Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1886-08-20
WHALE HUNT AT MONTEREY.

agent at Sisseton Agency, d. I.
WHALE HUNT AT MONTEREY.
How the Huge Mammals Die The Terrible
Bomb Lance in Use.
The quartermaster of the Aggie has
returned from a cruise to Monterey, and
is glowing with consciousness of his
bravery in participating in whale hunt
that resulted in a capture. The Monter-
ey Whaling Company is about the old
est institution of the kind on the coast,
and the stock proves a very fair invest
ment to the holders, who are the whale
killers themselves. The business office,
store-room and eating and sleeE ing apart
ments of the company are in white adobe
buildings in the western suburbs, and
half mile further south is a high cliff,
where is located the company lookout.
He is armed with powerful glass, and a
tall mast is rugged with halliards for
hoisting signal when game is sighted.
The hunting tools consisted of three
of the regulation double pointed boats
in use by whalers the world over, five
long oars to each boat, POO fathoms of
line smoothly coiled in tubs in the bow.
and two guns to each bow. The larger
size of the two has the proportions of a
young cannon and Is mounted on pivot.
The missile discharged from 1t Is n steel
bar, four feet in length, and provided
with folding barb that opens out when
the harpoon buries itself i'll the whales
interior. 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 a fowl
ing piece. Ii has an inch and a half
bore. 1t Is used oput 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 an inch and half in diane
ter, by eighteen inches long, the butt end
being winged with rubber tips, after the
manner in which an arrow is feather ed,
to secure guiding power. 1t was early
morning when the white signal fluttered
to the top of the mast on the cliff, and,
having previously obtained permission
to join the hunt with Captain Mariana,
the quartermaster 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
California gray variety.
The gigantic fish rolled lazily about on
the top of the water all unconscious of
impending danger, and did not even
deign to notice the approach of the boats
that came upon either sides and behind
her. A hundred feet away the men lay
on their oars, and Captain Mariana sight
ed over his swived gun. The men bent
over their oars, with every muscle ready
TO pull or back water at the slightest hos
tile movement Onathe part of the enemy.
Ii was moment that seemed an age of
awful suspense to the green hand, but
suddenly the Captain had fair mark
presented, and pressed the trigger. The
boat quivered under the shock accom-
panying the report, and 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.
Attached to the steel missile was the stout
MANILA line coiled in the bow, and it bore
the appearance of flash of brown light
ming as it zigzaged through the air after
its powerful motor. The whale hardly
seemed to comprehend the trouble that
had overtaken her at first, and it was full
ly half a minute before she emitted an
angry snort and started for the bottom at
a rate that made the line smoke and emit
Captain and the boat-steerer peered un-
easily into the clear depths as the line
stopped running out, and minute later
the former shouted. Back all! Back
hard!' The five ashen blades bent and
quivered with the strain on them, but it
was none too much, as the boat was scarce
ly dozen feet away when the huge bulk
of the infuriated whale rose to the surface
and sprouted twin colums of brine high
in the ait, bucket or two seeking the
back of the reporters neck for a resting
place as it descended. Before the ami
mated waterspout could repeat the
dose the boat was out of range,
both of the fire eNtinguishing appar-
atus and the terrible tiukes that soon com
menced to thresh the water into foam.
Her cOntortions were 30 violent that the
captain could not get in a shot with his
bomb-gun, which he raised and lowered
half dozen times without pulling the
trigger. Finally the tiukes quit their
threshIng, and like flash, the leviathan
dashed away at terrific rate, burying the
boats bow between two walls of water
fully eighteen inches high, but the speed
was such that scarcely drop of water
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 quiet
ly 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 with dull kerchug. 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 knoll of the
poor old whale. The victims huge bulk
grew animated again, but for moment.
The lukes threshed violently for a few
seconds, while the waterspouts became
tinged warm red. Struggles and spouts
became more and more contracted, until.
with last final effort, the inwardly
wounded monster rolled over and expired.
The other boats made fast, and a hard
pull of three hours landed the prize on
the beach.
Had Water-Tight Room.
Texas SiftiEgs
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