The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-01-08
shoulders he hurls the harpoon into him

shoulders he hurls the harpoon into him
with all his power
Then the fun commences. You can
never tell what whale will do. He
may rush right at the boat, he may try
to smash it with his flukes, he may start
off at the rate of twenty miles an hour,
dragging the boat after him, or he may
take soundings. If he rushes for or at
tempts to smash the boat it makes lively
work to keep out of his way. If he goes
down, look out that he doesn't come up
under the boat and send it flying into
the air.
'.In the bow of the boat there is a
shallow tub in which is coiled the har-
pooh line, and you may be sure that the
line is coiled with the greatest care. So
rapidly does it run out that the least
hitch, or kink, even, will capsize the
boat The line is made fast to the boat,
and if the whale starts off on the sur
face of the water he pulls the boat after
him. Ii he goes down and runs out the
line, it is cut at the last moment, and
not infrequently is lost The moment the
whale is struck the Captain of the boat
changes places with the harpooniersman,
and attends to the line. Ii the harpoon
be skillfully thrown, the whales strength
is soon exhausted, and as soon as may be
the boat is pulled alongside and the
| Captain kills him with q lance. If a
whale dies upon the surface he will float,
but if he dies under water he will sink.
The first whale / ever saw struck went
down with rush, and never came to
| the surface, so we lost whale, harpoon
and line.
When a whale is killed he is toweo
alongside of the ship and all hands go
to work stripping off the blubber and
throwing it into the hold When large
amount has been obtained, the trying
out commences. The try-kettles are
placed between the foremost and the
main hatch, and are fired with refuse
blubber or scraps from the kettles. The
| ship is put before the wind with only
enough sail set to give her steerageway,
the helm is dashed and all hands fall-to
| at the kettles. The strips of blubber are
first cut up into chunks called horse
pieces, then cut into thin strips called
Bible leaves, then minced in trough.
A few buckets of oil from whale's
head are first poured into the try-pots,
and when that is hot the minced blubbel
is put in. Woe to the boy who has this
to do! The men who do the stirring
always stand aft of the pots, and every
time he pours in q bucket of minced
blubber the sitting smoke from the fur.
mace and oil yapor from the pots dash
full in his face. He can avoid suffoca.
ton by not breathing, but his eyes he
must use, and the smoke causes then
intense pain. In short time they be
come terribly inf1amed and the agony
seems uncomfortable | was a Thankful
boy when placed my feet on the doci
at New Bedford"
What wages did you get?"
They don't pay wages on board s
whaler, but everybody gets share o.
the catch the Captain one-twentieth
the First Mate one-fortieth, the Second
Mate one-iiftieth, and so on, the com
mon sailors, or green hands. as they arr
called, getting but one barrel in on
hundred and thirty
How many barrels did you get fo
your share?'
I'VE brought about three hundred
barrels, so my share was little owe
two barrels"
Worth how mueh?'
No matter how mnchl Not as mucl
as | owed the slop chest, so di MT wal
| for the ''divvy. '"-DetroI Free Press.