Bismarck tribune., 1881-10-07
NANTUCKET STORIES.

-,t NAEIUChEf SlUhlEO.
Queer Anecdotes and Characters Picked Up
on the Bea h.
From the Lippincott's.
About the yea. 1918 the Essex, Pollard,
master, was cruising for Whales in the
equatorial region of the Pacific ocean west
of South America. One day the vessel en-
corntered one or two large whales or q
whale with her young one. A large ami
NAL STAYED in two OF the boats. The other
boats, distance off, saw the men strug-
Cling in the water. Captain Pollard sailed
his vessel to rescue them. The whale re-
treated to the distance of half a mile, and
then came with great velocity for the ves--
sci, striking her emidships with his head
and and starting leak instantly. The infuri-
ated animal, acting evidently with malice
aforethought," )" 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 midocean near the equator.
One was never heard of again, the other
with Captain Pollard on board beaded for
South America. They were eighty days in
his open boat.
While in this forlorn condition, watching
every day and hour for sail, they were
struck one day by bill-fsh, a variety of
the sword fish. The blow started a plank
near the keel of the boat. They took off
their jackets, stuffed them into the hole to
stop the leak, and began to bail out the
boat. They had an aka and managed to
find two or three nails. With these they
set to work to repair tho place. but when
ever they went to drive nail the plank
would spring; they could not drive it from
the inside of the boat, and had no awl or
gimlet with which to make hole by which
it might enter the planking. A man named
Nixon said: "The only way this job can be
fixed is to hold the axe on the outside, so
as to clinch it," "Yes," said Captain Pol
lard, "thay's all right. Nixon, if I'VE only
had somebody under the bottom of the boat
to hold the axe" I'm the man that's going
to do that" said Nixon. He jumwed over
board, took the axe, and held it under water
against the bottom of the boat until
they hammered in the nails. Then
he was lifted on board almost unconscious.
But he revived. Then they kept on their
course as we'll as they could, but at length
ran out of provisions. Finally, after en-
during untold horrors, they were compelled
to resort to the sailors last expedient, and
drew lots to see who should die and fur
nish food for his companions. Either one
or two of the crew lost their lives in this
way. It is said that the second lot fell
upon slender young man in delicate health,
whose life the captain could not bring him
self to take, but said; 'Take me- They
concluded to try the lot again, when it fell
on the same person. Scarcely had the shot
been fred which put an end to his life,
when vessel hoved in sight, which rescued
them. Captain Pollard could often be
seen afterward by summer
visitors to Nantucket-a broken
down, shattered old man.
From being one of the ooldest captains that
sailed from the island, he was such wreck
together in the street, or if anyone took out
a newspaper in his presence, he hurried
away instantly for fear of hearing some
thing about shipwreck. He died four or
five years ago. There is now but one sur
vivor of that boats crew, and that's Nixon,
the man that held the axe under the water.
Walter j, the only son Of a widow
of Nantucket, set sail when 12 years old
with the captain of a 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. 1zHad he fallen upon the
deck he would in all probability have been
killed; but he struck the black stay-a rope
drawn tight like the string of a violin-and
rebounded into the water. Soon the cry
came, "a man overboard!' The captain
felt verv sad when he learned it was Walter
j. He put ship about and tackled back
and forth, but nothing was seen Of the boy.
Before giving up the search, however, he
called the men aft and asked them whethe or
anything else could be done, "for I don't
want you to 90 back to Nantucket and say
that if something else had been done WAL
ter j. could have been saved. No man,
however, offered suggestion, and alth hough
the time had been long perhaps half an
hour-since the lad lad fallen overheard,
the captain made a few turns more and
called on the men for a final decision
whether anything more could
be done. He finally concluded to hold on
his course, when one of the men said that
he heard cry. They listened and soon
over me-" Half dozen ropes were thrown
out ut by as many different persons, when the
boy said: MAKE bow line I'm too weak to
hold on" A bow line is a rope with large
loop firmly tied in it. It 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 over alls and shoes on. He was
drawn out as naked as when he first ap-
peared in the world, having managed, in
spite of the great exertion Of swimming, to
divest himself of all his clothes in order
that they might not impede his movements.
When asked how he had been able to en-
dure SO long. he answered that he was on
the point of giving up from fatigue, and
ing, when he thought of his mother and
kept on. He is still living in Nantucket.
A Love Match After All.
Eroro tho Rootoo Troneoripf