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Welcome to as we speak’s Photograph of the Day! Right here now we have a Grudchos & Eggers Bomb Lance. Whalers within the mid-1800s confronted a dilemma – getting shut sufficient to harpoon a whale risked assault and dropping the prize if it fled into the ice or sank when killed. The Grudchos & Eggers percussion shoulder gun supplied one answer. Produced round 1855-1860 within the whaling hub of New Bedford, Massachusetts, it allowed firing bomb lance harpoons from a safer distance than hand-thrown variations. Weighing round 18 kilos, the gun was lighter than boat-mounted swivel weapons however nonetheless kicked fiercely when the 3-pound harpoon launched, usually knocking gunners clear throughout the deck! To enhance accuracy, Grudchos & Eggers rifled the barrel to stabilize the specifically designed harpoons it fired. Nonetheless, this meant no different harpoons would work with it. Some later fashions had the rifling bored out for flexibility. Although thought of unsporting by some whalers, percussion shoulder weapons like this represented an incremental enchancment.
“Manufactured in Bedford, Massachusetts, c. 1855-1860. Features a 14 3/4″ percussion ignition bomb lance (good with repairs and holes in the principle physique).”
Lot 226: Grudchos & Eggers Percussion Harpoon/Bomb Lance Whaling Gun – Scarce Grudchos & Eggers Percussion Harpoon/Bomb Lance Whaling Gun with Bomb Lance. (n.d.-f). Rock Island Public sale Firm. {photograph}. Retrieved October 27, 2023, from https://www.rockislandauction.com/element/1034/226/grudchos-and-eggers-percussion-harpoonbomb-lance-whaling-gun.
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