Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1853-05-12
The Whaleman's Adventures.
BY THE REV. II. t. cHEEvER.

On the 2Slh of May. 1917, the Royal Bounty,
an English ship, fell in with great aSmber Of
whales in seventy degrees twenty ~ pinutes
north latitude, and longitude five d. ls east
There was neither ice nor land in The
boats were manned and send in 1ht, and
after chase of five hours, one Of til} which
had rowed out of sight of the ship, strA X one of
the whales. This was about four o'cI9ck ia the
morning The captain directed the course of
the ship to the point where he had lasf.seen the
boats and about eight o'clock got sigt3Sf one,
which displayed the signal Of being fast Soon
after another boat approached the first, and
struck second harpoon; and by mid day two
more harpoons were made fast
But such was the astonishing vigor of this
whale, that although it constantly Jagged
through the water frum four Ia SIX bssls lo-
gether with sixteen hundred fathoins of line,
yet it pursued its flight nearly as fast as boat
could row, and whenever one passed beyond its
tail, it would dive. All endeavors 10 lance 1t
were therefore vain, and the crews of the loose
boats Inoored to those that were fast, the whale
all the time steadily towing them on.
At eight O'Clock in the evening line was
taken to the ship, with view Of retarding its
flight, and topsas were lowered, but the har-
poon drew. In three hours another line was
taken on board, which Immediately snapped.
AT four in the afternoon of the next day, thirty
six hours after the whale was first struck, two of
the fast lines were taken on board the ship
The most dreadful display of the whales
strength and prowess yet authenlcally recorded,
was that made upon the American whale ship
Essex, Captain Pollard, which sailed flom Nam
tucket for the Pacific Ocean in August, 1919.
Late in the fall of the same year, when in
latitude forty of the South Pacific, school Of
sperm whales were discovered, and three boats
were manned and sent in pursuit. The mates
boat was struck by one of them, and he was
obliged to return to the shipin order to repair
the damage.
While he was engaged in that work, sperm
whale, judged to be eighty five feet long, broke
water about twenty rods from the Ship on her
weather bow. He was going at the rate of about
three knots an hour, and the ship at nearly the
same rate, when he struck the bows of the yes.
self just forward of her chains.
AT the shock produced by the collision of two
such mighty masses of matter in motion, the ship
shook like a leaf. The seemingly malicious
whale dove and passed under the ship, grazing
her keel, and then appeared at about the dis
lance of ships length lashing the sea with
fins and tail, as if suffering tho most horrible
agony He was evidently. hurt by tbs collision
and blindIy frantic with instructive raac,
In few minutes he seemed to recover him
self, and started with great speed directly across
the vessels course to the windward. Meantime
the hands on board discovered the ship 10 be
gradually settling down at tue bows, and the
pumps were to be rugged. While the crew were
working at them, one of the men cried out
= God have mercy! he comes again.
The whale had turned at about one hundred
rods from the ship, and was making for her with
double his former speed, his pathway white with
foam. Rushing head on, he struck her again
at the bow, and the tremendous blow stove her
in. The whale dived under again and dsap-
peared, and the ship foundered in ten minutes
from the first collision. But five souls out OF
the twenty were saved.
In another authentic Instance, when ooat
was chasing whale, he suddenly turned 10
windward. and made directly for his pnrsueTs
who were so excited by the chase as to be bind
to danger. On, therefore, they madly rushed
without trying to avoid the nfurla'ed monster
so eager were they to plunge into MIN 'heil
irons. till the boat struck with such toFce upon
the whales head as to throw the oarsmen from
their thwarts. At the same moment. the ooat-
steerer let fly bis two hapoons into the man
moth body, which rolled over on lis oacK anc
before the boat could get clear OF dahgoF' oelne
to the windward heavy sea struck II, ah'
threw them directly into the whales mouth
All, of course, sprang for their lives, and the,
had barely time to throw thmselves clear of tht
e boa, before il was crushed to pieces by those
: ponderous jaws, and Its elected crew were provl
: dentially picked up by another boat. AT length
# near eight o'clock, after forty hours OF ncressan
If exertion, this tenacious asserer OF his vast an
1t NAL vigor and territorial rights was killed.