News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1886-08-05
WHALE HUNTING AT MONTEREY.
The Terrible Bomb Lance of the Whale
man ard How 1t is Used.
TFron the San Francisco Alta. /

man and How it is Used.
From the San Francisco Alta.1
The Monterey Whaling Company is
about the oldest institution of the kind
on the Pacific coast, and the stock
proves fair investment to the holders,
\ who are the whale killers themselves.
| The business office, storeroom, and eat
ing and sleeping apartments of the COM
pany are III d white adobe building if
the western suburbs, and a half mile
further south Is high cliff, whereon is
the company's lookout. He is armed
with powerful glass, and tall mast is
rugged with halyards for hosting a sig
nal when game is sighted.
| The hunting tools consist of three OF
the regulation double-pointed boats in
use by whalers the world oyer, five long
cars to each boat, two hundred fathoms
~ fine sr;ahaothly coiledSs~~, tubs in the
| bow, and two guns to eacSS..boat. The
! larger size of the two has the proper
tions of young cannon and is mounted
on pivot. The missile discharged from
it is steel bar; four feet in length,
and provided with folding barb that
opens out when the harpoon buries it.
self in the whale. This takes the place
of the old-time harpoon, and is much
more certain and effective. The lighter
gun is fired from the shoulder, and looks
like large sized fowling piece. 1t has
one and half inch bore 1t is used
to put the finishing touches on the whale
after the harpoon has made him fast,
and the method is to fire an explosive
bomb into vital spot. The bomb is
one and half inches in diameter by
eighteen inches long, the butt end be-
ing winged with rubber tips, after the
manner in which an arrow is feathered,
to secure guiding power.
1t was early morning when the white
signal f1uttered to the top of the staff
of the mast on the cliff, and having pre-
viously obtained permission to join the
hunt with Capt. Mariana, the Quarter
master was speedily seated in the stern
sheets, awaiting the signal to shove off.
This was soon given, and six miles to
the northwest the three boats came up
with their game, which proved to be an
unusually large specimen of the Califor-
MIA gray variety. The gigantic fish
rolled lazily about on top of the water,
all unconscious of impending danger,
and did not even deign to notice the ap-
proach of the boats that came upon
either side and behind her A hundred
feet away the men lay on their oars, and
Capt. Mariana sighted over his swivel
gun. The men bent over their oars,
with every muscle ready to pull or back
water at the slightest hostile movement
on the part of the enemy. 1t was a mo-
ment that seemed an age of awful sus.
pense to the green hand, but suddenly
the Captain had a fair mark presented,
and pressed the trigger. The boat quiv-
cred under the shock accompanying the
report, aid the eye could plainly catch
the flash of the harpoon as it cleaved
the air and buried itself out of sight
somewhere in the right shoulder. At
tached to the steel missile was the stout
manila line coiled in the bow, and it
bore the appearance of flash of brown
lightning as it zlgzagged through the
air after its powerful motor.
The whale hardly seemed to compre-
hend the trouble that had overtaken
her at first, and it was fully half min.
ute before she emitted an angry snort
and started for the bottom at rate that
made the line smoke and emit sparks as
it ran over the bows Both the captain
and the boat steerer peered uneasiy into
the clear depths as the line stopped
running out. and q minute later the
former shouted, " Back all! Back
hardp' The five ashen blades bent and
quivered with the strain put on them,
but it was none too much, as the boat
was scarcely a dozen feet away when
the huge bulk of the infuriated whale
rose to the surface and spouted twin
columns of brine high in the air. Be
fore the animated wa erspout could
repeat the dose the boat was out of
range, both of the fire extinguishing
apparatus and the terrible t1ukes that
soon commenced to thrash the water
into foam. Her contortions were SO
violent that the captain could not
get in shot with his bomb gun, which
he raised and lowered half dozen
times without pulling the trigger.
Finally the flukes quit their threshing,
and like a flash the leviathan dashed
away at a terrific rate, burrying the
boats bow between two walls of water
fully eighteen inches high, but the
speed was such that scarcely drop
entered the boat. This gait was kept
up for a good ten minutes, and then
the speed commenced to sIacken, and
the wounded monster swan easily and
quietly on top of the water.
The living tug came to a total stand
still at last, and pulling around to
broadside position, the captain was
given his opportunity. The second ex-
plosion was followed by the whistling
of the rnbber- winged bomb, which
buried itself in the great mass of blub-
Der. Scarcely. had the smoke cleared
away from the bow before the muffled
boom of the bomb, exploding in the
historical residence of Jonah, sounded
the death-knell of the poor old whale
The victims huge bulk grew animated
again, but for only a moment The
fukes thrashed violently for few sec
onds, while the waterspouts became
tinged a warm red Struggles and
spouts became more and more con
tracted, until, with a last final effort
the inwardly wounded monster rolled
over and expired. The other boats
made fast, and hard pull of three
hours landed the prize on the beach
near the try pots, where it is to be cut
up to-day.