Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1875-03-12
DRAWN DOWN BY A WHALE.
Remarkable Escape from Deoth.

a snip some time ago arrived at Bristol,
after a successful Pacific whaling voy-
age. The ship was the West Wing,
commanded by Captain Parker, who
met with a most perilous adventure
during his cruise, and which came very
near costing him his life.
II seems that Captain Parker was
out from his ship, with boats crew,
chasing whale, and, having fastened
his harpoon to the creature, it diYed, as
! is usual, and the line, coiled in the bows
of the boat, began to run out with
lightning speed as the monster sunk to
the extreme bottom OF the ocean. At
this critical juncture Captain Parker
went TO the forward part OF the boat to
be sure that there was no twist in the
rope to prevent his working clear" The
line was running out with such rapidity
as TO cause smoke 10 arise from the
woodwork of the boat, and the captain
threw water, as it is the custom, upon
the spot. By some unlucky larch Of
the boat he was canted from his position,
and he naturally threw out his left hand
to prevent himself from falling; but in
doing SO he unfortunately placed it so
that the rope coiled about bis wrist, and
he was overheard and out Of sight in an
| instant.
Ho was perfectly conscious while he
was rushing down, headforemost, aud
with an incredible swiftness, and it ap.
peared to him that his arm would be
torn from the socket, so great was the
resistance Of the water During these
awful moments he was well aware of his
perilous situation. and that his only
chance was to cut the line. But how
could he do thisf He could not move
his right arm from his side, to which it
was so closely pressed by the force OF
the element through which he was being
drawn. The pressure on his arm grew
more and more terrible, and a roaring
az Of thunder sounded in his ears He
opened his eyes for single instant, and
il seemed rs though stream of fire was
passing before them. And now cane
that inevitable activity Of tho brain
which characterizes all such perilous sit
uations, where ones whole lille seems to
pass in review in an instant of time.
But The Captain was a very practical
man, cool and courageous always, and
consequently still self-possessed.
lie began to struggle with all his mus.
cular power 10 reach the knife which he
wore in his belt. he felt that he was
growing weaker every instant, aud it
was now or never with him. though we
should say, parentheticalIy, that what
requires 80 long to describe occurred in
time which was reckened by seconds
rather than minutes Oh, il he could
but command his right hand for one
stroke upon that fatal line Now his
heart began to fail him. He did not alb
solutely despair, but his brain reeled, his
nerves seemed to relax their tension,
light and darkness appeared to alternate
before his eye-balls, and his head felt as
though compressed in an iron vice.
We're these bis last moments? He
thought, in spite of the agonozing pains
he endured, that he would make one
more brave effort. ar
The line providentially slackened for
second; he reached his knife, and as
quick as thought itself, as the rope be-
came taut again, the keen edge of the
blade was upon it, and by n desperate
effort of his arm it became severed. He
was freed, md then commenced his up
ward passage caused by the natural
buoyancy Of the human body. After
this he only remembered feeling of
suffocation, q gurgling spasm, and all
was over until he awoke to an agonizing
pain of reyiying consciousness, in the
arms of his boats crew. Truly one of
the most remarkable escapes from death
on record.