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Emptying The Head Case
And Junk Chamber
Of A Sperm Whale
A whaling ship is stopped with a dead Sperm whale alongside.
The whale's head case and junk chamber are being emptied of what was called "head junk".
It is filled with an oily wax called case oil or spermaceti.
Below the case in the head is another chamber called the "junk chamber" that also contains high grade spermaceti oil.
Both the tissue and oil in this chamber are called junk.
That is the best commercial substance from a whale and was the most valuable.
A sperm whale was also known as a "Cachalot"
