Word: baleen
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1940-1949
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Whale oil, unfortunately for whales, is especially valuable in war. It is a cheap source of fats for soap and margarine, and baleen whales yield glycerin for explosives. In World War I, up to 1917, Britain bought 660,000 bbl. of baleen oil for $185 a ton (normal: $120-125 a ton). At that time blockaded Germany was paying $1,500 a ton for such oil as she could get. This time, Britain contracted to take all the Norwegian oil for margarine. Next autumn, whether Norway is German-dominated or not, her great fleet of whaling ships will...