The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1851-11-13
From tho Panama Herald of October Is.

| From tho Panama Herald Of October l6.
DESTRUCTION OF A SHIP BY A WHALE
Thrilling account of the destruction Of a lchat
| shin bu a sperm Misunderstanding of The ship
| Loss of tico boats, and miraculous escape o
| the crew.
We have just received the following thrilling
account of the destruction of the whale ship
Ann Alexander Captain John 5. Deblois, OF
New Bedford by large sperm whale, from the
lips of the captain himself who arrived in this
city from Paita, on Sunday last, in the schooner
Providence. A similar circumstance has never
been known to occur but once in the whole his
tory of whale fishing, and that WAS the destruc-
ton of the ship Essex some twenty OF twenty
five years ago, and which many OF our readers
fully remember We proceed to the narrative
as furnished us by Captain Deblois, and which
is fully authenticated by nine of the crew in a
protest under the seal OF the U. ). Consul,
Alex Ruben Jr., ut Paita.
The ship Ann Alexander Captain s. Deblois,
sailed from New Bedford, Massachusetts June
Ist 1850, for cruise in the South Pacific for
sperm whale. Having taken about 500 barrels
Of oil in the Atlantic, the ship proceeded on her
VOYAGE to the Pacific Nothing Of unusual in
Up1est OccilETcu uUti Wu'h BnN'''b N"l'S 'hoih't
one of the men, named Jackson Walker, of
Newport. N. H., was lost overheard in a storm.
Reaching the Pacific, she came up the coast,
and stoned Valdiyia, coast of Chill, for fresh
proyisions and ON the 3lst of May last she
called ut pata. for the purpose of shipping a
man. The vessel proceeded on her voyage TO
the South Pacific.
On the Goth Of August last she reached what
: - al ..baIars a tho ~ (1H. Mora
Ground.n in lat deg. so min. south, Ion. l02
deg west In the morning Of that day, at
about o'clock whales were discovered in the
neiehborhood and about noon the same day
they succeeded in making fast to one. Two
boats had gone after tho whales-the larbOard
and the starboard, the former commanded by
the first mate and the latter by Captain De-
blois. The whale which they had struck was
harpooned by the larboard boat After rum
ming some time, the whale turned upon the
boat and rushing at it with tremendous vio-
lencc lifted open its enormous jaws, and taking
the boat in, actually crushed It into fragments
as small as a common sized chair Captain
Deblois Immediately struck for the scene Of the
disaster with the starboard boat, and succeed
ed. against all expectation, in rcscuing the
whole of the crew Of the boat, nine in number.
board boat, consisting of the captain the first
mate and the crews Of both boats The fright
fi,l disaster had been witnessed from the ship,
and the waist boat was called into readiness
and sent 10 their relief The distance from the
shin was about six miles. As soon a. the waist
boat arrived, the crews were divided, and il
was determined to pursue the same whale, and
make another attack upon him. Accordingly
they separated, and proceeded at some distance
from each other, ~ IN usual on such occasions
after the whale. In short time they came up
10 hi,n, and prepared to give him battle. The
waist boat, commanded by the first mate, was
in adyanea As soon ~ the whale perceived
the demonstration being made upon him, he
turned his course, suddenly, and making tre-
mendous dash at this boat seized it with his
widespread jaws and crushed it into atoms
allowing the men barely time 10 escape his ven.
gcance by throwing themselves into the ocean,
Captain Deblois again seeing the perlous
condition Of his men, ut the risk Of meeting tho
same fate directed his boat 10 hasten 10 their
rescue, and in short time succeeded in saving
them all from a death little less horrible than
that from which they had twice NO narrowly
escaped He then ordered the boat to put tor
the ship a. speedily as possible; and no sooner
had the order been given than they discovered
the. monster Of the deep making towards them
with his jaws widely extended. Fortunately,
the monster came up and passed them at
short distance The boat then made her way
to the ship and the all got on board IN safety
After reaching the ship, boat was dispatch.
ed for the oars of the demolished boats, and 1t
was determined TO pursue the whale with the
ship. As soon a. the boat returned with the
oars, sail was set and the ship proceeded after