The Two New Bedfords: Spatial and Social Analysis of the City, 1800-1870

1870s: Whaling's Decline

Major whaling disasters in the Arctic destroyed the business of several prominent families. The disaster of 1871, which took place off the Northern Alaskan coast, trapped a fleet of whaling ships in Arctic ice and wrecked twenty-two New Bedford vessels. The loss of ships and cargo was estimated at $1.6 million dollars, a devastating blow to the city. A similar event in 1876 destroyed nine ships. As ships followed vanishing whales further north due to overfishing, the prospects of the success often fell short. Whaling ports like New Bedford lost millions of dollars in these disasters, leaving shipowners unable to replace ships as they dealt with expensive litigations.

Costly whaling ventures caused capitalists to gravitate toward new domestic industries, like textiles, railroads, petroleum, and steel. As American industrialists diverted their money from whaling into more lucrative pursuits, technology in other parts of the world (mainly from Norwegian enterprises) surpassed American productivity. 

Instead, the city diversified into the textile industry, becoming one of the lead cotton textile manufacturers in Massachusetts during the next century. Economic activity moved away from the waterfront district and into wards further east. The once strong whaling industry and the maritime community that supported it started to dwindle, and the city's landscape changed once more. 

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