Used, But Not Often

There was plenty of booze but not enough whales to sustain New Plymouth’s shore based whaling industry.

This heavy cast iron tripot was used at either Richard ‘Dicky’ Barrett’s or Richard Brown’s whaling station at New Plymouth during the 1840s. Designed to be encased in a brick oven a fire was lit underneath it that melted chunks of whale blubber and allowed the whale oil to overflow into another tripot. It was then bailed into barrels.