The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1878-07-27
MisfellaneOils.
CAPTURING A GRAMPUs.
One Of the Most Ferocious and Formidable
Inhabitants Of the Ocean.

On 18th instant an unprecedented ar
rival in cur harbor (St Johns, n. f.
took place. Two grampuses of large size
were observed spouting with great vigor
and dashing about in frantic, bewildered
manner in the waters of the harb0r. They
had probably been tempted to pass the
narrow entrance of the harbor while in
pursuit Of caplin, which are now around
che coast in enormous shoals. After a
time one. Of them escaped, and made its
way to sea, but the other, being pursued
by boats crew from her Majesty's steam
ship Sirius with view to capture it,
headed for the western side Of the harbor,
and at length got entangled in some piles,
and became completely powerless, its tail
having become fast between two stakes.
Ropes were passed round it, and it was
dragged ashore, where il soon died. 1t
proved to be full-sized grampus, twenty
i've feet four inches In length, and fifteen
feet in girth at its thickest part. Its
mouth, when opened, disclosed an array
Of powerful teeth, forty -four in number,
large, conical, and somewhat hooked, those
furthest back being fattened at the sum-
nit. The tail is seven feet in width, and
forms a very powerful propeller. The
head is short and round. the lower jaw
somewhat bent upward. Il has three fins
two Yectorals, large and oval, and a dor
sal nearly on the middle of the body.
The color Of the skin on the back is a
deep black, the sides and abdomen being
white. Over the eye is a large white
patch.
Thus it viii be seen that the grampus
is a formidable animal, nearly half the
size Of the Greenland whale. 1t is seldom
seen around these shores, its favorite re-
sort being Greenland and Davis's straits.
It is sometimes seen, in small herds, in
the British seas, but is rarely captured. 1t
Is on record that one was captured in the
Thames in 1859, which was "a feet in
length; two more in 1772, and another in
1898, which measured 81 feet in length.
One vas taken in Lynn harbor in 1929,
and was dispatched with much difficulty
by a crowd Of boatmen. One of those
taken in the Thames in 1772 was pierced
with three harpOons, and pulled the at
tached boat twice from Blackwell to
Greenwich at the rate Of eight miles an
hour against the tide. $50 long as it was
alive no boat could venture to approach it,
and the dying efforts of this formidable
creature were very terrible. 1t was
finally killed opposite Greenwich Hospi-
tai" Had it not been that its tail was
caught in the way ] have described,
between two posts near wharf, this spec
linen would have escaped, as there were
no appliances ready for its capture.
The grampus is a vOracious and warlike
creature, devouring immense quantities of
cod, herring, halibut, and skate. It at
taeks the pOrpOises and dOlphins, and
makes fierce war on seals 1t is said that
a small herd Of them frequently attack a
true whale, tearing huge mouthfuls of its
flesh with their powerful teeth, like so
many mastiffs around wild bull, and
covering it with blood and wounds, till
che great giant Of the deep succumbs to
its more agile foes Toronto Globe