AMBERGRIS

Hokitika Guardian, 15 January 1925, Page 4

AMBERGRIS

THE STEWARD ISLAND FIELD. WHERE THE SUBSTANCE IS FOUND. On the West Coast ol' Stewart Island. aliout eight miles south of its most northern extremity, there is a long shallow bight fringed with sand so white that in bright sunshine it dazzles the eyes, known as Masons’ Bay. Set in bleak, rugged surroundings, pitilessly exposed to the prevailing westerly winds, its gradually sloping beach causes the surf to break far out to sea in heavy weather, and effectively prohibits approach by water.

Still, there is beauty in this very loneliness, and its glistening wastes of saml, and every summer odd parties of more adventurous souls among the many visitors who spend their vacation at Half Moon Bay, journey up to the head of Paterson’s Inlet and tub across the low-lying virgin country that separates the Inlet from Masa i’s Bay. There they are burnt brown b\ the salt breeze from the ocean and the [■(■llected heat of the sun on the ".hiresand, or, if rough weather is encountered, they are chilled by the cutting blast of a westerly gale. Still, despite the reception, either good or had, tint they arc given by .Mason’s Bay, there is ever before them the will-o’-Llm-visp of easy money. Money that .nay ic lying on the beach waiting for them, to conic and carry it away. , That n or.cy is ambergris, the most valuable product of the whale, which every now and again is yielded up by the ocean iu quantities small and large. AMBERGRIS AND ITS (SHADES.

Ambergris is a- wax-like substance formed in the intestines of the whale, causing a form of chronic indigestion' which ultimately results in the mammal’s death. As is invariably the ease the carcase is consumed by degrees, and in time the ambergris is liberated being ultimately deposited on coastlines in various parts of the world. Owing to the .Mason’s Bay being so exposed" to the weather, an extraordinary amount of flotsam and jetsam is being continually washed ashore, hut the reason that ambergris becomes deposited there in such comparatively large quantities has never been explained. It is found in various grad's, ant. jts market \nlue is c'ci'rminfd by itr age and maturity. The newest and less valuable grade is black and soft, closely resembling pitch, and has a faint peculiar odour which cannot he described as pleasant. If the ambergris has lain exposed to the weather for any length of time it becomes hard brittle, and greyish-white in colour, closely resembling pumice in appearance.' By this time it has gained a strong and unusually penetrating aroma of a much more pleasant nature. In fact, if matured ambergris is handled for a short time, the aroma clings to the skin for as long as two days, despite any efforts to scour it off. ’ But the most important change that takes place from the point of view of the prospector is the alteration in weight. -Matured ambergris becomes exeeeedingly light in weight, almost as light as pumice, and as a consequence it is necessary to gather a considerable quantity of the more valuable grade in order to make up more than a few ounces. PRESENT MARKET VALUE. The market value 01. ambergris has long been the subject of exaggerated reports, ami the popular belief is that ony form of the substance is worth several pounds an ounce. Many stories arc told by dealers about the extravagant demands made by excited Cinders of poor quality ambergris. and it is on record tha\t a local dealer was regarded as a robber because lie relused to pay CMO per ounce for very ordinary quality. As a mailer of fact, the present market poor quality, which is the class of ambergris picked up on the beaches ol Stewart Island, pmticulaily at Mason’s Bay. is not worth more than os per ounce, and it may he added that present prices are as high as they have ever been. The nriees vary from os up to about C.'i os for the very lincst quality, but he is a luckv man indeed who iiinls a piece of sufficiently high quality to fetch this amount, and, of course, the weight of the higher grades is so decreased in maturity that it takes quite a large lump to realise a L‘lo note. On the other hand, there arc cases on record of men who have made small

fortunes by finding gigantic pieces of atnl'ergris of the high quality. Still, these are few, far between, and inclined to be exaggerated in the constant telling of the tale.—“ Southland Times.”