Explosive harpoon
Encyclopedia
The explosive harpoon is a device
used by whalemen to kill whale
s efficiently and without poison
. As soon as the harpoon is thrown into the whale and fastened to it the wooden pin is broken by the power of the whale pulling upon the tow-line attached to the harpoon. This causes the fluke of the harpoon to open or turn upon the iron rivet, and the rivet will come in contact with the vial and break it, producing friction, cause the powder to explode. This will result in the eventual death of the whale.
was invented by Albert Moore of Hampden, Maine in 1844 (U.S. Patent No. 3,490, March 16, 1844). His harpoon
, fashioned after the single-flued harpoon, had a single barb
that pivoted on an iron pin. When the barb
was closed, in the darting position, a small wood pin was inserted through holes drilled through the head and shank. A cavity in the single barb opened to the rear, and accepted a small glass vial
of explosive which was held in place by a wood peg across the closing.
Improvised explosive device
An improvised explosive device , also known as a roadside bomb, is a homemade bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action...
used by whalemen to kill whale
Whale
Whale is the common name for various marine mammals of the order Cetacea. The term whale sometimes refers to all cetaceans, but more often it excludes dolphins and porpoises, which belong to suborder Odontoceti . This suborder also includes the sperm whale, killer whale, pilot whale, and beluga...
s efficiently and without poison
Poison
In the context of biology, poisons are substances that can cause disturbances to organisms, usually by chemical reaction or other activity on the molecular scale, when a sufficient quantity is absorbed by an organism....
. As soon as the harpoon is thrown into the whale and fastened to it the wooden pin is broken by the power of the whale pulling upon the tow-line attached to the harpoon. This causes the fluke of the harpoon to open or turn upon the iron rivet, and the rivet will come in contact with the vial and break it, producing friction, cause the powder to explode. This will result in the eventual death of the whale.
History
The first explosive hand-darted harpoon patented in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
was invented by Albert Moore of Hampden, Maine in 1844 (U.S. Patent No. 3,490, March 16, 1844). His harpoon
Harpoon
A harpoon is a long spear-like instrument used in fishing to catch fish or large marine mammals such as whales. It accomplishes this task by impaling the target animal, allowing the fishermen to use a rope or chain attached to the butt of the projectile to catch the animal...
, fashioned after the single-flued harpoon, had a single barb
Barb
Barb may refer to:* A backward-facing point on a fish hook or similar implement, rendering extraction from the victim's flesh more difficult* Wind barbs for each station on a map of reported weather conditions...
that pivoted on an iron pin. When the barb
Barb
Barb may refer to:* A backward-facing point on a fish hook or similar implement, rendering extraction from the victim's flesh more difficult* Wind barbs for each station on a map of reported weather conditions...
was closed, in the darting position, a small wood pin was inserted through holes drilled through the head and shank. A cavity in the single barb opened to the rear, and accepted a small glass vial
Vial
A vial is a relatively small glass vessel or bottle, especially used to store medication as liquids, powders or in other forms like capsules. They can also be sample vessels; e.g., for use in autosampler devices in analytical chromatography.The glass can be colourless or coloured, clear or amber...
of explosive which was held in place by a wood peg across the closing.