Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1883-07-21
! CAUGHT BY A WHALE.

49, utSiHS LOT WNaleS III tIiS oCOuAhSiy
s2undless expanse of the Pacific Ocean
and up to this time had not seen single
4 spout. You may imagine that we were
almost tired of waiting for our first whale
GAY! ay! where awayP" shouted the
4 mate, fairly leaping from the deck as he
: hailed the lookout who had uttered the
y cry, and, Where away?' shouted the
captain, too, as he rushed out of the
cabin.
Two points for'ard larbo'rd beam, sir!
Sperm whale, heading to wind'ard, bout
three miles OFF,
cay! ay! keep your eye on himl Don't
let him get away! Call all hands, Mr..
Pease! Put that helm hard starboard!
Stand by to brace round,the yards" were
the rarid orders that the captain shouted
out. And then again to the lookout,
5 "Let us know when we he ID for himp
I "Ay, ay, STRIP came down from the
lookout; and the next moment
= STEADY: Now we have him, right
ahead, sir! There blo-o-ws! There
blo-o,o-ws! Movin' rather lively, sir!"
''Steadv as you head now!' shouted
the captain to the man at the wheel
: Get the boats ready, Mr.. Peasew and
: In the same breath he started up the rig
J glng with his glass to get look at the
whale.
/ The Phoenix was by this time moving
towards the whale at the rate OF about
/ five knots an hour, ard preparations were
speedily made for lowering the boats.
But the whale having sounded, it was
half an hour before We again heard the
welcome cry from the lookout at the
: Long win,led old dog!" we heard the
captain muttering from his perch on the
Z fore-yard. 1t was evident that his pa
tience. rs we'll as ours, had touched its
lowest ebb, when we again heard the in
spring cry, which was followed BY
There he is, siri four points off the
lee-bow."
"Ayl ayI we'll ne right in his suds the
next time he rises!' exclaimed the cap
tain. ''Think we've run about far
enough, Mr.. Pease?"
Il think so, STRIP
''Haul up the mainsail then, and lay
the main-yards back! Ease down that
helm! Steady now! Let that jib sheet
\ flow out little. Now hoist and swing!
IRE you readyP
"Ay, ay, slr!"
Lower away then"
Al! three boats, the captains and the
first and second mates, splashed on the
water at the same moment. "Out oars,
boys" was the next order, and we shot
forward in spirited and friendly race
for the monster in the distance.
My shipmate, 'Rier Garvin, and my
self were in the same boat, the hrst
mates. We were from the same old
fishing village in Massachusetts. and
had been lads at school together; to-
gether, too, we had come ont on this our
hrst voyage. But while IN size and weight
| was little chap" 'Rier was tall.
bony, hght-haired young fellow, lathy
and ieft-handed, but muscular, and one
fof the strongest and most tireless SWIM
mers | have ever known. At this time
he was not far from twenty years old
my senior by just year and a month.
'Rler was strong Oarsman, and he
had, when a squirt was needed, knack
of half-rising from the thwart, placing
the palm of his right hand at the end Of
mis- oar-shaft, and thus throwing his
whole weight into his stroke. In a hard
t1ssle he more than made up for my own
lighter strokes.
As boys We had both practised great
deal at throwing the harpoon-mostlv at
posts or hay-eocks, for going on whal-
ing cruise had always been petscheme
with us.
There are certain games and feats to
which every boys mind naturally in
clines. This of throwing the harpoon
was one at which 'Rer excelled.
In fact, it was quite sight to see 'Rier
noise his long body for cast of the
Aurpoon. He could throw to a remark
able distance. A standard harpoon,
with its connecting line, is no plaything;
but 'Rier-with plenty of room to swing
was good for pretty sure rising cast
OF eighty, or even a hundred feet.
AS the captain had predicted, We
were right in the whales ''suds," the
next time he rose. The old chap broke
water scarcely two boat-lengths from
the secord mates boat. But we, though
fully abreast, were outside of that boat,
and TO Mr. Parsons boat-steerer be-
Ionged the first cast.
'Rier was one of our harpooners, or
boat-steerers, and he was that day to
make his first cast at real whale. He
rose up balancing the iron pole in his
left hand. "No use," said the mate.
''They have the first lick at him."
CAV, do they?" yelled 'Rier. Then
saw him bend to 1t and that long left
arm come back.
It was quite in defiance of orders and
custom; but the next instant his har-
poon described mighty curve IN the
air ten feet over the inside boat, and
struck with dull sound clean to the
"hitch" in the as vet undisturbed whale.
"Avast therei What are We about?'
shouted the second mate; and the next
instant, stung to the quick, the big lev
than huxes in the air and down he
went.
"PuIr boys! screamed their boat-steer-
or we'll be caught in the blight of
their Iine!" and they had barely time TO
shoot clear when our line became laut
and began to whiz around the logger
head
It is amazing to what depth whales
will often GO when harpooned. diver
even in armor, cannot bear the tremen-
dous pressure at greater depth than a
hundred and sixty feet. But whale
will sound to the depth of more than
half mile straight down.
Instances are related by old whale
men OF whales running out SIX thousand
feet of line at a single downward plunge.
It seems as if the pressure at such an
enormous depth must crush the great
spongy creature like dough beneath the
bakers roller; and why it does not,
have never heard satisfactorily ex-
planned.
But this, our first whale of the Phosn-
tx, did not descend to a very great dis
lance before the line suddenly sIackened
"He's rising, boys" muttered the
mate, and he laid hold of the lance.
"Back water Stand by there, to give
him another ironW
Right ahead of the boats bows great
black shadow presently rose up with a
heavy swash! and the next moment we
were deluged with spray and water. All
three of the boats were at close Lauls.
and three harpoons flew out on the in
Stant.
"Forwardlhuickp' shouted Mr.. Pease,
as he stood in the bows, lance in hand.
Our boat was almost touching the
monsters black side, when suddenly he
seemed filled with fury, and thrusting
bis great lease" half out of the water,
with single upward ''clack" of his
Iong Jaws, he crunched our boat midway
ITS length!
Even we in the stern had barely time
A. Joa,, ont into tho wafer where mo-