774070.Whale bone was an important commodity, used in corsets, collar stays, buggy whips, and toys.Whale bone piece. Advanced stage of calcification as indicated by deep pitting. Off white to grey.None.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, whales, whale bone, corsets, toys, whips -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Animal specimen - Whale Rib Bone, Undetermined
Prior to carrying out a detailed condition report of the cetacean skeletons, it is useful to have an understanding of the materials we are likely to encounter, in terms of structure and chemistry. This entry invites you to join in learning about the composition of whale bone and oil. Whale bone (Cetacean) bone is comprised of a composite structure of both an inorganic matrix of mainly hydroxylapatite (a calcium phosphate mineral), providing strength and rigidity, as well as an organic protein ‘scaffolding’ of mainly collagen, facilitating growth and repair (O’Connor 2008, CCI 2010). Collagen is also the structural protein component in cartilage between the whale vertebrae and attached to the fins of both the Killer Whale and the Dolphin. Relative proportions in the bone composition (affecting density), are linked with the feeding habits and mechanical stresses typically endured by bones of particular whale types. A Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus Linnaeus, 1758) skeleton (toothed) thus has a higher mineral value (~67%) than a Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus Linnaeus, 1758) (baleen) (~60%) (Turner Walker 2012). The internal structure of bone can be divided into compact and cancellous bone. In whales, load-bearing structures such as mandibles and upper limb bones (e.g. humerus, sternum) are largely composed of compact bone (Turner Walker 2012). This consists of lamella concentrically deposited around the longitudinal axis and is permeated by fluid carrying channels (O’Connor 2008). Cancellous (spongy) bone, with a highly porous angular network of trabeculae, is less stiff and thus found in whale ribs and vertebrae (Turner Walker 2012). Whale oil Whales not only carry a thick layer of fat (blubber) in the soft tissue of their body for heat insulation and as a food store while they are alive, but also hold large oil (lipid) reserves in their porous bones. Following maceration of the whale skeleton after death to remove the soft tissue, the bones retain a high lipid content (Higgs et. al 2010). Particularly bones with a spongy (porous) structure have a high capacity to hold oil-rich marrow. Comparative data of various whale species suggests the skull, particularly the cranium and mandible bones are particularly oil rich. Along the vertebral column, the lipid content is reduced, particularly in the thoracic vertebrae (~10-25%), yet greatly increases from the lumbar to the caudal vertebrae (~40-55%). The chest area (scapula, sternum and ribs) show a mid-range lipid content (~15-30%), with vertically orientated ribs being more heavily soaked lower down (Turner Walker 2012, Higgs et. al 2010). Whale oil is largely composed of triglycerides (molecules of fatty acids attached to a glycerol molecule). In Arctic whales a higher proportion of unsaturated, versus saturated fatty acids make up the lipid. Unsaturated fatty acids (with double or triple carbon bonds causing chain kinks, preventing close packing (solidifying) of molecules), are more likely to be liquid (oil), versus solid (fat) at room temperature (Smith and March 2007). Objects Made From the Whaling Industry We all know that men set forth in sailing ships and risked their lives to harpoon whales on the open seas throughout the 1800s. 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. The ships that set out from ports in New England roamed as far as the Pacific in hunt of specific species of whales. 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. 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. And beyond the oil derived from whales, even their bones, in an era before the invention of plastic, was used to make a wide variety of consumer goods. In short, whales were a valuable natural resource the same as wood, minerals, or petroleum we now pump from the ground. Oil From Whale’s Blubber Oil was the main product sought from whales, and it was used to lubricate machinery and to provide illumination by burning it in lamps. 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. The oil taken from whale blubber was packaged in casks and transported back to the whaling ship’s home port (such as New Bedford, Massachusetts, the busiest American whaling port in the mid-1800s). From the ports it would be sold and transported across the country and would find its way into a huge variety of products. Whale oil, in addition to be used for lubrication and illumination, was also used to manufacture soaps, paint, and varnish. Whale oil was also utilized in some processes used to manufacture textiles and rope. Spermaceti, a Highly Regarded Oil A peculiar oil found in the head of the sperm whale, spermaceti, was highly prized. The oil was waxy, and was commonly used in making candles. In fact, candles made of spermaceti were considered the best in the world, producing a bright clear flame without an excess of smoke. Spermaceti was also used, distilled in liquid form, as an oil to fuel lamps. The main American whaling port, New Bedford, Massachusetts, was thus known as "The City That Lit the World." 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. 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 British were not interested. 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.” Despite the failed sales pitch John Adams made in the late 1700s, the American whaling industry boomed in the early to mid-1800s. And spermaceti was a major component of that success. Spermaceti could be refined into a lubricant that was ideal for precision machinery. 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. Baleen, or "Whalebone" 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. Whales are said to have produced “the plastic of the 1800s.” 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. The purpose of the baleen is to act as a sieve, catching tiny organisms in sea water, which the whale consumes as food. As baleen was tough yet flexible, it could be used in a number of practical applications. And it became commonly known as "whalebone." Perhaps the most common use of whalebone was in the manufacture of corsets, which fashionable ladies in the 1800s wore to compress their waistlines. One typical corset advertisement from the 1800s proudly proclaims, “Real Whalebone Only Used.” Whalebone was also used for collar stays, buggy whips, and toys. Its remarkable flexibility even caused it to be used as the springs in early typewriters. The comparison to plastic is apt. 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. Baleen whales do not have teeth. 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. Pieces of scrimshaw, or carved whale's teeth, would probably be the best remembered use of whale's teeth. However, the carved teeth were created to pass the time on whaling voyages and were never a mass production item. Their relative rarity, of course, is why genuine pieces of 19th century scrimshaw are considered to be valuable collectibles today. Reference: McNamara, Robert. "Objects Made From the Whaling Industry." ThoughtCo, Jul. 31, 2021, thoughtco.com/products-produced-from-whales-1774070.Whale bone during the 17th, 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries was an important industry providing an important commodity. Whales from these times provided everything from lighting & machine oils to using the animal's bones for use in corsets, collar stays, buggy whips, and many other everyday items then in use.Whale rib bone with advanced stage of calcification as indicated by brittleness. None.warrnambool, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, whale bones, whale skeleton, whales, whale bone, corsets, toys, whips, whaleling industry, maritime fishing, whalebone -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Animal specimen - Whale bone, Undetermined
Prior to carrying out a detailed condition report of the cetacean skeletons, it is useful to have an understanding of the materials we are likely to encounter, in terms of structure and chemistry. This entry invites you to join in learning about the composition of whale bone and oil. Whale bone (Cetacean) bone is comprised of a composite structure of both an inorganic matrix of mainly hydroxylapatite (a calcium phosphate mineral), providing strength and rigidity, as well as an organic protein ‘scaffolding’ of mainly collagen, facilitating growth and repair (O’Connor 2008, CCI 2010). Collagen is also the structural protein component in cartilage between the whale vertebrae and attached to the fins of both the Killer Whale and the Dolphin. Relative proportions in the bone composition (affecting density), are linked with the feeding habits and mechanical stresses typically endured by bones of particular whale types. A Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus Linnaeus, 1758) skeleton (toothed) thus has a higher mineral value (~67%) than a Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus Linnaeus, 1758) (baleen) (~60%) (Turner Walker 2012). The internal structure of bone can be divided into compact and cancellous bone. In whales, load-bearing structures such as mandibles and upper limb bones (e.g. humerus, sternum) are largely composed of compact bone (Turner Walker 2012). This consists of lamella concentrically deposited around the longitudinal axis and is permeated by fluid carrying channels (O’Connor 2008). Cancellous (spongy) bone, with a highly porous angular network of trabeculae, is less stiff and thus found in whale ribs and vertebrae (Turner Walker 2012). Whale oil Whales not only carry a thick layer of fat (blubber) in the soft tissue of their body for heat insulation and as a food store while they are alive, but also hold large oil (lipid) reserves in their porous bones. Following maceration of the whale skeleton after death to remove the soft tissue, the bones retain a high lipid content (Higgs et. al 2010). Particularly bones with a spongy (porous) structure have a high capacity to hold oil-rich marrow. Comparative data of various whale species suggests the skull, particularly the cranium and mandible bones are particularly oil rich. Along the vertebral column, the lipid content is reduced, particularly in the thoracic vertebrae (~10-25%), yet greatly increases from the lumbar to the caudal vertebrae (~40-55%). The chest area (scapula, sternum and ribs) show a mid-range lipid content (~15-30%), with vertically orientated ribs being more heavily soaked lower down (Turner Walker 2012, Higgs et. al 2010). Whale oil is largely composed of triglycerides (molecules of fatty acids attached to a glycerol molecule). In Arctic whales a higher proportion of unsaturated, versus saturated fatty acids make up the lipid. Unsaturated fatty acids (with double or triple carbon bonds causing chain kinks, preventing close packing (solidifying) of molecules), are more likely to be liquid (oil), versus solid (fat) at room temperature (Smith and March 2007). Objects Made From the Whaling Industry We all know that men set forth in sailing ships and risked their lives to harpoon whales on the open seas throughout the 1800s. 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. The ships that set out from ports in New England roamed as far as the Pacific in hunt of specific species of whales. 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. 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. And beyond the oil derived from whales, even their bones, in an era before the invention of plastic, was used to make a wide variety of consumer goods. In short, whales were a valuable natural resource the same as wood, minerals, or petroleum we now pump from the ground. Oil From Whale’s Blubber Oil was the main product sought from whales, and it was used to lubricate machinery and to provide illumination by burning it in lamps. 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. The oil taken from whale blubber was packaged in casks and transported back to the whaling ship’s home port (such as New Bedford, Massachusetts, the busiest American whaling port in the mid-1800s). From the ports it would be sold and transported across the country and would find its way into a huge variety of products. Whale oil, in addition to be used for lubrication and illumination, was also used to manufacture soaps, paint, and varnish. Whale oil was also utilized in some processes used to manufacture textiles and rope. Spermaceti, a Highly Regarded Oil A peculiar oil found in the head of the sperm whale, spermaceti, was highly prized. The oil was waxy, and was commonly used in making candles. In fact, candles made of spermaceti were considered the best in the world, producing a bright clear flame without an excess of smoke. Spermaceti was also used, distilled in liquid form, as an oil to fuel lamps. The main American whaling port, New Bedford, Massachusetts, was thus known as "The City That Lit the World." 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. 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 British were not interested. 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.” Despite the failed sales pitch John Adams made in the late 1700s, the American whaling industry boomed in the early to mid-1800s. And spermaceti was a major component of that success. Spermaceti could be refined into a lubricant that was ideal for precision machinery. 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. Baleen, or "Whalebone" 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. Whales are said to have produced “the plastic of the 1800s.” 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. The purpose of the baleen is to act as a sieve, catching tiny organisms in sea water, which the whale consumes as food. As baleen was tough yet flexible, it could be used in a number of practical applications. And it became commonly known as "whalebone." Perhaps the most common use of whalebone was in the manufacture of corsets, which fashionable ladies in the 1800s wore to compress their waistlines. One typical corset advertisement from the 1800s proudly proclaims, “Real Whalebone Only Used.” Whalebone was also used for collar stays, buggy whips, and toys. Its remarkable flexibility even caused it to be used as the springs in early typewriters. The comparison to plastic is apt. 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. Baleen whales do not have teeth. 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. Pieces of scrimshaw, or carved whale's teeth, would probably be the best remembered use of whale's teeth. However, the carved teeth were created to pass the time on whaling voyages and were never a mass production item. Their relative rarity, of course, is why genuine pieces of 19th century scrimshaw are considered to be valuable collectibles today. Reference: McNamara, Robert. "Objects Made From the Whaling Industry." ThoughtCo, Jul. 31, 2021, thoughtco.com/products-produced-from-whales-1774070.Whale bone was an important commodity, used in corsets, collar stays, buggy whips, and toys.Whale bone vertebrae. Advanced stage of calcification as indicated by deep pitting. Off white to grey.Noneflagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, whales, whale bone, corsets, toys, whips, whalebone -
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village
Animal specimen - Whale Vertebrae, Undetermined
Prior to carrying out a detailed condition report of the cetacean skeletons, it is useful to have an understanding of the materials we are likely to encounter, in terms of structure and chemistry. This entry invites you to join in learning about the composition of whale bone and oil. Whale bone (Cetacean) bone is comprised of a composite structure of both an inorganic matrix of mainly hydroxylapatite (a calcium phosphate mineral), providing strength and rigidity, as well as an organic protein ‘scaffolding’ of mainly collagen, facilitating growth and repair (O’Connor 2008, CCI 2010). Collagen is also the structural protein component in cartilage between the whale vertebrae and attached to the fins of both the Killer Whale and the Dolphin. Relative proportions in the bone composition (affecting density), are linked with the feeding habits and mechanical stresses typically endured by bones of particular whale types. A Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus Linnaeus, 1758) skeleton (toothed) thus has a higher mineral value (~67%) than a Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus Linnaeus, 1758) (baleen) (~60%) (Turner Walker 2012). The internal structure of bone can be divided into compact and cancellous bone. In whales, load-bearing structures such as mandibles and upper limb bones (e.g. humerus, sternum) are largely composed of compact bone (Turner Walker 2012). This consists of lamella concentrically deposited around the longitudinal axis and is permeated by fluid carrying channels (O’Connor 2008). Cancellous (spongy) bone, with a highly porous angular network of trabeculae, is less stiff and thus found in whale ribs and vertebrae (Turner Walker 2012). Whale oil Whales not only carry a thick layer of fat (blubber) in the soft tissue of their body for heat insulation and as a food store while they are alive, but also hold large oil (lipid) reserves in their porous bones. Following maceration of the whale skeleton after death to remove the soft tissue, the bones retain a high lipid content (Higgs et. al 2010). Particularly bones with a spongy (porous) structure have a high capacity to hold oil-rich marrow. Comparative data of various whale species suggests the skull, particularly the cranium and mandible bones are particularly oil rich. Along the vertebral column, the lipid content is reduced, particularly in the thoracic vertebrae (~10-25%), yet greatly increases from the lumbar to the caudal vertebrae (~40-55%). The chest area (scapula, sternum and ribs) show a mid-range lipid content (~15-30%), with vertically orientated ribs being more heavily soaked lower down (Turner Walker 2012, Higgs et. al 2010). Whale oil is largely composed of triglycerides (molecules of fatty acids attached to a glycerol molecule). In Arctic whales a higher proportion of unsaturated, versus saturated fatty acids make up the lipid. Unsaturated fatty acids (with double or triple carbon bonds causing chain kinks, preventing close packing (solidifying) of molecules), are more likely to be liquid (oil), versus solid (fat) at room temperature (Smith and March 2007). Objects Made From the Whaling Industry We all know that men set forth in sailing ships and risked their lives to harpoon whales on the open seas throughout the 1800s. 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. The ships that set out from ports in New England roamed as far as the Pacific in hunt of specific species of whales. 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. 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. And beyond the oil derived from whales, even their bones, in an era before the invention of plastic, was used to make a wide variety of consumer goods. In short, whales were a valuable natural resource the same as wood, minerals, or petroleum we now pump from the ground. Oil From Whale’s Blubber Oil was the main product sought from whales, and it was used to lubricate machinery and to provide illumination by burning it in lamps. 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. The oil taken from whale blubber was packaged in casks and transported back to the whaling ship’s home port (such as New Bedford, Massachusetts, the busiest American whaling port in the mid-1800s). From the ports it would be sold and transported across the country and would find its way into a huge variety of products. Whale oil, in addition to be used for lubrication and illumination, was also used to manufacture soaps, paint, and varnish. Whale oil was also utilized in some processes used to manufacture textiles and rope. Spermaceti, a Highly Regarded Oil A peculiar oil found in the head of the sperm whale, spermaceti, was highly prized. The oil was waxy, and was commonly used in making candles. In fact, candles made of spermaceti were considered the best in the world, producing a bright clear flame without an excess of smoke. Spermaceti was also used, distilled in liquid form, as an oil to fuel lamps. The main American whaling port, New Bedford, Massachusetts, was thus known as "The City That Lit the World." 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. 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 British were not interested. 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.” Despite the failed sales pitch John Adams made in the late 1700s, the American whaling industry boomed in the early to mid-1800s. And spermaceti was a major component of that success. Spermaceti could be refined into a lubricant that was ideal for precision machinery. 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. Whalebone 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. Whales are said to have produced “the plastic of the 1800s.” 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. The purpose of the baleen is to act as a sieve, catching tiny organisms in sea water, which the whale consumes as food. As baleen was tough yet flexible, it could be used in a number of practical applications. And it became commonly known as whalebone. Perhaps the most common use of whalebone was in the manufacture of corsets, which fashionable ladies in the 1800s wore to compress their waistlines. One typical corset advertisement from the 1800s proudly proclaims, “Real Whalebone Only Used.” Whalebone was also used for collar stays, buggy whips, and toys. Its remarkable flexibility even caused it to be used as the springs in early typewriters. The comparison to plastic is apt. 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. Baleen whales do not have teeth. 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. Pieces of scrimshaw, or carved whale's teeth, would probably be the best remembered use of whale's teeth. However, the carved teeth were created to pass the time on whaling voyages and were never a mass production item. Their relative rarity, of course, is why genuine pieces of 19th century scrimshaw are considered to be valuable collectibles today. Reference: McNamara, Robert. "Objects Made From the Whaling Industry." ThoughtCo, Jul. 31, 2021, thoughtco.com/products-produced-from-whales-1774070.Whale bone during the 17th, 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries was an important industry providing an important commodity. Whales from these times provided everything from lighting & machine oils to using the animal's bones for use in corsets, collar stays, buggy whips, and many other everyday items then in use.Whale bone Vertebrae with advanced stage of calcification as indicated by deep pitting. Off white to grey.None.warrnambool, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, whale bones, whale skeleton, whales, whale bone, corsets, toys, whips, whaleling industry, maritime fishing, whalebone