Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1879-10-16
AN OLD STORY.
Relating How . Whale Smashed a Yes.
sol sixty Years Ago

Sol sixty Years Ago.
Correspondence of the New York Sun.
We boarded this summer at the house
of Capt. Thomas G. Nickerson, on Nan.
tucket, the last survivor of the crew of
the whaling ship Essex, which was sunk
by whale in the Pacific ocean some
where about the year 1920. The story
as he calls it, is thrilling one. The
Essex was nearly new, reached the Pa
citic fishing grounds in good order, took
and tried out one large whale, and clear.
ed the ship as usual, for other cap
lures.
One morning the lookout on the mast
head sighted large school of sperm
whales. The boats were lowered and
manned for pursuit, and the captains
harpooner succeeded in striking whale
he was then some three miles from the
ship, and the mates boat was fastening
to his assist ance. One of the men, hap
pening to glance toward the ship, saw
flying not only the signal to return, but
the signal of distress. The mates boat
hurried back with all speed. Getting
on board, they were informed that the
ship had been struck by an immense
sperm whale, and the water was rushing
into the hold in frightful manner.
While they were endeavoring to ascer-
tain the extent of the injury, the same
hsh, monster in size, appeared, swim
ming directly toward them at furious
speed. The creature seemed to be either
IN great agony or in fearful rage. He
lashed the waters to white foam with
his tail, writhing and lifting his immense
body half out of it bringing it down
again with report like cannon, and
rushing straight upon the devoted ship.
The first blow had been in the bows.
and the shock had thrown the men off
their feet and dashed everything from
Its fastenings, as though the ship in
gale had struck sunken rock. The
whale himself had seemed stunned for a
moment. This second time he struck
the ship on the larboard side, crushing
in her timbers and making her shiver
from stem to stern. For moment they
thought the whale had killed himself:
he turned on his back painting heavily;
then, recovering himself for last effort,
he backed away and came at them the
third time, with strength enough to open
still wider the yawning gaps he had al
ready made. After that, apparently sat.
ished that he had done his work, he SWAN
slowly away toward the distant school,
leaving the Essex with the water pour
ing in. The men kept firing guns as sig
nails of distress, and the captain, having
left the wounded whale, fastened to the
scene of disaster. They had barely time
to load their frail whale boats with the
necessaries of life before the ship sank.
More than three months after, having en-
dured the utmost suffering and hardships
that human nature can bear, and having
in that time traversed nearly 1000 miles
of water and lost nearly half of their
number, they were at last picked up.
Capt. Nickerson does not like to talk of
this fearful passage in his life, and the
horrors of it have left permanent i'm
preston on his mind. He is living in
the town of Nantucket, where most of
the survivors lived and are well remem-
bered by the inhabitants. He expresses
the opinion that his ship is not the only
one that has met her death by the anger
of whale, and that the victims of those
monsters number far more then lands
men suppose.