The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1884-08-22
THE ST0yEN BOAT.
Absorbing Incident ofa Whaling Voyage
Marine Record. A

III oiueF 10 ODtaln Il substance, there
is none that will compare, in danger and
hardship, with that Of q whaleman, and
yet how little the people on the shore
know of this. 1t is in order to let
them have some insight into this bust,
ness that the following narrative is writ
ten. The facts, as they occurred, were
noted in the journal or log soon after
they transpired:
On the 14th day of December, 1887.
the good ship Croesus, of Newburg,
Captain Perkins, was cruising some
where between the latitude of 36 and
37.s and longitude Of 60 east, in search
OF fright whale. 1t was in the forenoon
and the old ship was moving along un,
der the %topgallant sails with a light
breeze at the rate Of about forty knots
an hour. The most hardened grumble1
could not find fault with the day. Al
the fore and main topgallant crosstrees
were two men on the lookout for whales.
1t was now nearly four o'clock in the
afternoon when the man in the main
sang out:
"These she blowsm y
He repeated the cry regular five o,
six times. All was now excitement
among the officers and men. Every
n was anxious to know if it was the
kind of whale that was wanted.
The mate hailed the man at the mast
head:
Where away is that whale? What
do you call herr"
Right whale, sir, on the lee beam,
two miles off. Look out sharply for
her"
Sing out when the ship heads for
her" 2
aye, aye sir"
keep her away" said the captain to
the man at the helm. Boy, hand me
the spy glass"
Steady" sung out the man at the
mast head"
Steady it is" answered the man OF
the wheel. ~
The captain started to go aloft "Mr.
A." to the mate, "you may square in
the after yards and call all hands"
Forward there!" shouted the mate.
Haul the mainsail up and quare the
yards! Bill!!' to an old sailor
STRIP a.
Call NIL hands,
"Aye, aye, sir. All hands ahoy,'
shouted old Bill, in q voice like a temp
est: "stand by the boats."
Unless than no time the deck was alive
with men.
Boat steerers, get your boat ready"
In q moment the boats were IN readi-
ness, the tubs put in, and the lines bent
on the harpoons, the crew standing
by ready to follow the boat. Down
went the boats and down followed
the crew, down to the water when the
word came from the captain to lower
away.
"There she blows" sung out the man
ut the fore, "not half q mile off,"
"Down helm!" shouted the captain.
'Mr. A., brace the mizzcn topsail
Hoist and swing the boats and lower
away!"
As the boats struck the water, every
man on his thwart, with his hands on the
loom of the oar, and in less time than it
takes to write it the three boats were
cutting their way through the water in
the direction Of the whale
1t was my duty to steer the mates
boat, and she happened to be the fast
est puller, so that, although we all left
the ship together, and for a few rods
keep nearly head and head with each
other, still we knew well enough that
as soonaas word came from the mate tc
give way" we should drop the others
in a moment. So we did not fret our
selves, but kept cool for o tight pull
when, the whale should show himself on
the surface of the water again, which
he did in q moment after.
"There she is," cried the mate, land
not over ten rods from the boat. Now
my dear fellows, lay back hard, I tell
you! There she blows! Only give, my
boys, and she is ours!"'
The boat bounded forward like q
thing cf= life.
"Spring like tigers!" says the mate,
his voice sinking almost to a whisper,
I looked to see what kind of o chance ]
was to have at the same time pulling al
my oar with all my might. We were GO
ing on to her starboard quarter, just
the chance I liked to fasten to q whale
"Stand up!" shooted the mate, and
in q momentI had two harpoons to the
bitches into her.
ssStern-stern ALL" sung out the
mate, as he saw the iron in the whale
"Come here, my boy" he said to me
We shifted ends, he to the head, and
to the stern of the boat. The whale
started off like lightning.
"Hold on line" said the mate, and
away we shot after her, like an arrow
from a bow. The mate by this time
had his lance ready.
".Haul me on that whale, "he shouted
and all hands turned to hauling line
while coiled it away to the sterr
sheets.
Wsshad got nearly up to the whale
when she went to sounding" taking
the lins right up and down from the
head 81 the boat. I had two turns o
Tie line around the logger-head, anG
was holding on as the boat would bear
when, all at once, another larger whale
that we knew nothing about, shot vi
out Of the water nearly her Who'll,
length, in a slanting position, hanging
directly ovcr the boat. I threw off thu
turns from the loggerhead and shouted
TO the men to stern" Bnt it wasiof NO
use; she fell the whole Of her body on
the boat. Iheard a crash, and as l went
down / felt q, pressure of wafer over M
head, caused as then thought, by tn