The Republican journal., 1875-01-14
Whale Stories.


Advertiser at Nantucket, having seen the
| recent account OF collisions and other Incl
dents in which that former Nantucket
speciality, the whale, bore a conspicuous
part, gives the following from among his
many "reminiscences of the olden times:
see it reported that a vessel has been
struck by whale near the Gulf, stream,
and another had her anchor hooked up by
whale and went out Of harbor much
faster than she was ever known to go
while under sail !! This Is not new in style
to us here at Nantucket, nor is the striking
whale at sea, as you will perceive.
Just one hundred years ago the father
of the late Walter Folger, the astronomer,
was at anchor in Newfoundland, in one of
the bays in one OF our whalers, only a day
watch on duty for the night, when they
perceived the vessel was going with great
speed out Of the harbor. The man upon
deck called all hands out, and when the
captain got upon deck the vessel was well
out to sea, still going into darkness! 1t
was soon supposed by the sensible skipper
what caused the new movements, and the
officer was instructed to cut the cable, and
they at once put the barque back to her
noorings.
Captain Folger died in 1926, SO years
Old. | can remember him we'll. He was
OF that race Of giants which Dr.. Franklin
ca!ae from; and let me say here, that
when the statue was dedicated on School
street, in Boston, offered his son. then
o3 years old, place in the procession on
that day, and to pay all his expenses; but
could not move him. He was the near
est relation upon the island to Franklin
In November, 1907, the ship Union,
Captain Edmund Gardner, who has just
completed his Goth year, was only Jew
days from the island when he was struck
by sperm whale, and the ship immedi-
ately sunk. They took to the three boats,
some twenty-three men, and in twenty
days landed at the Azores all well. The
ship Union was built in 1893, and was the
first ship that ever had shipping papers OF
contract between captain, officers and
crew; all before that was done verbally
Then again we had the ship Essex, Cap
tain George Pollard, cruising in the Pacific
Ocean away off shore 100 deg west, near
the equator. When the boats were all en-
gagged among whales the mates boat was
stove, and he returned to the ship to re-
pair her, and while so engaged ! large
whale (sperm) came upon the ship, and
with such violence as to make her heel
and shake like an aspen leaf. The whale
glanced off to windward and when two
miles to windWard turned and came down
upon the ship and struck her q most dead
lv blow on the bows which caused her
to heel over nearly on her beam ends,
and back again only to fill and sink.
This was in November, 1920 And when
these mems story was related by letters
| their suilerings in the boats, eating each
| other, and some OF them my old play
mates at school every one was over
| come by its recital and would weep in the
Streets for all of it was read in front of
the postollice in q public way.
! Mr. Benjamin Lawrence is the only one
let upon the island out Of all that number,
ana he and Thomas Nickcrson in Brook
! lyn are all that are left OF that ships COM
parry Lawrence is IS years Of age and
Niderson g.. They were III open boats
on the ocean ninety days, and taken up
onthe coastof Chilli, February and March.
| 1921. The Essex was an old China ship
| from Salem, and brought her last cargo of
| tea from China into Salem in 1901, when
otr merchants purchased her Commodore
Downs had Just reIived Commodore Ridge
| lyon the Pacific station. and he acts nobly
in sympathy and aid to those who were
saved and carried into Valparaiso.
.Yo have lost other ships in strange
ways, and perhaps they went III some such
way We had Il ship, Harmony, cruising
cn Brazil Banks in company with another
of our ships-the Leo-l796, with only q
small watch upon deck in d beautiful night,
when at midnight Il whale leapcd out Of
water and lay square across the deck, and
the ship was crushedand sank even with the
water, The men came out in their night
| clothes and We're taken on board the Leo and
brought home to Nantucket. They never
saved anything from the Harmony; all
waa lost Each ship had at the time 400
barrels oil On board The Harmony was
one Of the first ships Mr Rotch sent from
Dunkmll, France, David Starbuck com
! mander, in 1870, 10 the Pacific Ocean, and
return there February, 1892, full Of sperm