Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1886-07-30
WHALE HUNTING AT MONTEREY
From the san Francisco Alta. ]

StltuiIoIl vi llc klllu Oh lllc coast. ana
the stock proves very fair investment
to the holders. who are the whale killers
themselves. The business office. store
room and eating and sleeping apartments
of the company are in white adobe
building in the western suburbs. and
half mile further south is high cliff.
whereon is the company's lookout. He
Is armed with Il powerful glass. and a
tall mast is rugged with halyards for
hosting signal when game i, sighted.
The hunting tools consist of three of
the regulation doublc-pointed boats in
use by WhalerS the world over. five long
oars to each boat. 300 fathomS of line
smoothly coiled in tubs in the bow. and
two guns to each boat The larger size
OF the two has the proportions of young
cannon and is mounted on pivot. The
missile discharged from it i a steel bar
foui feet in length. and provided with
folding barb that opens out when the
harpoon bures itself in the whale. Thi,
takes the place of the old-time harpoon.
and Is much more certain and effective.
The lighter gun i, fired from the shout
der. and looks like large-sized fowlinp
piece. 1t has a - 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 explo-
Sive bomb into vital spot. The bomb
j. - inches in diameter by Is inches
long. the butt end being winged with
rubber tips. after the manner in which
an arrow is feathcred. to secure guiding
power
1t was early morning when the white
signal fluttered 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 10 shove of.
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 roll
ed la/ilY about on top of the water. all
unconscious of impending danger. and
did not even deign to notice the approach
OF the boats that came up on either side
ana behind her \ hundred feet away
the men lay on their oars. and Capt.
Mariano sighted over hi swivel gun.
The men bent over their oars. with every
muscle ready to pull or back water at
the slightest hostile movement on the
that seemed an age of awful suspense 10
the green hand. but suddenly the Captain
hada fair mark presented. and pres >cd the
trigger, The boat quiVcrcd under the
shock accompanying the report, and the
eye could plainly catch the flash of the
harpoon a. it Clcavcd the air and buried
itself out of sight somewhere in the rirht
shoulder. Attached to the steel missile
was the stout MANILA line coilcd in the
bow. and it bore the appearance of a
flash of brown lightning a. it zigzagged
through the air after its powerful motor
The whale hardly seemed To compre-
bend the trouble that had overtaken her
at first, and il was fully half minute
before she emitted an angry snort and
started for the bottom at rate that made
the line smoke and emit sparks as is ran
over the bows. Both the captain and
I ia Ill IL
clear depths as the line stopped running
out and Il minute latter the former shout
ed: Back all Back hard, :" The five
aShen blades bent and quivrred with the
strain put on them. but it was none too
much, "a the boat was scarcely a dozen
feet away when the huge bulk of the
Infatuated whale rose to the surface and
Spurted twin columns of brine high in the
air Before the animated watcrspout
could repeat the dose the boat was out of
range, both of the tire-eXtinguiShing
apparatus and the terrible tiukeS that
soon commenced to thrash the water into
foam. Her cOntortionS were 80 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 fukcs
quit their thraShing. and like a flash the
lcviathan dashed away AT a terrific rate,
burying the boats bow between two
walls of water fully eighteen inches high.
hut the speed was such that scarcely a
drop entered the boat. This gait was
kept up for a good ten minutes. and then
the speed commenced to slacken, and the
wounded monster swan easily and
quietly on top of the water.
The living tug came to total stand
still at last, and, pulling around to a
broadSide position, the captain was given
his opportunity. The second explosion
was followed by the whistling of the
rubber-winged bomb, which buried
itself in the great mass of blubber.
had the smoke cleared away
from the bow before the mutiled boom of