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Wednesday, December 9, 2015 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
A whale of a tale hits the screen in Sisters
By Jim Cornelius
News Editor
One of the most extraor-
dinary tales of survival in the
storied annals of seafaring will
hit the screen in Sisters on Fri-
day, December 11. Ron How-
ard’s “In The Heart Of The
Sea” recounts the destruction
of the whale ship Essex by
a sperm whale off the west-
ern coast of South America
in 1820. The surviving crew
were cast adrift in the Pacific
Ocean in whaleboats, strug-
gling against the sea, against
thirst and hunger, to make
landfall and seek rescue.
The incident inspired Her-
man Melville’s “Moby Dick.”
At the time the Essex met
its terrible fate, whaling was
one of the key industries in the
young United States. Whale
oil lit homes and businesses
around the world. The sperm
whale produced dense, waxy
spermaceti, which burned
spectacularly bright with little
soot or residue — making for
premium candles in a world
still lit by candlelight. Whale
oil also lubricated the machin-
ery of the burgeoning Indus-
trial Revolution. The whales’
filtration system called baleen
— flexible and strong — was
manufactured into consumer
products like buggy whips,
fishing poles, corset stays and
hoops for skirts.
For many critical decades,
the world ran on the product
of the whale. In the U.S., the
trade was centered in New
England, with towns like
Nantucket booming off the
proceeds.
Whaling — like the fur
trade that brought the moun-
tain men to the fore, or the
trade in ivory that sent bold
men with rifles into the Afri-
can bush to seek their for-
tune — was an epic, heroic
endeavor. Iron men in wooden
boats contended with the ele-
ments and in hand-to-hand
combat with a quarry that
could, and sometimes did, kill
them. The industry spawned
breathtaking tales of survival
against all odds. Whalers
traveled vast distances, linking
the world together in a skein
of commerce, and they fed the
engines that drove the early
Industrial Revolution.
Whaling was the kind of
work that spawns song and
legend.
It was also — again like
the fur and ivory trades —
grotesquely exploitative and
profligate. Little thought and
less care was given to the
long-term viability of the
resource, much less any con-
sideration of the ecological
morality of slaughter on an
industrial scale.
Whaling represented
adventure and opportunity to
the young men of New Eng-
land, whose opportunities on
shore were limited. Whaling
crews were paid in shares,
which meant a rich haul could
fill a fellow’s pockets. Of
course, there was a risk of
coming home from an ardu-
ous cruise with nothing to
show. But the share
system, known as
the “lay” stimulated
the entrepreneurial
spirit, and a skilled
and lucky whaler
could rise from
serving on a ship to owning
one.
The whaling trade hit its
peak in 1858, with 199 U.S.
whaling ships plying the
waters of the world. Within
20 years, the American trade
had crashed. There were many
reasons for the crash — over-
hunting, a shift toward the
use of petroleum products
for lubrication and lighting
(the era of the gaslamp was
at hand). Another significant
factor was the very indus-
trial revolution that whal-
ing helped to push into high
gear. American wages were
climbing, and it was harder to
entice young men to risk their
lives in months- or years-long
cruises at sea for the chance of
Walfang zWischen 1856/1907
fortune when they could work
in a factory or a steel mill and
come home to wife and fam-
ily. Other countries with lower
wages — like Norway and
Japan, who are whalers to this
day — took market share from
the American whalers, and
investors shifted into higher-
margin ventures.
Like the fur trade, whaling
in the U.S. passed into history
and legend, leaving behind a
trail of carnage — and a leg-
acy of heroic endeavor that
helped to build the world we
live in today.
“In The Heart Of The Sea”
plays at Sisters Movie House
starting December 11. For
more information visit www.
sistersmoviehouse.com.
Home is where the heart is
Our Gift
to You!
INSURANCE OF SISTERS
Complimentary scalp
massage and hydrating
hair mask with
any service.
has been protecting
Sisters homes for
over 20 years.
Competitive Pricing • Great Service
Everybody’s
making time to see
Jeff this holiday!
541-588-6611
AUTO • HOME • HEALTH • LIFE • BUSINESS
220 W. Cascade Ave.
541-549-3172 • 1-800-752-8540 • 704 W. Hood Ave.
Come in, Relax, Enjoy!
A member of Fullhart Insurance Agency, Inc.
Sisters High School
Ski Team Presents...
Jeff, Theresa, Ann, Jamie,
Shiela, Terri, Shanntyl, Brittany
152 E. Main • 541-549-8771
Saturday, December 12 at 7 p.m.
$15 adults, $12 students
SHS Auditorium
Comfort Food at
Comfortable P rices!
Hot, Fresh Soups Daily
Homemade Chili
& Cornbread
Fresh Baked
Biscuits
Homemade
Applesauce
Breakfast & lunch 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Full-service dining in the bar
nightly until 10 p.m. (21 & over)
171 W. Cascade Ave., Sisters | 541-549-2631
• Hoodoo Season Pass Raffl e
• Lots of Cool Prizes
• $2 Bargain Ski Stuff Sale
• 100 Free Hoodoo Lift Tickets (Thursday)
• Outlaw Boosters Concession
• Benefi ts SHS Ski Team
Tickets available at selected Sisters outdoor retailers.
See www.skinet.com/warrenmiller/events/sisters-high-school-auditorium