The Opelousas courier., 1886-09-11
A WHALE HUNT.
AN EXCITING CHASE AFTER A
PACIFIC OCEAN 4Ev1ArHAN.
Pursuing the Gigantic Fish in a Boat
Containing Two Large Guns
The Destructive Whale
Bombs Work.

A Santa Cruz correspondent of the
San Francisco Aua California writes
The quartermaster of the Aggie returned
from a 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. Tue
Monterey Whaling Company is about the
oldest institution of the kind IN the
coast. The business office, store room,
and eating and sleeping apartments of
the company are in awhile adobe build
ing in the western suburbs, and a half
mile further south is a high cliff, where
on is located the company's lookout. He
is armed with a powerful glass, and a tall
mast is rugged with halliards for hoist
ing a 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, two hundred fathoms
of lire smoothly coiled in tubs in the
bow, and two guns to each boat. The
larger of the two has the proportions of a
young cannon and is mounted on a pivot.
The missile discharged from it is a steel
bar, Jour feet in length, and provided
with a folding barb, that opens out when
the harpoon buries itself 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, and looks like a large
sized fowling piece. til s an inch and a
half bore. 1t is used to put the finish
ing touches on the whale after the har-
poon has made him fast, and the method
is to fire an explosive bomb into a vital
spot. The bomb is an inch and a half in
diameter by eighteen inches long, the
butt-end being winged with rubber tips,
after the manner in which an arrow is
feathered, to secure guiding power. 1t
was early morning when the white sig
nal futtered to the top of the staff 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 sternsheets.
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 I'M
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 Captain Mariana
sighted over his swiyel-gun. The men
bent over their oars, with every muscle
ready to pull or back water at the slight
est hostile movement on the part of the
enemy. 1t was a moment that seemed
I an age of awful suspense to the green
hand, but suddenly the captain had a
fair mark presented, and pressed the
trigger. The boat quivered under the
shock accompanying the report, and the
eye could plainly catch the flash of the
itself out of sight somewhere in the
right shoulder. Attached to the steel
missile was the stout MANILA line coilei
in the bow, and it bore the appearance
of a flash of brown lightning as it zig
gagged through the air after it's power
full motor. Ii whale hardly seemed to
comprehend the trouble that had over
taken her at first, and it was fully half a
minute before she emitted an angry snort
and started for the bottom at a rate that
made the line smoke and emit sparks as
it ran over the bows. Both the captain
and the boat steerer peered uneasily into
the clear depths as the line stopped run
ming, and a minute later the former
shouted: "Back all! Back hard!" The
five ashen blades bent and quivered
with the strain put on them, but it was
none too much, as the boat was scarcely
l a dpQnp font oyrnu uhnn fhn~h .,na
bulk of the Infatuated whale rose to the
surface and spouted twin columns of
brine high in the air, a bucket or two
seeking the back of the reporters neck
for a resting place as it descended.
BEIGE the animated water spout could
repeat the dose the boat was out of range,
both of the free >tinguishing apparatus
I and the terrible fiukes that soon COM
menced to thrash the water into foam.
Her contorti rs were so violent that the
Captain could not get in a shot with his
bomb-gun, which he raised and lowered
half a dozen times without pulling the
trigger. Finally the fukes quit their
t%hrashing, aud like a flash the leviathan
dashed away at a terrific rate, buryiDg
the boats bow between two walls Of
water fully eighteen inches high, but the
speed was such that scarcely a drop en-
tered 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 a total standstill at last, and pulling
around to a breadside position the Cap
tain was given his opportunity.
The second explosion was followed by
the whistling Of the rubbt bomb,
which buried itself in the great mlss of
blubber with 4 dull kerchug. Scarcely
had the smoke cleared away from the
bow before the muffied boom of the bomb
exploding in The historical residence of
Jonah sounded the death-knell oil the
per cd whale. The victims huge bulk
grew animated again, but for only a mo
ment. The fukes thrashed violently for
q few seconds while the waterspouts be-
came tinged q warm red. Struggles and
spouts ca ne more aud more contracted.
until, with the last final effort, the in
wardly-wounded monster rolled over and
expired. The other boats made fast, and
a hard pull OF three hours landed the
prize on the beach near the try-pots.
/. Back Yard Farming.