Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-12-03
NANTUCKET STORIES.

About the year 1918, the Essex, Pol.
lard, master, was cruising for whales in the
equatorial regions OF the Pacific ocean west
of South America. One day the vessel
encountered one or two whales, or whale
with her young one. a large animal STAYED
in two of the boats. The other boats,
distance off, saw the men struggling in the
water. Captain Pollard sailed his vessel
to rescue them. The whale retreated to
the distance of half mile, and then came
with great velocity for the vessel, striking
her amidships with its head and starting q
leak instantly. The Infatuated animal,
acting evidently with "malice afore-
thought" retreated twice and repeated
the blows. The third time it crushed in
the whole side of the vessel, which sank
instantly. The men went into two
boats. These parted in midoceaD, in
the Pacific, near the equator. One was
never heard of again; The other, with Cap
tain Pollard on board, headed for South
America. They were eighty days in this
open boat. While in this forlorn condi-
tion, watching every day and hour for a
sail, they were struck one day by. bill
fish, variety of the sword-fish. The blow
started plank near. the keel of the boat.
They took off their jackets, stuffed them
into the hole to stop the leak, and began to
bale out the boat They had an ak, and
managed to find two or three nails. With
these they set to work to repair the place,
but whenever they went to drive a nail,
the plank would spring: they could not
drive it from the inside Of the boat, and
had no anvil or gimlet with which to make
ashole by which it might enter the plank
ing. x man named Nixon said The only
way this job can be fixed is to hold the
ak on the outside and hammer the nail
from the inside, SO as to clinch it." EYES,"
said Captain Pollard, "that's all right,
Nixon, if we only had somebody un1er the
bottom of the boat to hold the ax.f Said
Nixon, "Pm the man that's going TO do
that" He jumped overheard, took the ak
and held it under water against TIE boat
until they hammered in the nails. Then
he was lifted on board almost unconscious,
but he revived. They then kept on their
course as well as they could, but at length
ran out Of provisions. Finally, after en-
dEing untold horrors, they were COM
pa 81 to resort to the sailors last expe-
dent, and drew lots to see who should die
and furnish food for his companions.
Either one or two or the crew lost their
lives in this way. It is said that the Sec
delicate health, whose life the captain
would not bring himself to take, but said,
"Take me-" They concluded to try the
lot again, when it fell upon the same
person. Scarcely had the shot been fred
which put an end to his life, when
vessel hove in sight, which rescued them.
Captain Pollard could often be seen after
ward by summer visitors to Nantucket
broken.down, shattered old man. From
being one of the boldest Captains that
sailed from the island he was such wreck
that if he saw two or three people gathered
together in the street, or if anyone took up
newspaper In his presence, he hurried
away instantly, for fear of hearing some
thing about a shipwreck. He died four
or five years ago There is now but one
survivor Of that boats crew, and that is
Nixon, the man that held the ak under the
water. @
Walter j, the only son of a widow
of Nantucket, set sail when twelve years
old with the Captain of whaler. One
dark and rainy night, when they were
sailing on the China seas, it began to
blow very hard and all hands were
ordered aloft to shorten sail. In the
darkness and rain the boy fell from
the mast. Had he fallen upon the
deck he would in al probability have been
killed but he struck the back stay
rope drawn tight Ike the string of violin
and rebounded into the water. Soon the
cry came, ga man overheard !" The
captain felt very sad when he learned it
was Walter j. he put ship about and
tackled back and forth, but nothing could
be seen of the boy. Before giving up the
search, however, he called the men aft and
asked them whether anything else could
be done, "for 1 don't want to 90 back to
Nantucket and say that if something else
had been done Walter J - could have
been saved" No man, however, offered
suggestion, and, although the time had
been long-perhaps half an hour-since the
lad had fallen overheard, the captain made
a few turns more and called on the men
for final decision whether anything more
could be done. He finally concluded to held
on his course, when one of the men said that
he heard a cry. They listened and soon
heard a call, keep her away or you'll
run over me-" Half dozen ropes were
thrown out by as many different persons,
when the boy said, g Make bow line.
I'm too weak to hold on a bow.lin is
a rope with large loop firmly tied in it
1t was thrown out, the lad put it over one
leg, held on by his hands and was drawn
on board. He had fallen into the water
with suit of clothes, tarpaulin overalls
and shoes on. He was drawn out naked as
when he first appeared in the world, having
managed, in spite of the great exertion in
swimming, to diveat himself of all his
clothes in order that they might not i'm
pede his movements. When asked how
he had been able to endure so long, he an
swered that he was on the r1int of giving
up from fatigue and letting his feet go
down, preparatory to sinking when he
thought of his mother and kept on. He il
still living in Nantucket.