Captain Meyer’s Fence

This fence is made from whale bones

Image: Hamsterkiste

1 - Captain Roelof Gerritz Meyer died on the island of Borkum in 1797. That was more than 220 years ago. But Meyer has not been forgotten. To this day, two silver goblets he once gave to his former church are used in its services. And the plot of land that once belonged to him is surrounded by a long fence that looks quite unlike other fences. 2 - Meyer was born on the island of Borkum in 1710. As a young man, he signed on to a Dutch whaling ship and eventually became its captain. The ships, which sailed under canvas in those days, travelled to Greenland in the Arctic Ocean, where there were many whales and seals. When a whale was spotted, the sailors lowered a rowboat into the water, and six to eight men pursued the animal.

3 - They inflicted severe wounds on the whale with harpoons and lances until it eventually bled to death. The dead whale was then hauled alongside the whaling ship. Out on the open sea, the crew boiled down its thick layers of blubber to make a substance known as whale oil.

4 - Whale oil was used to fuel lamps, as electricity did not yet exist at the time. It was also used to make soap, ointments, soups, margarine and leather-care products. Whaling was a profitable business for the shipowners. The captains and crews also earned good money, although their work was very dangerous.

5 - Captain Meyer took part in 44 voyages to Greenland. He and his sailors killed 270 whales on those voyages. He also brought home some enormous whale bones, which he used to build a fence around his house.

Whalers pursued a whale in small rowboats

Image: public domain

Some sailors made fences from the enormous jawbones of whales

Image: Hamsterkiste

Fence on the property on the island of Borkum that once belonged to Captain Meyer

Image: Hamsterkiste