Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1874-06-11
| WHALE ON AN OYSTER BED.
The l.ur&c-i Ei~ls Tint WINS Ever Killed l
RNrltMn lsuy.

4 WHALE ON AN OYSTER BED.
The Largest Ei~l. tim, WINS Ever Killed la
RNrIimn lsny.
From tho New York Sun, May -.
The fishing season has opened earlier
thon usual this year Mt South Aml~y,
and tho piscatory inhabitants are con
graduating themselves on SO suspicious
II commencement as tho capture of m
enormous whale. Lust Friday morning
John Spain saw, a short distance from
tho shore, what appeared to him to bo n
sloop bottom upward. Tho water WIS
not more than five feet deep, and the
supposed boat had grounded on nh
oystcr-bcd. While Spain was specu-
lating us to tho probable fate Of the
crow, the object began to move per
ccptibly, and several Jets of water were
thrown int" tho mir. Tho astonished
observer h.l never seen u lcviatllal,
hut had roau about them in connection
with Jonah, and sccn pictures of them
tossing largo boats forty fcct III tho mir
with n slash Of their tails, and no DO
lievcl tho creature before him to be
very like q whale.
John rushed to tho house of Capt.
Roberts and surprised That mariner be-
yonu measure by assuring hin, that
there was whale III tho Oyster bed.
a single glance ut tho dark, glistcning
mass, rising four feet out Of tho water,
assured the experienced Captain that
large dimensions, harda ground. Arm
ing himself with gun, Il hatchct, and
II considerable qnantit of powder and
bill, he jumped into boat and startcQ
upon ono Of tho most remarkable fishing
excursions within the range of hisex-
pcricncc. Arrived within few yards
IF the monster, he took n steady aim
and planted ball under his fin. The
bullet sank beneath tho skin and jet
of blood spurted out. but for all the
effect produced upon tho whale the ell
tcrprising Captain might US we'll have
fired into tho trunk of trce. How
ever, he tried second shot and u third,
and continued to practice npon the crca-
t,lrc until its sides looked like target
after German shooting festival. He
thinks he finally would have slain it
had his ammunition and daylight held
out, but in the absence of any more
lead lie seized his trusty Ratchet and
prepared to renew tho contest ut close
quarters.
Again and again, that mur,lcrous blade
sank deep INTO tho side of the monster,
and every stroke was followed by re-
sponsivo spasm. It was warm work,
and though the Captain has few equals
with oystcr-tongs, after he had cut
hole in the creatures side about four
teen inches long by eight wido and
foot deep, he was glad to rest. Tho
whale wasapparcntlya rs fresh as ever, and
showed no 81 GINS Of going into his final
furry, though he cvinccI IN ovcrwhelm-
ing desire to get off the oystcr-bed.
Meanwhile Bloolgood, having heard
of the event, had not been idle. He had
gone to Samuel Ney, the village black
smith, and made him blow up his fire
and manufacture stout iron spear ten
feet inlength. With this formidable
weapon hot from the forge, he was now
seen approaching the shore accompa-
MED by Ncy. Capt. Roberts saw them
coming and renewed his onset upon the
whale, enlarging tho hole several inches,
but failing to kill the creature.
The blacksmith evinced IN amount of
cool discernment in the face of danger
not unworthy of his French namesake
of martial renown. He directed Blood
good to spear tho whale in the hole
made by the Captains hatchct. The
hint was acted Upon, and 4 feet of iron
| sank into the whales blubber. The
struggle was not long in doubt after
that. With the skill of Arctic voyagers,
tho three men kept out of reach of the
monster in his dying furry" and in
ten minutes he was II dead whale. Not
all the row-boats in South Ambov
could have towed him off theoyster-bed,
but a steamtug fastened u hawscr to
him and dragged him ashore, where
the united efforts of tho inhabitants
hauled him out Of the water.
There were divers conflicting theories
as to the cause of his inland excursion.
Many old fishermen, who by virtue of
their calling were supposed to know all
about whales, though none of them had
ever seen one, cherished a pleasant fic-
ton that the creature being, essentially
u denizen of the briny ocean, getting
accidently into the river, had become
blinded and bewildercd with the I'LL
wonted effects of the fresh water, and
moved on blindly to it's fate without
knowing where it was going to. Others
assigned sicknessa as the cause of its com.
ing into the river, saying that these crea.
lures always went into shallow water
when they felt themselves dying, and
this theory was somewhat borne out by
the fact that the creatures snout was
covered with parasites, which are said tc
attack whales when they are on the
point of death.
In coming up the river, the whale
must have kept in a comparatively mar.
row channel, the water of heRaritan he.
ing very shallow Mt some distance from
the banks. Had it been high tide, there
isa strong probability that it would have
passed mp to New Brunswick, a distance
Of seventeen miles.
The whale was found to measure 49,
feet in length, 8 feet through the body,
and thirty feet in circumference. The
head was 10 feet long, and the tail IA
feet. The gills, from which the whale
bone is produced, were 81 feet long.
On Saturday the crowds coming from
far and near to view the carcass, inspir-
ed the captors with the idea of making
a paying speculation of the exhibition,
and it was accordingly enclosed, and a
| oAAAtSAA pAACC CAN1SCu AVE dt<&ku1SS1ON. Oll
Sunday the throng was SO great that
every boat procurable was pressed into
the service at Perth Amboy and along
the New Jersey coast. Numerous sloops
were chartered for the occasion, and
hundreds were unable to obtain boats.
The total sum realized WAS 5000, and
double this amount would have been
taken had all who desired to see the
whale been able to do so. Moreover,
the peculiar rank and overpowering
odor which arose from the carcass as
the oil oozed flom the holes made with
the Ratchet, deferred many from ap-
preaching it. It increased in density
OH Monday, under the effects Of the hot
sun and on Tuesday many of the most
respectable inhabitants of the little
settlement near where it WAS landed
talked about making a hasty departure,
and lamented that it had ever founder
cd up the river. Before night it was
all cut up and the blubber sent to the
opposite side of the river to be tried
out. Much of the oil was lost, but it is
estimated at least twenty barrels re-
main, which Will realize about $3.50. The
whalcbonc is worth 500. The skeleton
is to he presented to the New Bruins
wick College.
When the remains were being taken
to the field to be buried. two yoke Of
oxen were hardly able to drag the upper
part of the head, and one yoke were
fully employed in removing the snout.