The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1885-01-30
CAPTURING A BIG WHAl. Ii
An Exciting Chase OFF the Long
Island COns'.


A dispatch from Amagansctt, Long Island.
to the New York sum- gives a vivid account
| of the capture of an immense whale after Il
prolonged contest with the marine monster
A party of whalcmen were cutting up the
carcass Of another whale that had been cap
turcd few days before when a black mound
was seen rising above the water, two miles
off Shore shining in the sun, and forging
Slowly ahead, moved by the lazy Tapping of
n gigantic tail.
Blubber and try pots were deserted, says
the dispatch, and in ten minutes the three
boats of tho village were cutting tho water in
hot pursuit. Five men were pulling at the
Cras in each boat, with a sixth as captain or
boat header, standing in the stern steering
and watching the monsters movements Half
mile of hard rowing brought the boats to
the point of the bar, and as they pulled out
into the open ocean they saw the three
Whaling boats from East Hampton come
dancing over the waves
The whale at this time became suspicious
and dived out of sight. Then all the whale
boats separated, each pulling toward the spot
where its captain thought the Whale most
likely to appear. At shutdown the whale still
innumcrablc times, and succeeded in throw
ing off the track all but one of his pursuers
One of the Amagansett boats was still with
him, and was following closely every one of
his movements Old Joshua Edwards. the
oracle of whales was i'm command Hn
seemed to know just what the whales inten-
lions were, and just as the sun set he sue
ceetel in fOolng it. He hal all alonr care.
fully avoided crossing the whales track. be
cause, he said, whales can feel a boat crossing
their track. All the other boats being well to
the rear, the big monster stopped to hrea the
and take it easy. Captain Edwards motioncd
to his men to make but little noise The I'M
suspcCting whale lay still on the water until
the bow of the boat was within fifteen feet of
the side. Then the captain motioned to his
men again. They stopped rowing, and Geo
Smith, laying aside his oar. stood up i'm the
bow of the boat and hurled harpoon deep
into the whales back
Then it was 'stcrn all!n for their lives. The
men backed water as hard as they could from
the dangerous vicinity, but the whale went off
like shot, lashing the water with his tail
and dragging the boat behind him at railroad
speed. After the first burst of fury he sank
and fathom after fathom of the tow line at
tached to the harpoon was paid out. In a
lew minutes he rose again, and tore through
the water once more. Captain Edwards had
taken up ms position in the bow of the boat
holding hatchet in one hand, ready to sever
the rope in case of necessity, and in the other
long keen lance, eagerly watching his OBJ
portunlty to plunge it into a vital spot. but
the whale was whoppcr fifty feet long and
ms powers OF endurance seemed neXhaustible
In short time the boat was dragged eight
miles out to sea, with a long crimson wake
stretching far behind it. The other boats
were doing their best to catch up with the
chase, but in vain. Occasionally tho stricken
monster would lie motionless on the water
and the men in the boat underworld
n Inv 1,.,,,
selves up hand over hand. but tins strain
ON the harpoon generally spurred HIM to re
neWed struggles. and he would start AWAY
again. He had been lanced dozen tim 5 he.
fore o'clock but the constant lashing of his
terrible tail kept the men at IA distance. and
the wounds were not deep.
At last, however. he showed signs of weak
ness, and Captain Edwards after drawing up
as close as possible, took up instead OF his
lance broad, sharp instrument called
spade. He hurled 1t with such dexterity and
force at the monsters tail that he severed
some of the mus les and seemed to paralvze
ii. The whale then lay at the mercy of his
purSuerS The latter drew up without fear,
and the captain, taking deliberate aim, in
til"ted fatal wound. The whale sank at
once but soon came up SpoIting blood and
in ten minutes he rolled over and foated life
less on the water
In a short time the other two Amagansett
boats came up. All three boats wero fasten-
ed, one behind the other, in tandem stvle and
the fifteen men, guided 10y a big beacon fire
built by their friends on the Shore started to
tow their prize back. At o'clock this morn
ing the difficult task was ACCOMPLISHED and
the whale lay stranded off shore The work
of stripping off the bubbcr and taking ont
the whalebone was begun at once and it has
been going ON ever since, There is great re-
lolcinS in the village and no jealousy among
the crews As each of the eighteen Amagans4tt
men VIII receive an puual share Cautaiue mud