The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1886-09-17
A WHALE HUNT.
An Exciting Adventure with q Pacific
Ocean Lcviathan-The Destructive
Whale Bomb.

An Exciting Adventure with q Pacific
Ocean Leviathan-The Destructive
Whale Bomb.
A Santa Cruz correspondent of the
Alta California writes: The quarter
master of the Aggie returned from
cruise to Monterey this morning, and is
glowing with the consciousness of his
bravery in participating in a whale hunt
that resulted in a capture. The Mon
terey Whaling company is about the
Oldest institution of the kind on the
coast The business office, stOrcroom,
and eating and sleeping apartments of
the company are in white adobe build
ing in the western suburbs, and O half
mile further south is high cliff, where
on is located the company's lookout.
He is armed with powerful glass, and
tall mast is rugged with halliards for
hosting signal when game is sighted.
The hunting tools consist of three
of the regulation double-pointed boats
in use by whalers the world over, five
long oars to each boat, two hundred
fathoms of line smoothly coiled in tubs
in the bow, and two guns to each boat.
The larger of the two has the proper
tons of young cannon and is mounted
on a 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 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,
anI lnnHc lilo 10, ciyn1
piece. 1t has an inch and half 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 an inch and half in diameter
by eighteen inches long, the butt-end
being winged with rubber tips, after
the manner in which an arrow is feath-
cred, 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 previous
ly obtained permission to join the hunt
with Capt. Mariana, the quartermaster
was speedily seated in the sternsheets,
awaiting the signal to shove of. This
was soon given, and six miles to the
hOI tlC tlliCC DostIo up VIII
their game, which proved to be an un-
usually 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 up on either side and,
behind her. A hundred feet away the
men lay on their oars, and Capt. Mari
ano sighted over his swivel-gun. The
men bent over their oars, with every
muscle ready To pull or back water ut
the slightest hostile movement on the
part of the enemy. 1t was moment
that seemed an age of awful suspense to
the green hand, but suddenly the cap
tain had a fair mark presented, and
pressed the trigger. The boat quivered
under the shock accompanying the re-
port, and the eye could plainly catch
the flash of the harpoon as it cleaved
tho 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 rs il zigZagged through the
air after its powerful motor The whale
hardly seemed to cOmpreh end the troub-
le that had overtaken her at first, and
it was fully half 4 minute before she
emitted an angry snort and started for
the bottom ut n rate that made the line
smoke and emit sparks rs it ran over
the bows. Both the captain and the
boat-steerer peered uneasily into the
nlnor he fbn limo OF IN
out, and minute later the former
shouted: Back all! Back hardr' The
five ashen blades bent and quivercd
with the strain put on them, but it was
none too much, as the boat was scarcely
n dozen feet away when the huge bulk
of the Infatuated whale rose to the sur
face and spouted twin columns of brine
high in the air. bucket or two seeking
the back of the reporter neck for rest
inc place as it descended. Before the
animated watcrspout could repeat the
dose the boat was out of range. both of
the fire-extinguishing apparatus and the
terrible flukes that soon commenced to
thrash the water into foam. Her con-
tortlons were SO violent that the captain
could not get shot with his bomb-gun,
which he raised and lowered half a
dozen times without pulling the trigger.
Finally the ilukes quit their thrashing,
and like flash the lev.athan 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 entered
the boat. This gait was kept up for
good ten minutes, and then the speed
commenced to slacken, and the wound
ed monster swan easily and quietly on
top of the water. The living tug came
to total standstll at last. and pulling
around to broadside position the cap
tain 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 muilled boom
of the bomb exploding in the historical
residence of Jonah sounded the DEATH
knell, of the poor old whale. The vic
TINS huge bulk grew animated again,
but for only n moment. The flukes
thrashed violently for few seconds,
while the waterspouts became tinged
warm red. Struggles and spouts be-
came more contracted, until, with 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.