Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1881-08-10
Fights with Whales.

''fss, We did see something of a school
of sperm whales, /" said Captain King, of
the steamer Tropic, but it was good
ways off and we didn't take especial no
tice. We were bowling along at about
ten knots an hour with q light breeze
and fair sea, in latitude "a deg. 2S min.
and longitude IA deg. "a min. had
the wheel and was talking with one of
the men, when all at once I saw as
pretty sperm whale spout as ever saw
In my life. Am l sure about it? I should
say 1 was, for am an old whaleman,
having started to follow the sea in an
old-time whaler. The whale was going
about south-southwest, I should think
1t WAS going slowly and evidently hav-
ing good time. After awhile I saw
another one following and swimming
fast, as if to catch up with the first one.
Next day saw another whale great
ways of, but I couldn't tell which way
it was going. There may have been a
school of them, but I didn't see only
three. Sperm whales stray in that part
of the ocean only once in great while,
and then they are probably chasing their
favorite food.
Sometimes they are dangerous to
whale hunters, especially when crank
whale is met. I have heard men say
that the sperm whale Will not show fight,
but it struck me that they had never
sailed in whaler. The first fight with
a sperm whale in which 1 took a hand
was in 1869, when WAS with the whaler
Mary G. Currie. We sighted one after
noon fine large whale, about five miles
off, and when We were near enough We
lufed up and lowered away the boats.
The captain himself had one boat, the
mate had one and AN old whaler had
another 1 was with the mate. You
have heard about whales running from
boats, but this one stood his ground and
didn't seem to be afraid of us. Our boat
reached him first, but as soon IS the
whale saw us coming he came at US bows
on We lost no time in getting out of
his way and it made US laugh to see the
other boats dodge around. This made |
the men a trifie nervous and when We
tried him again they backed away for
dear life, afraid to go near enough for
the harpooner to throw his weapon.
This made the whale raving mad, and,
as a consequence, We went so near next
time that the whale opened his caver-
nous jaws and bit the boat in two.
CATER the men had been fished out of
the water by the old whaler's boat the
mate got into the captains boat and
tried the whale again. When they start
ed the mate stood up in the bow and
yelled: "The first man who looks out of
this boat at that whale will get stabbed
with this harpoon. Away they won't
right up to the spouter's head. The
harpoon was driven home and the boat
was backed away. The cold steel had
done its work well, for soon the sea was
red with blood and the monster whale,
after thrashing the water into foam, lay
dead.
81 was in another fight with a whale
near the same place, the Connell grounds.
in 1871. We came out of the fight with
two smashed boats and two or three dis
abled men, but We killed the whale. The
mate I was with in the first fight was
killed two years ago in fight with an
ugly whale. I understand they fought
for three hours, but the whale got the
best of them. He WAS one of the largest
ever seen and had half dozen harpoons
sticking in his back. The mate was al
ways game and would never give up, but
he met his match that time. 1t was a
fight to the death and the mate went
into one fight too many.