This early woodcut depicts, not very accurately, a scene from the arctic whale "fishery". The wild animals in the foreground are a product of the artist's imagination perhaps polar bears or walrus. Wooden whaling ships were strengthened to withstand collisions with the ice. The hull was constructed of two layers of stout oak planks while a third layer was added to the bow and stern. On top of that, both ends were sheathed with hard wood or iron plates. Inside, thick oak beams were placed to evenly distribute the strain. A wooden whale ship measured about 30 metres in length and weighed from 182 to 364 metric tons.
Courtesy: Picture Division, Public Archives of Canada (C-32707)
