A HUGE WHALE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 414, 23 July 1908, Page 4

A HUGE WHALE.

Christchurch, July 20. The huge whale which was cast ashore near Okarito, in Southern Westland, some five or six months ago, has been purchased as it lies nij the beach by Mr Edgar F. STead and a Wellington merchant. The price is not mentioned. The task of securing the skeleton will be one of considerable magnitude and will probably be found to present difficulties. A portion of the whale is buried six feet deep in the sand washed round it by the waves, and a good deal of excavating between tides will be necessary, with the possibility that the next tide may render the work useless.

The whale measures 87 feet in length and 16 feet in depth, and its weight is estimated at 150 tons. When it is also remembered that it has been dead for quite a long while, it will be recognised that the work of separating the flesh from the bones will be neither easy nor pleasant. Mr Stead leaves to-morrow with three friends —Messrs Walker (2) and J. H. Clayton—for Okarito to undertake the job. The party are taking an extensive equipment of gorse knives and hay knives for cutting up the blubber, hooks for dragging it away, blocks and tackle for lifting the huge bones, and it is said, a store of Jeye’s fluid for purposes which will be obvious to anyone who has ever been within range of a dead whale. Mr Stead and his friends will camp close to the scene of operations, which is some six miles along the beach from Okarito, and expect to be . away for five weeks. The future destination of the skeleton, if their efforts are successful, is at present undecided, but it may be mentioned that a skeleton of such.’enorraous size is to be found in very few of the great museums of the world.