The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1857-02-26

a WHALE ATTACKING A SHIP.-The ship Cuban.
"nich arrived from Demerara on Wednesday, met
VIII d most extraordinary adventure on her home
ward voyage. About 9.20 %. M. of the 10Th inst
nautical ime,) when in lat. 43.49 N, long. $3.50 W..
the ship, which was running before the wind at the
rate OF % knots an hour, received such a severe shock
tnat she heeled over several strakes, and her Wav was
completely stopped, while the men who were sleenino
on the starboard berths of the top-gallant forecastle
were thrown out upon their chests. Shortly after the
shock an immense whale rose at a short distance from
the shlps quarter, and after lying motionless for a
short time, as if stunned by the blow. swan awards
the Vessel, as II with the intention of repeating the
attack. 1t was q moment of intense anxiety on board.
out, fortunately, when close to the stern, the monster
wheeled round In the opposite direction and diyed.
throwing with his tail, as he did so, a quantity of
blood and water on board. 1t was a moonlight night.
and the bulk of the huge animal could be seen dis
tnctly towering to a considerable height above the
SURFACE. when he Owed his tail appeared to those
on BOARD to be from thirty to forty feet out of the
water. The pumps were sounded, but the ship was
found to be making no water. From the force of the
blow, and the fact that the second mate thought he
heard q whale blowing a short time before the shock
occurred, 1t is supposed that the fish made a regular
attack upon the ship, and was not come in contact
with while asleep. An estimate of its immense size
and power may be formed from the fact of its bring
ing to q standstill a deeply-laden ship of 500 tons,
sailing at the rate of nearly ten knots an hour
GreenOck Advertiser.
TIE RICH MEN OF New YORK; correspondent
of the Charleston Courier, makes the following men,
ton of the millionaires of New York =" VIM. 3. As
tor is our richest man he inherited his wealth
Stephen Whitney, five millions, owes his fortune to
speculation In cotton and the rise in real estate.
w. II. Aspinwall, four millions, came of a rich family.
and gained vast increase Of wealth in the shipping
business. James LennOX, three millions. which he
inherited. The late Peter Harmony, two millions !;
came to this city as a cabin boy, and grew rich by
commerce. The Lorillards, two millions came from
France poor, and made their huge fortunes in the
tobacco and snuff business. The late Arson G. Phelps,
| two millions . lparDpd trade nc q timer and made q
fortune in iron and copper. Alexander L. Stewart,
two millions, now Of the dry goods palace began
business in q little fancy store. OF those who are put
down for a million and a half, Geo. Law began life as
a farm laborer, Cornelius Vanderbilt, as a bOatman,
John Latarge, as steward to Joseph Bonaparte. OF
the millionaries, James Chesterman began life as a
journeyman tailor, and Peter Cooper as a glue maker.
George Bancroft, Henry James, Professor Anthem,
Thomas McElrath, and DR.. Francis, are each stated
to possess q hundred thousand dollars. Edwin For
rest is rated at a quarter of q million so is Sidney
e. Morse of the New York Observer. VIM. NiblO, il
appears, has two hundred thousand. Bennett has
one hundred and. fifty thousand. But perhaps, the
most remarkable of all, is that Mr.. Okill has make 8
quarter of a million Of dollars by keeping school 20
The PLANET JUPITER.-Jupiter is now the evening
star, and will continue so until April IL, 1857. Jul
piter is the largest of all the planets, and, next t.
Venus, the most brilliant. 1t is one thousand thret
hundred times larger than the earth it is about foul
hundred and ninety-fve million eight hundred thou
sand miles distant from the sun, and is accompanied
by four moons, which help to it's light. It is twelv
years in revolving round the sun, and turns about OF
it's axis once in ten hours, which gives it q velocit,
, at it's equator of four thousand six hundred and fifty
} eight miles in q minute, or a speed of two thousant
2 times greater than that of q cannon ball. It's axi
being perpendicular to the plane of it's orbit, the SUI
r is almost always in the plane of its equator.-L9e II
Illustrated.
There is good news for the friends of NJ. Lamartine
e The grape crop Of the i~llustrious poet is, this year
t magnificent. Around his vineyards the hail had in
jured the vines his alone were preserved. 1t is es
o timated that his crop will reach two thousand fv
v hundred hogsheads of wine. The Journal whic
. furnishes this piece of intelligence adds that NJ. La
MARITIME is detained at Macon by o return of the pain
+ full rheumatism to which he is so often subject.
HEAVY ORDNANCE.-The recent experiments wit
r the great wrought iron gun, which weighs abou
Il twenty two tons, and throws d ball of nearly thre
O hundred pounds weight, prove that, within range {
o the broadside of the first line-ofbattle-ship in tn
world, one charge would be sufficient completely t
destroy the largest ship that ever sailed. The excava
ton made on the first descent of the ball is two Q
y three feet thick and such is the ease of loading tn
gun, that it can be fired and charged, and fired agai
in less than ten minutes.
LARGE TINE PIECE.-A recently published descriI
L ton of the English Parliament clock includes the 70
y lowing items: Its dials are twenty-five feet in Diane
" ter, and are the largest in the world with u mlnut
hand. Every half minute the point Of the minut
hand moves nearly seven inches. The clock will g
IS eight and a half days, and strike only for seven a hal
so as to Indicate by its silence any neglect III Wlndln
h it up. The mere winding of each of the striking part
lie will take two hours. The pendulum is fifteen fe'
n long the wheels are of cast iron the hour bell
eight feet high and nine feet in diameter, Welghln
d from fourteen to fifteen tons. The weight of the han
mer is four cwt.
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