Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1883-12-28
Following q Whale.
A DIVE TO THE BorroM OF THE SEA AND
Miraculous ESCAPE.

A ship some time ago arrived at Bristol.
| after a successful whaling voyage. Time
was when thousands of vessels tracked the
great sea monsters in search Of oil, but the
discovery of the mineral article has made the
trade no lenger remunerative, or, at least.
much less an object of pursuit. The ship re.
ferred to was the West Wind, commanded BY
Captain Parker, who met with most peril
Gus adventure during her cruise, and which
came very near costing him his life. Under
the NEST favorable circumstances the occu-
patton of the whaler is one of great danger
and physical trial. and very few ships ever
return to port without losing one or more
hands by the ordinary exigences OF the ser
vice.
1t seems that Captain Parker was out from
his ship with boats crew, chasing . whale.
and, having fastened his harpoon TO the
creature, it dived, as usual, and the line.
coiled in the bows OF the boat, began to rua
out with lightning speed, - the monster
sank to the extreme depth of the ocean. At
this critical juncture Captain Parker went to
the forward part Of the boat to be sure that
there was no twist in the rope to prevent It
working clear. The line was running out
with such rapidity as to cause smoke to arise
from the woodwork Ct the boat, and the cap
tain threw water, as 10 the custom, upon the
he was canted from his position, and he nat
urally threw out his left hand to prevent
himself from falling; bnt in doing 90 he un-
fortunately placed it SO that the rope coiled
about his wrist, and he was overheard and
all out OF sight in an instant.
He was perfectly conscious while he WAS
rushing down, head foremost, with an incred-
ible swiftness, and it appeared to him that
his arm would be torn from the socket, -
great was the resistance of the water. During
| these awful moments he was we'll aware Of
his perious situation. and that his only chance
| for life was to cut the line. But how could
he do this? He could not move his right arm
| from his side, to which it was so closely
pressed by the forse Of the element through
he was being drawn. The pressure on his
brain grew more and more terrible. and
roaring as of thunder sounded in his ears.
| He opened his eyes for q single instant. and
| it seemed As though a stream of Are was
passing before them. and now came that
| inevitable activity of the brain which charac-
| terizss all such perilous situations whore
| ones whole life seems to pass in review 10 an
instant of time. But the captain was . very
practical man, cool and courageous always,
and consequently still self-possessed.
He began to struggle with all his muscular
power to reach the knife which he wore in his
| every instant, and it was now or never with
him, though we should say, parenthetically,
that which requires so long to describe was
reckoned by seconds rather than minutes.
Oh, if he could but command his right hand
for one stroke upon that fatal line. Now his
heart began to fail him. He did not abso-
lutely despair, but his brain reeled. his nerves
seemed to relax their tension, light and dark
ness seemed to alternate before his eyeballs,
and his head felt as though compressed in IN
| iron wise. Were those his last momentsf He
thought, in spite of his agonizing pain he en-
dured, he would make one more brave effort.
The line providentially slackened for .
second he reached his knife, and, rs quick
as thought itself, as the rope became taut
again, the keen edge of the blade was upon
it, and by desperate effort of his arm II be-
came severed. He was freed, and then COM
menced his upward passage. caused by the
natural bnoyancy of the human body. After
this he only remembered feeling Of suffo-
cation, gurgiing spasm, and all was over
un'il be awoke to an agonizing pain Of reviv-
ing consciousness in the arms of his boats
crew. Trnly one of the most remarkable
escapes from death on record.