Pipe key

On the whaling stations there were miles of pipes leading from one plant to another. Piping everything from water to whale oil. This board was essential to identify what was contained within each pipe, which was colour coded to indicate the contents. The complex maze of pipes was upkept by engineers on site who would have to respond if there were problems.

In the early whaling seasons wooden barrels were used to store the whale oil and it was transported on to ships using the barrels. As the industry progressed gigantic storage tanks were used to keep whale oil until the tankers came to the island or factory ship to remove the oil for transporting.