Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1875-09-29
sFruaa Appleton's journal
4 STORY FROM A NHALER.

g Chips" whom I knew for months
ihy uo other name, was ship carpenter
of this vilaler Gazelle, of New Bedford.
He Hsas twenty-three years Old, six feet
high aaad strong as an oak tree
NE was the favorite on the shjp-and
no wonder. He was tender and gentle.
pezamps because he was strong; he was
peaceful, because he was powerful. And
the soft word that turneth away wrath,
with She gentle hand to soothe sufferer,
us often needed in the whale fisheries,
Most of the foremost hands of the Ga
xelle were rough Portuguese lads, from
the Western Islands, on their first voy-
age They were treated with coarse
contempt by a few American seamen
and by the officers. The only swhite-
man as the Yankee sailor loves to
call hzmself--who was kind and patient
with the rude boys was Chips; and he
~ras never tired of showing Or teaching
theza something of what he knew.
He was one of those unselfsh fellows
who do not believe In keeping knowl.
edge 70 themselves. He had never
heen 30 sea before; but, during the first
Ewss years OF his voyage, he had attend
sd to SO many things besides his own
easy wsrk that ne was looked on as one
OF the best and coolest whalemen
aboard Although exempt from stand
ing watch, he had insisted on doing so
frona the first day out. At night, it the
wea1ter was good, he would sit Oh the
zna1n match, III the center of ring of
Portuguese lads, and with wonderful pa
thence teach them TO make spices and
knots, and to speak English He never
tired OF doing this Or any other kindly
ftalng for them. In the daytime, If
there were work for him at his trade.
he san had them round him, explaining
every thing as he sawed or planed, Just
as If he wished to make them as good
carpenters as he was hemself.
Go Sunday, when every one brought
showed the only signs of isolation he
ever gave. He was the only one on
hoard-excep5 myself had neither
pictures on letters-neither face nor
word TO remind him of home. When
the ship touched at some port with a
posf-otfice, and every one else ran for
his letters, Chips remained aboard-he
knew there was none for him, In one
of the boys albums he found the pic
ture OF an old, white-haired woman
the lads mother-and every Sunday
ne asked for that album, and always
gave 1t back when ne turned to that
AkHze.
aAe Gazeue had been cruising for
three months few hundred miles off
the coast of Western Australia-the
great penal colony OF England-and
during that time bad not fallen in with
% single sperm whale. One raw after
nssou, with harsh breeze and rising
sea. at last we heard the long, sing-song
cry from the masthead, HE blows
fher ee- blo-o-ws - Four times at
regular intervals of about forty sec.
ends, the cry was repeated, and then
we knew it was a sperm whale.
tt was i've in the evening when the
aiEst cry was heard, and the sun went
down at haif-past six with scarcely i've
minutes OF twilight AS rule on board
American whalers, when whales are
seen Late in the evening, the boats are
not sent down, unless the course of the
Whales and tbs speed OF their travel are
carefully noted. When g on course !"
q sefaoai OF sperm will move at the rate
CT About SIX miles an hour; when feed
nag they keep on the sa.ne !" ground, !"
mot moving more than few miles q
day. When seen late in the evening.
shH ship is steered during the night &C
Gording to the observations, and often