Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1875-03-11
PERI1s Of THE SEA.

A ship lately arrived home at Bris-
tol, England. after d successful Pacific
whaling voyage. Time was when
thousands of vessels tracked the great
sea-monsters, in search Of oil, but the
discoveries Ct the mineral article has
made the trade no longer remunerative
or at least, much less an object of pur
suit. The ship referred to was the
West Wind, commanded by Captain
Parker, who met with most perilous
adventure during the cruise, and which
came very near costing him his life.
Under the most favorable circumstances
the occupation of the whalers is one of
great danger and physical trial, and
very few ships ever return to port
without losing one or more hands by
the ordinary exigencies of the service.
1t seems that Captain Parker was
out from his ship with a boats crew,
chasing whale, and having fastened
his harpoon to the creature, it dove as
usual, and the line coiled in the bow of
the boat, began to run out with light>
ming speed as The monster sunk to the
extreme depth of the ocean. At this
critical juncture, Captain Parker went
TO the forward part of the boat to be
sure that there was no s'twist" in the
rope to prevent its working clear. The
line was running out with such rapiditv
as to cause smoke to rise from the
wood work of the boat, and the cap,
tain threw water, as is the custom.
upon the spot. By some unlucky lurch
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 unfoltu
nately placed it SO that the rope coiled
about his wrist, and he was overheard
and out of sight in an instant
He was perfectly conscious while he
was rushing down, head foremost, and
with incredible swiftness, and it aps
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 we'll aware of
his perilous Situation, and that his only
chance for life was to cut the line. But
how could he do this? He could not
move his right arm from his side to
which 1t was so closely pressed by the
force OF the element through which he
was beng drawn. The pressure on
his brain grew more anu terrible, and
a roaring as of thunder sounded in his
ears. He opened his eyessfor a single
instant, and it seemed as though a
stream of fire was passing before them
And now came that inevitable activity
of brain which chars cterizes all such
perilous situations, where ones whole
life seems to pass in review in an in.
slant of time. But the captain was
very practical man, cool and courageous
always, and consequently still self
possessed.
He began to struggle with all his
muscular power to reach the knife
which he wore in his belt. He felt
that he was growing weaker every in,
slant, and it was now or never with
him, though we should shy, parenthet-
ically, that what requires so long to
describe, occurred in time which was
me assured by seconds, rather than
minutes. Oh !! if he could but COM
mand his right hand for one stroke
upon that fatal line. Now his heart
began to fail him. He did not abso
lutely 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 wise.
Was this his last moments7 He
thought, in spite of the agonizing pain
he endured, he would make one more
brave effort.
The line providentially slacke ed Cor
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 desperate
effort of his arm it became severed.
He was freed, and then commenced
his upward passage, caused by the nat
ural buoyancy Of the human body
After this he only remembered a feel
ing of suffocation, a gurgling spasm
and all was over until he awoke to an
agohlzing pain of reviving conscious
ness, in the arms of his boats crew.
Truly one of the most remarkable es-
capes from death on record.