The Osceola times., 1880-09-18
A HARNESSED WHALE.
That Ran Away With Plucky Boa, Cr.,
at the Rate OF Mile a Minute.
New Haven Union

New Haven Union.
Wandering around on the wharves ,
a day or two ago among the remnants ot
what was once the scene of hustle and
activity IN the good old days of WHALING
a Union reporter encountered an old 500
captain who had good story TO tell
Near by was moored a whaling vessel
and casks of oil were ranged about. 81
that the old tar seemed at home. Tho
conversation turned on the recent boat
races, and the time made for two miles
by the Harvard and Columbia freshmen
crews. The old sailor thought that the
boys rowed well and went pretty fast.
but he had gone faster, and probably
faster than many ever went in row
boat. The scribe urged the mariner TO
tell the story, which he did substantially
as foil )ws:
1t is about thirty-fve years ago sinceI
went out from New London as boat
steerer. That is pretty lively berth. as
any whaleman can tell you, especially
when anv whale is tackled. The steer
er has virtually the control of the boat
and the safety of the men in it, and
when the whale begins to lash the water
with his tail look out; there's danger in
being near the big fluke. Sometimes
YOU can put an iron into a whale and he
won't splash on the surface, but will
start off like a rocket, or perhaps 20
right down. and you have TO cut loose
and lose your line and irons. Still, a
whaleman gets used to these things, and
when boat is stove in by whale, or
when the crew get into any difficulty,
they generally know what to do, and
take matters philosophically. They are
tough fellows, and can row for hours.
and without training, End with heavy
oars resting on the ''gunnel' Cgunwale)
OF the boat.
In those days different class of men
went whaling from what go now. Pre-
vious to the war-that is, some years
previous-there was money in both oil
and bone, though just before the war
they sold for less than you could get
them for. But when there was money
in whaling captains could get a passably
good pick of men for their crews. Stout
young fellows, who couldn't make more
than their salt on the farm, came down
to New London to 90 TO sea. They had
heard of the big chances for a good yoy-
age, which, if realized, would give them,
in a few months, more money than they
ever saw. If the owners got the lions
share of the money there was still
good lot left to be doled out in lays (pro-
portionate shares) to the men. In fact,
fortunes were made in one voyage, or
what would pass for an acceptable com
potency for a man who was contcntedt to
| live modestly. Well, on the ship on
which / was boat -stecrer this time there
was as fine a set OF men, pluck and en-
durance considered, as you ever saw.
| In my boats crew there were some par
ticularly good men. But what happened
| to us one day tried the mettle OF several
Of them.
We were lying becalmed one day of
the Cape of Good Hope. 1t was as
smooth as a mill pond for miles; you
couldn't see ripple on the water, for
not breath of wind stirred. There
were several whalers laying off the land,
close in, waiting for wind or something
to give them occupation. By-and-by We
saw two or three whales coming up 10
blow, about two miles away. The cal-
tain called the watch up. and couple OF
boats started for the whales, which were
living still as if summing themselves In
my boat was big negro. black as the
ace OF spades. Every time he would
row a stroke the boat would shoot ahead,
and he would open his mouth and grln,
showing wonderful display of ivory.
We raced with the other boat and got
ahead, for my men were 1.-THE and
tough, and by.and-by we got along side
of one of the big fellows. The steering
oar was pulled in; the oars were packed
that is, pulled in 50 that they couldn't
strike the water, then an iron was
thrown into the floating island.
Tne whale laid still for minute, as II
struck with amazement that any one
should dare to touch him, The rope
which was coiled up in the tube at the
bottom of the boat didn't seem to he OF
any use for a moment. In the meantime
the other boat had come up. Suddenly
the whale made up his mind what to do.
He started off like locomotive, the rope
whizzing around in way To astonisii u
land lubber. The boat didn't follow
slow. When the rope was ont We were
rushing by the Captains boat like mao;
I The Captain took off his cap and waved
it at me shouting: "Go 1t, young man.
you're going out of town faster tlai,
You'll ever 90 again" All that we could
do IN that double-ended boat was to sit
still and see her 90 through the water
| candidly believe that we went at the
rate Of mile a minute, and the water
was a wonderful sight. II reminds me-
now that think of it, of Poe's descriP-
ton of the interior of the Maels'rohl,
where the water went around SO lis'
and was so black that it must nave
seemed like wall of polished ebony.
The pressure downward piled the wate,,
up on both sides of us so that 1t sceilieu
to he at leasl three feet higher than t'o
edge of the boat, but 1t couldnt run ,n'
for we were going so fast 1t hadi ! .i,n.,
Every ones eyes were blurred WIN wv
wind, which seemed to be blowing q
hurricane against us. The line hllGl,ea
to the iron in the whale was rusnlns
through the water as rigid as an lror =,
rod, and there must have been a my ",
foam a mile long behind us. THIS thii7
couldn't 90 on forever. The negro llan
got a little scared, for il looked as tnoue,
the whale would never get urea Gu,,
and we were going to sea at an aliiSAihs ie hs
rate. The ship went away as II py
magic, and we had lost sight OF the othei
boat. The negro stopped grinnlng' anu ra
the other men expected, at least, 10 haso -
row all night in the dark, unless ~
ship should follow us. Finally the Ing i'nt
all at once slackened. The whale liaun
stopped, and, for all ! know, is go,ne gn,e
ahead at the rate of mile iniiu,o W.
still, but the iron had come out Wv
rowed back to the ship, and as we i o;i,'''
along the Captain called over the r'''
"Where's the whale"
"Oh." said /, ''the iron melted out
wont so fast ~