The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1877-06-30
lcorrespondence New York SUM-

ally oIl--a large island in the river St.
Lawrence, seventy-tW miles below
Quebec, known as Isle aux Coudres.
This island is in the heart of Lower
Canada, where the people are all French,
where life of to-day is that of two hum
drea years ago.
A dozen dwellings, two little stores
and toilgate make up the town OF
Riviere fOuelle, one of the oldest set
Elements in Canada. Here, ever since
the place was founded, there has been
an organized company for the prosecn-
tion of marsouin fishing. MarsOuln
which the people h ere give to the animal
that attains the dignity of "white Wha e"
when he gets into the aquarium tanks.
Isle aux Coudres is an irregular patch
of land, about nine miles long and six
miles wide. At lower end, and partly
on the sides, it slopes to the water; but
the upper end rises to high table land,
especially on its northwestern angle,
where the bluff rises fully $50 feet high.
Southwardly the elevation is much less,
and near the middle OF the upper end
there is narrow stri p of meadow land,
with small creek, up which the tide
makes it's way. Stretching out to a dis
tance of nearly mile before that bluff
headland, and sweeping away round on
both sides about the same width, is a
fiat surface of shingly rock and mud,
bare at low water, but covered to a
depth Of eighteen to twenty feet at or
dinary high rides-twenty-fOur feet
when the great spring tides rush in. The
island, even at the best of times, is ap-
proachable with safety only at certain
conditions of the tide. But in winter
Il Ia hnp iS n
most as isolated from the rest OF the
world as colony at the North Pole
would be. A rattling drive of
about mile and half over the low
land, and mile more out on the beach,
brings us to the fishery and in sight OF
seven fine, big, white whales, stranded
in shallow pools, where they founder
and puff hopelessly.
These white whales are very stupid
and cOwardly creatures. 1t is supposed
that they come up at this season on
family orrands, as unborn young,
four or five feet long, are frequently
found. They also come up to this point
to feed on the little fish, locally known
as the caplan, lache and eplain, which
swarm here in May and June in vast
numbers. In pursuit OF their prey the
white whales run close up to the shore,
The fishers plant slender stakes, not
more than all inch or an inch and a half
in diameter and five or six feet long, at
distances nearly two feet apart, IN a
line enclosing parallelogram a mile in
width, and extending three-quarters OF
mile from shore seaWard. AS the tide
rece6es the whales find themselves
within this enclosure. One Of the big
whales could sweep down score OF the
lxT nj nd
there is even room for him to dart De-
tween without touching them :. yet so
cowardly is he that these slender OBJ
structions suffice to turn him. He will
rush seaward to within a yard OF the
fence, then wheel IN wild alright and
dart back toward the shore, and SO aim
lessly exhaust himself, while the water
is growing more and more shallow. Al
last he lies helplessly stranded. None
have ever been known to break through
the barrier and escape, g.
Not all the white whales so caught are
killed. The finest ones are taken alive
and put into a reservoir III the small
creek before mentioned, where long
| fence Of stakes keeps them secure until
they are wanted by the New York
aquarium or it's branches. This, al
though apparently a job OF some diff
Guilty, is easily accomplished. A big
| batteau, OF deep, fat bottomed boat
is dragged into the pool beside the SO,
! lected white whale, half sunk on it
side, and then, by the combined strength
of twenty or thirty men, the lubberlJ
animal is fairly boosted into it. Whei
| the tide rises the batteau is toWed arOunC
! to the reservoir and its freight tipped
out.
A much more serious task is that ot
| getting the white whale into a box TO-
| transportation. When this has to h'
done, the entire available strength o.
the fishing company-thirty- men
is called into requisiti0p. As has beel
said, this whale is very timid; to pre-
vent his being made SO wild and des
perate as to defy handling when tht
| time comes, the priest has had to. lssu'
| an edict that no one shall throw anything
/ into the water of the reservoir, or d.
anything to entice dog to go in there
or in any way frighten the creature
| This order is serupulously respected.
| BY good luck, / happened to arriv'
I Just in time to see the company, unde
| the supervision of Zach Coup and Lux
| aquarium for the purpose, the one five
A
| capture and box up for transportation
| three fine specimens. A strong wOodeI
box. three feet wide, and something
over four feet deep, its bottom q bed o
! sea-weed one foot IN depth, is sunl
/ on its side in convenient spot. TheI
the men form a line in the water, sur
round the whale, and drive him VI
/ slowly toward the box, gradually closing
/ in upon him. Their aim is to get clos
enough to him to seize his tail and hois
| it out of the water. That will rende
| him pOWerless, for as soon as his tail i
in the air, he has no way o1 getting
purchase for a struggle or a rush. Sud
/ denly, Francis Dufour, the strong NAL
I of the island, and two others, make
i simultaneous grab at his tail, but quicl
] as they are, ,she is quicker yet; in a sec
| Ond the three men 60 sprawllng in diff
| ferent directions, heels over head, Whil'
4 the frightened animal in dashing ava.
| knocks down two Others. Ehe waite
| is four feet deep. ~
t Twenty nine excited men shout, jab
4 ber and artieulate at once. Five more
when they get their heads out OF tn
water, join the clamor, A score OF dog
j bark furiously, and some OF then
Eplnnge into the melee in the water
i while others relieve. their excited feel
ings by d fight on shore. There ar
Tive whales in the reservoir, and the,
are now coursing to and fro, almes
/ with the switness OF brook trout, all will
with terror.
Soon one is singled @out. edged up to
j ward the box, and another futile at
tempt made npon him; result four NOR
men sent to the bottom of the re
i servoir, more excitement, more jabbe
4 and another dog fight. After half Al
| honr Of this sort of struggle, the me
run out to warm their hands at bi