The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1869-05-01
LOST AT SEA.

OF the WnalesnlE n-NSluCe DuEQeu ny Vi
the Anglo-rebel pirate Shenandoah,
was reused by the loud call "All hands
cut in, ahoy! turn out-turn Out!" fol-
lowing in a few minutes by the cheer
ing sound of "Grog-OV The COM
mand was not to be slighted; but the
reminder that Old Jamaica was on
deck, waiting to be drank, was an add.
tional inducement to hurry, and all
hands, from captain to cook, were soon
busy at the days work. The occasion
of our early all hands muster was this:
The day previous Sunday we had fall
en- in with a school of COW sperm
whales, and when the sun went down
we had five twentybarrel fish along
side. Cthree Of them counting to the
third mate, whose boat steerer was,
and now we were to "Cut in" our prizes.
The method of capturing, cutting-in
and trVinR-out whales, has been so Of
ten (though never exactly to my sat1s>
faction) described, that will only say
that our windlass clonked and cutting.
falls creaBed and surged and we sang
and joked until about p. NJ, at which
time the blubber of five sperm whales
was safe under our main matches, their
"case' 1.-THE case is a cavity in the hsh's
head, and the most valuable part of the
whale) on deck, ready to be bailed out
the next morning, and many of the
crew were more than half-seas over,
could be named or thought of-among
the worst off of the lot being the third
mate, MIR. s., his boats crew, and-hts
boatsteerer.
Everything was in a mess, and those
who were sober enough were engaged
In clearing up the deck as FAR as was
practicable, when the black cook look
ed over the rail intently for moment,
and then gave the long drawn, musical
crv which announces fish In sight
ARR bio. o.ows-whew spout like
furZe observation-disclosures sperm,
and no mistake" and sure enough, not
two miles to windward, there lay
huge lone bull, leisurely spouting, and
with not the least idea of his proximity
to danger. The gear was rapidly placed
in the boats, and the FIRST and second
mates were soon laying on their oars
at a short distance from the ship, wait
ing for the captain, who, percelVlng the
state OF our boats crew, desired Mr.. 8;
to remain on board, saying he would
lower his own boat instead. III we
fasten," said he, keep as close to the
boats az YOU CAM" and in a few minutes
the three boats were pulling silently
but swiftly, in a circuttous course, TO
get to the windward of the whale so as
TO bring the sail to bear on him, for IT'S
a we'll nigh hopeless task to attempt to
get near enough to a whale to strike,
By using oars-the sail must do it. as
the fish is very quick to hear, and to
run away. ..,o,,
to remain on board. So were the oars
men. So was I. Hadn't we taken three
fish the day betore2 OF course we had
and fancied we were now able to take
sir. The men grumbled and used the
most expressive adjectives. Mr.. S. re-
marked something about the captains
ewes. and am afraid the writer's Ian
HuaGe wouldn't stand close 1nVestIga-
tion-till at last, having persuaded our
selves that we were all right and the
sltinper perfect Dionysius, down went
ou7. boat, and we pulled 0he oars APP
nearing sometimes slightly contused)
about mile ahead OF the ship, clear
away from the other boats. did not
pull, as I was fully employed In pend
technical name for the hRrpoon) and
Mr.. s. was steering. Perhaps may as
we'll explain little, before / proceed
The boat steerer sits in the extreme
bo1u of the boat, and pulls the "harpoon-
Ter" oar, the bow oar being the seconu
one from the stem. The boatsteerers
duty is to assist in pu1nngI 10 naf I ~ -,
the whale II he can manage IT. ana the7e
to 90 to The stern of the boat and steer
mr. bend the line as may be required;
fhe officer in command, who steers the
boat until the whale is struck, gong
forward and dispatching MIN Win tue
lance. -, 49,
r had got one harpoon bent, and the
crew we're living on their oars, when
suddenly a ripple was shown on the
water close to the boat, and moment
after the whales square head appeared
above the surface, the low, Dusny spouG
shot into the air with noise ike the
blowing off of steam from high pres
hinge
sides rose as the startled monster too
late for him and for us, as 1t turned out
attempted to escape by sounding. "Dart!
dart -boatsteerer Dart }" fairly yell
adj the third mate: but the words were
still in his mouth when neard Ine
s.sup Of the iron as 1t went "chock 70
the bitches" through the piu2Der JUS
Init nonodv moved an oar. We're we
Going to stern clear OF a whale NO,
we certainly were MOTOR we didn't. l
remember that for moment WE "Ste
deluged by the spray dashed up Dy me
wounded whale in his sudden struggle
tn escape, and then, as the line GREW
tent and the boat started: ahead with
Jerk, the boatsteerer found himself on
his back between the bow and m1dshlp
thwarts, with his legs sticking up in Inc
air. having fallen over the oow-oafs
man-pretty near smashing that gentle
man fiat. Tumble ait ana teke tne
line. boatsteerer," said Mr.. 3, ana
f,tn1bLe aft I did, and he went forward
to lance the whale, which was running
TO Wfndward las all wounded WhaIes ooJ
like race-horse.
fortunately for US the whale was not
only kind, but did not sound to any
great depth, not taking out more man
loo fathoms of line. at any time. HAD
he fought or sounded our boat excur-
s;o,1 w5nld mt have lasted long. When
we fastened to him twas just at sunset
and our position was now perllous
enouph-six drunken men In 1rall
hoat. fast to a sixty barrel whale, out
of sight of the ship. and going away
from her as fast as our mighty Vlctlm
could drag us, and the darkness OF the
tropics around. But the moon rose
shortly. and, like the obstinate fools
that we were, we still held on.
when the whale rose FOR the nrst
time after being struck, we had hauled
m To him by the line, and Mr.. s., a
S1PIendid whaleman, had 1anced him.
Had he been sober with the opportunity
he had 1.-THE whales whole proadsloe
heinp ont of water as he p1tched 10 &c
Sow5N he vonld have killed him. AS
II was he only pricked the whale, JUST
enough to let him know that the lnslE
Dificsnt creatures in the cookie snell
1vere nnoomfortabl BILE neighbors, ana %
make him 20 down. He took good care
to keep clear of us afterwards. ~ ~
| would take out forty or my 1athons y,
line, run steadily on to wlno% Tnotha
that depth, till he wanted to oreaIne
then come to the surface and spout reg
ularly, while we hauled in again on ou'
line until we got as close as ne Hkeu
when down he would GONE sooI
found out we didn't chase him oo"L
there. 1888