Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1878-09-06
A Whales Fierce Battle for Life.

A letter in a Panama paper tells how
hard whale fought, that was pursued
by whaler's crew. The writer says:
"We lowered our boats for whales. Mr..
Martin, our first innate, soon fastened to
a large one, which stove his boat slight
ly, but this one was soon killed and
brought along side. In the meantime,
the second mate, Mr.. Hancock, had
chased the whales long way off to lee
ward, and fastened to an eighty-barrel
50. The whale actsgaP stgaPt1g agry stag9y in &&fPiRs
least noise from the boat he would rush
toward it, lashing the sea with his flukes
and obliging Mr.. Hancock to keep at q
respectable distance, he being alone at
the time, and his boat stove and leaking
badly. Every time Mr.. Hancock would
try to get near the whale, the monster
would rush toward the boat. Some
times he would raise his head out of the
water and appear to be listening for the
least noise, turning slowly round and
then all at once down would go his head
and up his tail, and the sea would be
lashed into foam. In short time the
third mate arrived on the scene of
action, and was ordered by the second
mate not to fasten to the whale, but to
play 'loose boat;" that is, not being en-
numbered with line fast to the whale,
he could more easily row up to or away
from him, and could watch for favor
able opportunity to shoot the monster
with bomb lance In the mean time
the ship was running down toward them,
and the mate at the masthead reported
a boat stove, as Mr.. Hancock had set
the signal which indicated that fact.
Capt. Kelly then sent Mr.. Martin in the
fourth mates boat to assist in killing
the whale. On his arrival at the scene
he went boldly on and fastened, when
suddenly his boat was badly stove and
capsized. Mr.. Hancock picked up the
crew, and the first mate went into the
third mates boat and again attacked the
whale. No sooner did the monster hear
the sound of the approaching oars than
he made for the boat at great speed, and
before they could get out of the way,
struck them, staving in the boat and
capsizing it. Fortunately the whale
was quiet for few moments, enabling
Mr.. Hancock to pick up the men, but
none too soon, for Just as they had stern
ed off short distance the whale again
attacked the stoven boat, seizing it IL
his mouth again and again and shaking
it as dog would rat; then up would
go his tail and fragments of the boat
oars, etc., would fly high in air.
Mr.. Hancock went to the ship, anG
soon returned with another boat. AL
this time the whale was rushing frs
here and then there; at one moment OF
his head land at another on his tail. Tht
only thing to do was to lay off and shoe
bombs at him, but it was difficult iot
to get near enough to him for the bombs
to be effectual, his body most of The
time being perpendicular. The frs
mate was fortunate enough to shoot
bomb into the right spot, which soo1
killed the whale.
The writer of these lines has followed
whaling since 1849, and has never seer
but one whale fight SO determinedly a
this one, who no doubt would hav'
attacked and stove the ship had it beer
near enough. The Ann Alexander an(
Essex were both stove and sunk b.
sperm whales.