Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-07-25
IMMENSE SCHOOL OF WHALES.
seven Hundred OF Them looming on
a Picnic Down the Coast.

Capt. Hallett, Of the steamship Seminole,
from Boston, which arrived here yesterday
afternoon, reports that on Friday,ithe 2Sd
inst, he passed large school Of whales OF
Cape Henry, moving southwark down the
coast. The sight Of a whale cruising along
the coast is no unusual occurrence, but old
naviQators state that it is rather extraordi-
nary to see such number in one body
moving in the same direction in these
waters. It appears that the discovery
of these whales on the South Allan
tic coast is exciting considerable inter
est at the North, their presence having
been reported by captains OF vessels
arriving at New York. AS of interest In
this connection, the oily monsters
seeming to be coming this way, we give the
following account of an interview between
a representative of the New York Sun and
Captain Sawyer, of the bark lois, which ar
rived at that port on Friday last. In answer
to the inquiry il he had really seen whales
off Pimlico Sound on his way up the coast,
Captain Sawyer said:
"Whalesg ANY number OF them. There
must have been two miles OF black backs
and water spouts."
Capt. SAWYER unrolled a time worn chart
on the table in his cabin, and, with his
dividers, followed down number OF pencil
marks to latitude twenty degrees and longi-
tude seventy-four degrees fifteen minutes.
This brought him to point about eighty
miles off Pimlico Sound, and further north
east of Cape Hatteras.
at was on Saturday and Sunday" he
continued, 'when we encountered these
sperm whales going south or southwest, as
II to round Hatteras. They were going
very slowly, backs above the water, and
were spOuting all of the time. They were
strolling along in groups, summing them
selves half an hour at time, and then
taking header and coming up to spout"
Chow many were there ?"
"Well, first we met two schools OF about
100 each, should say. Occasionally they
frolicked and Topped about heavily In a
sort of dignified and elephantine sport.
More followed, and the next morning (Sun-
dav) we saw more Altogether there were
over 200 on the picnic. We passed within
500 feet of two big fellows, but they seem
ed preoccupied and didn't notice the ship.
| don't think they knew we were there"
Had you any means Of capturing themS''
"No, and it did seem pity to have so
much valuable sperm oil indOlentlY swim
ming away from US. There were some big
whales there, too. l said to Limerick, one
of my men here, Now, there's fellow
that's worth $1,000. and he must have beer,
and there were bigger ones In the school. 1t
would have been a harvest for whaling
ship. A million dollars in sperm whales is
too good haul to let go by, but we couldn't
do anything. Occasionally l have seen a
sperm whale cruising along as far south as
Savannah, and once in a while I've heard of
whale ships off about there. But L never
saw SO many whales at one time before any
where"
"Where were they goingsn
"For squids, probably. That's favorite
food with them"
SIS there any danger to be feared from
them?"
''NO; they're harmless. l think l never
heard of more than one case where whale
attacked vessel, and that's in ancient his
tory. Over hundred years ago, believe,
the ship Essex was run down by mad
whale. My own experience with whales
has been that they are shy, and if they up
set boat, do it by accident in trying to get
away"