RELIC OF "ROARING FORTIES."

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1351, 31 January 1912, Page 4

RELIC OF "ROARING FORTIES."

AN ANCIENT TRY-POT. IBi TelceraDh.-Pross Assi>rt3tlon.l ChristchurcH, January 30.' A very interesting relic of the old whaling days at Akarua. has just been brought to"Christchiireh and-MMed'to the treasures'of the' Canterbury Museum. This is au old "try-pot" used by the whalers of the "'forties" to melt down the blubber stripped from captured whales, thus extracting the oil. The Vrypcit is au'enormous enst-irou vessel, weighing fully half a ton. 'It is not unlike au enormous cauldron, and is fitted with a lip, and two of tho sides bulge barrellike from top to bottom, while the other sides are flattened. It is about 3i't. deep, and fully 4ft. wide at the broadest part of the interior. It is fitted with a large spout from which the oil would be poured when the blubber had been melted down and, altogether, is very stout anil heavy. % Its recovery for the museum was niade by Mr. Edgar R. Waite, curator of the museum, who. spent.a short health vacation there. Mr. Waite, with a small ■ party of friends, made a trip to the Island Bay property of Sir. Luke Wright, and found that this particular try-pot had originally formed one of a set of five which had been placed 'in juxtaposition and cemented into place. Each try-pot had two flat sides, so that it could stand close to its fellows. Beneath them were spaces for the fires. Three of the trypots lud been previously removed, leaving only two in position. Mr. Luke Wright, who presented the tfy-pot, also presented the remains of an old wooden windlass, and these will be' reerected beside the try-pot. These are two very interesting relics of tho "roaring 'forties."