Tay Whale
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The Tay Whale was a Humpback whale unlucky enough to be spotted near Dundee, Scotland, then the UK's premier whaling port, in early December, 1883. The Tay Whale came to public prominence when it was subject to a public dissection, taken on a tour of the UK, and celebrated in an infamous poem by William McGonagall.
[edit] The Tay Whale
In December 1883, a large whale appeared in the Firth of Tay. It was later identified as a male Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae). Although worldwide in distribution, migrating between polar waters, the species is rarely seen off European coasts, and was thought to have been attracted by the unusual presence of immense shoals of young herrings.
700 local seamen earned their livelihood in the summer season whaling in arctic waters. The fleet was however laid up for the winter, but some local whalers put to sea in an attempt to catch the whale. Initial forays were all unsuccessful, but on 31 December, the quarry was finally struck by several harpoons.
The injured, heavily bleeding mammal towed two six-oared rowing boats, a steam launch and a steam tug to and fro in the estuary, before heading out to sea. The attached flotilla was dragged north to near Montrose, then south to the Firth of Forth, before returning north again. A number of other missiles including a 1.2 m long iron, two marley spikes and several nuts and bolts were fired into the tiring whale. The following morning, with the whale lying exhausted on the surface, a strengthening wind put strain on the harpoon lines, and with one last effort, the lines were parted, and the whale was free again. The whalers returned to port empty handed.
Seven days later, some fishermen from Gourdon, spotted a large object floating six miles off Inverbervie. It was first thought to be an upturned wreck, but on rowing out to investigate, they found the carcass of the Tay Whale, bristling with the Dundonians' hardware. It was towed to Stonehaven and beached. Professor Struthers was summoned from the University of Aberdeen, and when fully exposed at low tide took measurements and photographs. It was 12 m long and the tail fin was 3.4 m wide.
[edit] Public dissection
Local fishermen, keen to be paid for their exertions, put the carcass on public sale. At the auction on 10 January, the professor was outbid at £226 (equivalent to £11,800 in 2005) by John Woods, an oil merchant from Dundee.
A tug was chartered to return the purchase to its "rightful home" in Dundee. It arrived at the docks there at midnight on January 11, with a crowd of several thousand assembled to watch. A 70 tonne crane had been leased, and with a chain placed around the tail, the whale was slowly lifted ashore. The whale's weight was recorded as 16.5 tonnes.
The spectacle was then marred by the early effects of decomposition, causing the tongue, itself weighing half a ton, with other soft organs and several cervical vertebrae, to fall out of the mouth, onto the dock. The massive carcass then crushed two successive pairs of heavy duty lorries which had been lashed in tandem as a makeshift hearse. A specially strengthened bogie, used to transport huge boilers, was then hired, and pulled by 20 horses, the load was towed to John Wood's yard. It took 26 hours to complete the half mile journey.
A final disaster was only narrowly averted. At 2 am the cortege reached its destination and naphtha flares were lit to illuminate the area. One was knocked over, setting some loose oil alight, and only the strenuous firefighting efforts prevented the remains being consumed in an impromptu funeral pyre.
Further photographs were taken with an altered background. The dull surroundings of the yard were replaced by a scenic view of the Silvery Tay, with rail bridge and sunset on imaginary hills, were sold at either six pence or three shillings, depending on size and quality. The whale was also placed on public display, admission being charged at six pence or one shilling, depending on time of day. The enterprise, aided by local press, caught the public's imagination, and special rail excursions were laid on to carry interested spectators from Perth and Arbroath and intervening points - 12,000 on the first Sunday alone.
On 25 January, Professor Struthers was invited to dissect the now decomposing remains. He arrived with two of his assistants and was helped by some local whalers. Wood's entrepreneurial skills were however still to the fore. The dissection was opened to the public, at a special admission charge, with the added attraction of background music by the band of the 1st Forfarshire Rifle Volunteers.
Professor Struthers commented adversely on these distractions to his scientific work, which was also interrupted by snow-showers. He opened the abdomen with a massive incision from umbilicus to anus, and removed a large width of the abdominal wall. The viscera and muscles were all putrefied and poured out in a stinking mess. Struthers then removed most of the vertebrae, sternum, ribs and hyoid bone for detailed examination, and then at Wood's request, the remains were embalmed. A wooden backbone and frame were introduced, and the whale was stuffed and stitched back to its original form.
Woods again took charge, and his prize exhibit was taken on a triumphal tour. Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Liverpool, London and Manchester were all visited. It returned to Dundee on 7 August, and Struthers was invited back to complete the removal of the skull and remaining bones.
Full details of his studies, covering the history, external character, and all aspects of the anatomy of the skull and skeleton were published as seven separate articles in the Journal of Anatomy and Physiology in 1888-98 and as a separate monograph in 1889. After completing his studies, the skeleton was cleaned, prepared and re-articulated and returned, as earlier promised, to Mr Woods. Honour and civic duty then prevailed. He declined several tempting financial offers from British and continental museums and fulfilled an earlier pledge to present it to the Royal Burgh. In November 1884 it was assembled in the Albert Institute. In 1984, as part of the rationalisation of the museum's collections, it was moved to the Dundee Natural History Museum, and was the centre-piece of an exhibition whose opening was timed to coincide with the centenary of the dissection. This museum, formerly based on Barrack Street, is now closed and Dundee's museum collection is currently off display and in storage, while the McManus Galleries based in the Albert Institute are being refurbished.
The whole saga attracted great interest in the local press and was later immortalized by the Scottish poet William McGonagall in his poem The Famous Tay Whale.
