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Humpback whale on display, Aberdeen, 1884
336 The carcase of a whale stranded in the estuary of the Tay was taken to Aberdeen to be exhibited in an enclosure on the Inches near the Goods Station. The arrival of this monster came to the attention of John Struther, Chair of Anatomy at Aberdeen University, who took the whale back to Marschal College to skin and eventually put together an articulated skeleton which now reposes in Dundee Museum. Sir John Struther with beached whale
387 Sir John Struthers with a whale which had beached in the Tay estuary in 1884. Struthers occupied the Chair of Anatomy at Aberdeen University. The public were allowed to view the carcass before it was conveyed to Marischal College where it was dissected and the skeleton was sent to a Dundee museum. A Dead Whale
868 Crowds gathered round a dead whale, with fishing boats (A329) in the background.
Correspondent Ed Fowler suggests that this photograph shows the "Nairn whale".
Initially wrongly identified at the time as a blue whale, it was actually a sei whale (Balaenoptera Borealis), one of the 4th-largest balaenopterid.
The whale stranded at Nairn on 18th December 1884 and was subsequently purchased by Mr Davidson, fish-dealer, Aberdeen. The whale was then towed by the tug Granite City on 2nd February 1885.
The Evening Express from Wednesday 4th February 1885 provides more details about the operation:
"This was accordingly done about five o'clock yesterday afternoon by the tug Granite City, and the leviathan was successfully placed on the waggons which had been provided for the purpose. Suspended in mid-air, the whale presented a remarkable spectacle, its huge proportions being displayed to full advantage. The task of placing it on the huge waggons by which it was conveyed to its destination proved a very laborious and onerous one, and occupied a large staff of men from four o'clock in the afternoon till midnight. Ultimately, the leviathan stretched upon the waggons, and the horses - numbering about two dozen - being attached, the unusual procession proceeded on its way to the Recreation Grounds [Queens Links]. The quay was literally besieged by a crowd which swelled in proportions as time wore on, and whose enthusiasm the disagreeable odour which proceeded from the whale was wholly unable to quench. [About] four o'clock this afternoon, after many difficulties had been encountered and overcome, the whale reached its destination - the Recreations Grounds - where it now lies. As before stated, a very strong smell is felt in the vicinity of the carcase, and the sanitary inspector has brought the matter under the notice of the Public Health Committee".
Ed Fowler adds that "The Landing was a difficult operation as it can reach 19.5M (64-ft) long and weighing as much as 28-Tons. An attempt to haul it from the water at Fittie (Perhaps Alexander Hall's Slipway) with Horses failed and so it was Towed into the harbour to the North Lock Sheer-legs (a lifting system) at the North Lock, Waterloo Quay and hoisted in mid-air with a tackle around the Tail, then placed on a series of Wagons and then dragged by 24 Horses and a crowd of Men to the Recreation Grounds (Queens Links), for Public Exhibition."
Professor Struthers
1274 Professor Struthers and his assistant examine a white (or beluga) whale in Marischal College. 1855. John Struthers, who died in 1899, occupied the Chair of Anatomy in Aberdeen University for many years. He was particularly interested in whales. York Street
1992 Waterside, York Street in Footdee. Whale bones could be seen in the gardens of this fishing community. Footdee
2528 A George Washington Wilson image of Footdee with whale bone arches visible in gardens. The photograph was taken around 1859. The bones were a relic of when Aberdeen was an important whale fishing port. Torry
3585 This photo is one of two glass plates, bringing together a rocky foreshore and a series of beached fishing boats in the mouth of the Torry Harbour.
A pier is visible in the middle of the photo, along with four steam-drifters to the right of it. A dingy floats next to a tide-sunken fishing boat. Mist envelops the Victoria Bridge in the far background.
One of the fishing boats is the Rose (A150). She was owned by William Main.
According to the Aberdeen Maritime Almanacs, The Rose worked in Torry between 1901 and 1909. We can therefore assume this photo was taken within the same timeframe. Kittybrewster School, Aberdeen
4183 Looking north east from Lilybank Place towards Kittybrewster School in around 1905. The green of Kittybrewster & Woodside Bowling Club is in the foreground. A whale bone arch can also be seen in front of the school.
In April 1897, the Aberdeen School Board submitted plans to erect a new school at the Old Boathouse on the west side of Great Northern Road. It was completed at a cost of over £12,000 in time for the commencement of the new school term on 15th August 1899.
Built of granite, in the Renaissance style, it consisted of 3 floors, housing 16 classrooms and could accommodate up to 1,200 children. In addition, it was fully equipped with a gymnasium and rooms for cookery, manual instruction and science. The respected headmaster was George F. Duthie, an ex-president of the Educational Institute of Scotland.
This image is from a postcard, no. 343, published by George Bow of Aberdeen. |