Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1885-03-21

| Tho Rivals" and 'She StO0P5 30 SonQQeT
will be given. Mr.. Lester Wallackj Dion
I Boucicault and John Gilbert and several
other celebrated actors have signifed their
/ wish to participate, and the house will be
| decorated with flowers, ferns and plants and
| rendered very dressy. We join in the
| hearty admiration to the lady and wish her
many years of prosperity. Mrs. Vincent
first played the part of Martha in RE
| view' at Cowes Theater Isle of Wight, Eng
| land, April of 1885, and has been with the
Museum thirty-three years next May.
wHALERs OF AHsAGANsETT.
I! Chasing the Levfathans of the Deep-
| Scenes On Sea and Shore.
[Amagansett O.. ~ Letter to the New York
In the good old days of whale-oil lamps and
| Franklin freplaces, sixty whaling vessels
| sailed out of Sag Harbor, and all the sturdy
| manhood of this part Of Long Island went a.
| whaling and of all the hardy crews that sung
| of Liverpool jack and Hanging Johnny"
none We're composed of such bold seamen OF
1 expert Esharpooners'' as those who drew their
strength from the men of Amagansett. The
/ good old days have passed away. but the men
| of Amapansett are as stout OF heart and
strong of limb were their fathers, and,
| since they no longer go after the whales, the
| whales obligfngiy come to them: They come
| in winter when strong winds blow over the
| ocean and the surf thunders ON the desolate
1 shore Then, when the whales are seen play
ing about the village, the traditions OF gene
l ratiens of whale hunters stir the hearts of
| the men of Amagattaest, and, launching their
| boats through the breakers they pull off thro'
| the wintry seas.
Then begins sport worthy of tf1s days
when giants hunted the mastodon and hShed
! for the icthyoeauri. In each whale-boat are
1 six men, Not ordinary men, either, but the
strongest and bravest and most expert that
are to be found on the coast from Montauk
to Shinnecock Five of them row, and the
4 sixth. the captain, steers the boat with
| twenty-foot oar. run through q molock IN the
stern CoiIed upon the bow isa long ropes
to which is attached harpoon. Other har-
poons and lances lie haHay in the boat. A
strong post sticks up in the bow, around
which the coil of rope is fastened. The Ian
ces have diamond-shaped head of steel, and
are sharp as a razor. The handle is of iron up
to a certain point, when it becomes wood for
convenience in handling. These lances are
for killing the whale after it has been har-
pooned and the boat drawn alongside. The
harpoons have either arrow-shaped heads or
a head which opens after it has penetrated the
whale and hol&s the harpoon fast. The man
who pulls the oar nearest the bow is the
"harpooner." He it is who throws the mar
uoon when the whsle is near enough. There
is great excitement, and each boats crew
strain every muscle, making the tough oars
bend ASi
honor of being first to fasten on to whale
Meantime d flag; from pole stuck threugh
the skylipht Ii Captain Joshua Edwards
house has told the villa5s that there Is "a
whale off - and the women OF the place ana
the men not fortunate enough to nave place
in the boats collect on the beach, tne women
sheltering themselves behind the sant,v knobs
to watch the combat 1t is no chifd's plS~.T
this hunting of the whale, and some of the
women Watching may be widows before it is
over some maiden may see her lovers body
flung by the breakers on the shore at her
feet But never truef-hssrtea nor Drawer
knights fought in the lists for love dnd glory
than these men of Amsgansett, who struggle
for honor and the means to make their bleak
homes more comfortable. For each whale
represents considerable amount of money,
and as nearly all the Amagansett men are
fishers and are consequently out of work in
winter, the money obtatned by the capture of
whale comes in exceedingly handy In the
long months of idleness.
Above the noise of the surf the people ool-
lected On the beach can hear the shouts of the
men in the b5ats as they pull for the whale.
The whale disappears for moment, but pres
emily comes to the sur ace, blowing two foun
tains of water from his blow-holes 6 There
she blows!" shouts the captain, who sees the
whale first ''Blows! blows!" echoes from
the other captains, and the boats are in hot
pursuit. Before they can reach him, howev-
er the whale ''sounds," OF dives below the
surface Then the boatmen lay on their oars,
anxiously waiting Suddenly a great black
mass rears itself from the water and falls
back with a splash ''There she breaches"
is then the shout, and the boats are off again.
This time the whale swims along on the sur
face, and the boats rapidly approach it.
When the leading boat is within twenty feet
of the whale the s'harpooner," standing up in
the bow, throws the harpoon. The whale
feels it penetrate his thick side and is off like
a shot from cannon. The rope flies over
the bow so rapidly that the wood smokes,
and if the whale keeps on until all the line
is out the hoat is drawn through the water
with great rapidity. As soon as the whale IS
struck the captain shouts "Starn aiI,' and
the men back water to get at safe dis
tance from the whale; for if, instead OF start
ing off with rush when he feels the har
poon, he should prove. ugly and turn on the
boat, it would be death for every one IN 1t II
he reached it, The harpoon having been
planted in the whale, the ''harpooner" takes
the captains place at the steering oar, and
the captain going forward stands in the bow
with a lance, ready to bury it in the whale
at the proper time. The other boats come
up and lie near, but do not interfere in the
struggle, unless the boat that struck the whale
is in need of assistance a; it would not be
whaling etiquette to do SO. The struggle be-
tween the whale and it's hunters is a most
desperate one. The whale makes every effort
to get away or to destroy its captors-sound-
ing, preaching, blowing and dragging the
boat about over the water with great speed.
The boatmen exert themselves to prevent the
boat from being swamped crushed oy the
whale. When the whale, exhausted by his
frantic efforts, lies still on the surface, the
boat is pulled close alongside him, wood and
black skim the whalers call it. When 1t IS
s'wood and black skim the captain let's fly
his lance, endeavoring to strike the whale in
IL =, - 30 Iii ho1n OF
the first blow, however, and the battle RACES
for hours. Finally some one notices that the
water which the whale spouts is tlnged with
blood, and the cry, 'sdead whale" goes up.
In few minutes after he spouts blood the
whale is dead, and the boats, all making fast
to the great black carcass, tow it to the beach,
where it is secured by ropes to posts driven
into the shore. The shout that goes up from
the wind-swept beach when che villagers see
the successful boats returning scares the sea
gulls wheeling overhead, and the men who
captured the whale are the heroes in trium
phant procession that At, winds from the neach
through the sandy hillocks to where the lights
in the village windows already gleam thro'
the gathering gloom.
Last wear, for some reason, no whales ap-
peared off the coast, but this winter they have
come again as usual, and two have been cap
tured Together the whales are estimated to
be worth 81 900. The amount received from
vided evenly among the neil who manned the
boats which went to the capture.
A little back from the beach shed has
been built, and under it are some rudely CON
structed fre-places, with large iron kettles
over them Here the blubber is carted as
soon as it is cut off the whale, and here it is
| to be sstried OUT The blubber lies all about
the shed now in great cakes, frozen solid. As
| soon as it thaws it will be ''tried out" This
| little shed on the beach is regarded as place
of Importance by the villagers, and is spoken
of as tThe try works"
The whaleboats which are used here are
kept IN little boat houses on the beach
Whenever the flag is hoisted on Captain Josh
ua Edwards house it acts as did the whistle
of Roderic Dhu. A minute before, not liv-
ing being is to be seen, but only the snow
covered field, the houses of the village, the
| deserted shore. Suddenly the flag is hoisted
In an instant, it seems, there seen men
hurrying across the fields and running along
| the beach to the lighthouses, putting on their
| oilskin jackets as they run.
When the men of Amagansett go for
whale they seldom fail to capture it: A year
| ago last March, the boats went off after par
| ticularly large whale which was seen off the
beach They fought with him all the after
noon. and then, being out of sight OF land,
| and pieht coming on they gave up the battle