The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-07-10
A WHALE.


avn account last winter, has furnished the
0onmerial the following sketch Of the
emitting up Of whale captured in SANTANA
Bay: -. -,
4. we emerged from our hammock on
the esrly morning Of March 2S, lS79, we
SsSr5 tIe welcome voice OF William
SCaaee sIrfo Our movements were &C
celersted when he added: 1.-THE flags are
m IN the Cicero, sir. Captain Clay has
S ~ another whale, sir; a very large one.
sir. / shne three boats town her in, sir."
With oar cup Of coffee, seated on the wide
niazzs Of our beautiful little cottage on the
mountain side, we could plainly see the
Whaler-at anchor-about eight miles at
tbes6utb. halfway across the bay. Cap.
lain Cav had told US that when he cap.
tured another whale he would signal US
and sure enough bis flags were up.
We had made several attempts 10 reach
tbe whaler when che twas in luck" on
preyious occasions, and failed. This time
The UCentripede0 was hauled out, and we
started early, but a dead calm set in,
which lasted two hours, when we lowered
sail, pulled back 10 the wharf, and run out
0eaCOckroache." Whit three single oars,
manned by Walter Brice, Ben. Burr, and
Charley-yous, &C., OF the helm-the lit.
lie beauty Of a cookie shell fairly flew
over the smooth waters Of the bay. Sixty
minutes from the start, and we heard the
voice Of Captain Clay; "Good morning,
Mr. Commercial; run under the starboard
quarter and have q line. Old whalers
will laugh at o description Of q whale Civ.
en- by q greenhOrn." But this not for old
whalers; let them attend to their blubber.
It Is the statement Of o farmer to farmers,
and such others Us are not accustomed to
whales.
Approaching the ship 1.-THE distance Of
amile we could see large mass of the
blubber, with one end OF It high up above
the deck among the rigging, and the
other end still fast TO the whale. Coming
nearer, we ran into o "red SEQ" Of blood
which extended quito q distance irou
the CARCASS A part Of the head, con,
timing the teeth or plates Of bone, hat
been taken of, and was on the deck. 1t
length was ten feet, width five feet six
inches, and three feet deep. Tie whole
head would measure full fourteen feet in
length. The piece on board contained
six hundred and sixty teeth, or rather
plates Of bone, though the hump.back
whale has no other teeth. These teeth
are eight or ten inches long in front, and
from three 10 four feet long at the oppo,
site extreme, having the inside edges
forming the cavity Of the mouth, covered
with coarse hair, This part ofthe struc,
tute seems to be gotten up with the design
and express purpose Of deceiving and
capturing unwary fish. The hump. back
whale moves leisurely along with his
mouth open, among shoals OF small fish,
which, being prosecuted and beset on
every side by fish o little larger than
themselves, seeing this horny thicket
rush thithGr for shelter and protection
when the whale shuts down on them, on
;le principle Of "All that's in are mine y
No poor little fish ever returns with a
warning for his brethren to avoid that
place Of torment.
The solid bone, ut the place where the
head was taken of, measured twelve by
eighteen inches, The lower lips, tongue
ana aeshy covering Of the lower Jaw had
Oeen hoisted on board, and lay an i'm,
Iense pile on the deck. The tongue
alone was estimated at from seven nun.
GFed TONNE hundred pounds. Tho lower
Jaw was about sixteen feet long, and
spread nom seven TO eight feet at the
sockets, 1t was lett attached to the car.
cas- in the water The flippers or fins
Ns ptopelling pOwer-had been taken off
70 facilitate the turning of the carcass n
Smi.Sl91g of the 6lubber, and had been an
IliIed on deck. They were each sixteen
ieet long, by an average Of four feet wide
ana eight inches thick. The hail If w.
J Tt were eighteen inches in diameter
Inc naese hlppeEs are white on The inside
anu black on the outside, with humns n,
ptotu0erances along the lower cd"ps b y,
generally smooth, aud not less than two
W ~. taFee inches thick in the thinnest
=, Inc process oftaking Of the blubber
Cn,, IISSAst, as ue whaler calls il, is by
s SuS1g through the fat with whaiS
,ps9e, stfips three or four feet wide ey,
SSaClng around the body. The beavi I.s
TloGEs and tackle arc used for tskin1 'S ~
c saS olaooer, with dozen hands at the
I ~ ~ 70 man the ropes. Men stand on
,a " over the whale, with snaS E
IoGat the blubber clear when II Go r%sS
~; ~ comes of the carcass rolls over IN RI
slS 9eily Is up, when tho operation L sn M,
E Sa TIL the inside fat Is taken : o SuS
mleG We first went on board three N nut,
veg busy on, and in tho carcass NJ M.
S SUsS /. as the sea became rough the m ,,T
". a19 1elts fastened around their waists ,'e y
Maiea ropes from the decks were St,SoS y
~, as asate.guard against being lHSt AT ~
% SiS;I o. The whale. The leader of mi n
uncut SsaS operation was down in the c s,i
~ HS ~ sometimes mel 70 his chin in blood, wa
" Md NTH, mi locality coDsidersb,v" !,
S' S Sesr OF the apartments supposed :, n
r rasS oeen occupied by q. reyerent oI +
fSStlF Of the Gospel a long Tina oHn NV
UeS S %Sal, sous seemed 10 incfeasetS nm
5SfTSSSaatneSs Of his situation, was a hor uI
too oSty sharks, whose jaws were entireIS
Sf,So;se 70 be assuring as TO The 6oSes,S
To MIL Intentions. l suggested 10 NJ
on tSa ~ the mate, who stood beside M
S h. ne Platform, that the applicStionV ~ ~ !
s,a p 100 might be a useful lesson, MI 1T ~
c ccrU u 4, no use" said he, "but when tb Sc
S,cS = 100 close We can cut them in '1 ny
tSs SH Of the neck with a spade and n, ' ~
T %S@ 60" The man inside I The AMI Tbi ie
hOISiuu, pun at the fat with both hands, G,,
aTSU as kniIe with his teeth, then cn
boStSI saa the pieces were handel \,
there ,v WIN hooks, OF this inside "a 4.
6IsS nm were eighteen barrels, A strin % .
bSISSa, !Wenty,six feet Ions, reached ;uS
Ses ~ VI way round the whale. So We to ISs
eisS,V IEaSSa Y white as liy and ob nm
sN' 'ncaes thick. The general ale color IS9o .