The sperm whale was the main whale being sought for its oil when the petroleum industry opened in 1859. The whale fishery, however, was in a declining state and had been so a decade or more before Drake struck petroleum in his drilled well and before general refining of crude oil commenced in Oil Creek Valley and elsewhere.

Jul 31, 2012 In turn, the sperm whales were hunted mercilessly in the mid 1700s and early 1800s. A single, large sperm whale could hold as much of three  Aug 20, 2008 I caught the implication at once: Lave had mentioned whale oil scarcity in the mid -1800s as a catalyst for the modern petroleum industry,  Aug 3, 2008 From the 1700s through the mid-1800s, oil extracted from the blubber of whales and boiled in giant pots gave light to America and much of the  Oct 12, 2015 However, sperm oil, widely known as "spermaceti", was very expensive. In fact, a gallon in the early 1800s cost about $2.00, which in modern  Other uses came in time. In the 1700's it was noted that the burning oil from sperm whales glowed brightly and clearly and did not have a disagreeable odor like  From the 16th century through the 19th century, whale oil was used principally as lamp fuel and for producing soap. Long utilized for lubricating fine instruments, 

This graphic shows imports of whale oil and the more highly prized sperm The birth of the modern oil industry in America (late 1800s) was triggered by its 

Jul 31, 2012 In turn, the sperm whales were hunted mercilessly in the mid 1700s and early 1800s. A single, large sperm whale could hold as much of three  Aug 20, 2008 I caught the implication at once: Lave had mentioned whale oil scarcity in the mid -1800s as a catalyst for the modern petroleum industry,  Aug 3, 2008 From the 1700s through the mid-1800s, oil extracted from the blubber of whales and boiled in giant pots gave light to America and much of the  Oct 12, 2015 However, sperm oil, widely known as "spermaceti", was very expensive. In fact, a gallon in the early 1800s cost about $2.00, which in modern  Other uses came in time. In the 1700's it was noted that the burning oil from sperm whales glowed brightly and clearly and did not have a disagreeable odor like 

The sperm whale was the main whale being sought for its oil when the petroleum industry opened in 1859. The whale fishery, however, was in a declining state and had been so a decade or more before Drake struck petroleum in his drilled well and before general refining of crude oil commenced in Oil Creek Valley and elsewhere.

Aug 3, 2008 From the 1700s through the mid-1800s, oil extracted from the blubber of whales and boiled in giant pots gave light to America and much of the  Oct 12, 2015 However, sperm oil, widely known as "spermaceti", was very expensive. In fact, a gallon in the early 1800s cost about $2.00, which in modern  Other uses came in time. In the 1700's it was noted that the burning oil from sperm whales glowed brightly and clearly and did not have a disagreeable odor like  From the 16th century through the 19th century, whale oil was used principally as lamp fuel and for producing soap. Long utilized for lubricating fine instruments, 

May 15, 2008 The general use of whale oil for lighting began to decline in the mid-1800s after a new method became available that distilled kerosene from 

The whale now taken proves to be a cow whale, forty-five feet long and twenty-five round, and it will yield between seventy and eighty barrels of right whale oil. This is about the ordinary size of the New Zealand whale, a mere dwarf in comparison with that of the northwest, which sometimes yields, it is said, three hundred barrels, ordinarily one hundred and fifty, or one hundred and eighty." By the 18th and 19th century whaling became a highly competitive business. Part of the increased necessity for whale parts was due to the boom of the industrial era as whale oil became increasingly used among both small and large businesses. Whale oil is oil that has been extracted from a whales lubber through the process of boiling strips or slabs of the whales blubber and extracting the oil that comes out of it. Between the 17th – 20th century whale oil became very popular and was used in a variety of man-made chemicals, materials & tools such as lamp oil, … Whale oil has an ancient history having been used in medieval Europe as an illuminant and a lubricant as well as food. It saw new uses during the 19 th century Industrial Revolution both in Europe and America in the tempering of steel, screw cutting and cordage manufacture. It continued to be used as an illuminant particularly in the headlamps of miners. As you may know, early lamps used animal fats, olive oil, beeswax or whale oil. The newer lamps ultimately used kerosene. However, kerosene, or coal oil, gave off an unpleasant odor and smoke. By the 1800’s, paraffin oil, which is inexpensive and smokeless became the lamp oil of choice.

In turn, the sperm whales were hunted mercilessly in the mid 1700s and early 1800s. A single, large sperm whale could hold as much of three tons of sperm oil, making them an incredibly valuable commodity — and in fact, they became the first of any animal or mineral oil to achieve commercial viability.

whaling's peak, American whale oil helped light the world, illuminating and As deep-ocean whaling entered its “golden age” in the mid-1800s, whaling came  Whale oil obtained from sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) right whales ( Eubalaena japonica, In the 1700's-1800's the whaling industry was at its peak. Towards the end of the 1800's, mineral oils from underground deposits and gas started to be used for lighting and so whale oil was no longer needed for these  This graphic shows imports of whale oil and the more highly prized sperm The birth of the modern oil industry in America (late 1800s) was triggered by its 

This graphic shows imports of whale oil and the more highly prized sperm The birth of the modern oil industry in America (late 1800s) was triggered by its