[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 9975]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     IN RECOGNITION OF THE WHALEMAN

                                  _____
                                 

                        HON. WILLIAM R. KEATING

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 20, 2013

  Mr. KEATING. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the one hundredth 
anniversary of the iconic The Whaleman statue's unveiling in New 
Bedford, Massachusetts.
  One hundred years ago today, on June 20, 1913, prominent New Bedford 
citizen and former Congressman William W. Crapo stood outside the New 
Bedford Public Library and, surrounded by thousands of local residents, 
officially presented the statue that would soon become an icon of the 
city. Standing in the bow of a skiff, with waves crashing over its 
hull, The Whaleman's subject is poised with his harpoon, watchfully 
looking ahead. The statue's inscription quotes Herman Melville's Moby 
Dick and reads ``A Dead Whale or a Stove Boat,'' referring to the 
danger inherent in a profession in which the desired catch was just as 
likely as an overturned, or ``stove,'' vessel.
  Mr. Crapo had commissioned the statue one year earlier, in 1912, as 
an acknowledgment of the city's rich history in the whaling industry 
and to pay homage to the whalemen whose hard labor had contributed so 
much to New Bedford's growth. With the approval of New Bedford mayor 
Charles Ashley, famed Boston sculptor Bela Lyon Pratt was initially 
paid $25,000 to create the statue, and The Whaleman was completed in 
less than a year. Pratt recruited local boatsteerer Richard McLachlan 
to stand as his model, in an effort to capture the true spirit of those 
who worked in this industry. Since its unveiling in 1913, The Whaleman 
has become one of the most recognizable icons of New Bedford. Its 
likeness has found its way onto everything from coffee mugs to 
Christmas ornaments, and it has been viewed by visitors to the city 
from around the world. The statue remains in its original home outside 
the New Bedford Public Library, and its centennial this June will be 
celebrated in the very spot on which it was first presented.
  On the one hundredth anniversary of The Whaleman, it is also 
important to remember those whom the statue itself was created to 
honor--the countless individuals whose work contributed to the growth 
of New Bedford in its early years. These pioneers were truly 
responsible for the strong foundation on which the region would rest 
for decades to come, and New Bedford's story would have been far 
different without their many contributions.
  Mr. Speaker, I am honored to recognize the one hundredth anniversary 
of The Whaleman. I ask that my colleagues join me in marking this 
important celebration.

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