Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-08-12
A WHALE HUNT.
An Exciting Adventure with Pacific
Ocean Leviathan--The Destructive
Whale Bomb.

An Exciting Adventure with a Pacific
Ocean charlottesville Destructive
Whale Bomb.
A Santa Cruz correspondent of the
Alta California writes: The quarter
master of the Agge returned from n
cruise to Monterey this morning. and il
glowing with the consciousness of his
bravery in participating in 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, storeroom.
and eating and sleeping apartments of
the company are in white adobe build
ing in the western suburbs, and half
mile further south is a high cliff. where's
on is located the compaays lookout.
lie 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 ptopor-
on pivot. The missile DISCHARGED
from it is a steel bar. four feet in length,
and provided with Il 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,
and looks like large-sizcd fowlinp-
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 a 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
tluttered 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 Off This
was soon given, and six miles to the
northwest the three boats came up with
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 swiyel-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 moment
that seemed an age of awful suspense to
the green hand, but suddenly the cap
tain had fair mark presented, and
pressed the trigger. The boat quiyered
under the shock accompanying the re-
port, 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 At
tached TO the steel missile was the stout
MANILA line coiled in the bow, and it
bore the appearance of Il flash of brown
lightning rs it zigzagged through the
air after its powerful motor The whale
hardly seemed 10 comprehend the tfoub-
lie that had ovcrtakcn her ut first, and
it was fully half II minute before she
emitted an angry snort and started for
the bottom at Il 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 us the line stopped running
out, and minute later the former
shouted Back all Back hardl' The
five ashen blades bent and quivcrcd
with the strain put o Them but it was
none too much, aS ii boat was scarcely
a dozen feet away Aen the huge bulk
OF the lnluria'ct win le rose to the sur
face and spouted twin columns of brine
high in the air bucket or two seeking
the back OF the rtpor or neck for rest
ing place rs it descended. Before the
animated wa'rgSpt ut could repeat the
dose the boat was OFT 81 ranrc, both of
the fire-eXtinguishing apparatus and the
terrible flukes that soon commenced to
thrash the water into foam. Her con-
tortions were so violent that the captain
could not ger shot with his bomb-gun,
which he raised and lowered half a
dozen times without pulling the trigger.
Finally the llukes quit their thrashing,
and like flash the leyiathan 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 a drop entered
the boat. This gait was kept up for
good ten minutes and then the speed
commenced to siacken, and the wound
ed monster swan easily and quietly on
top of the water. The living tug came
to total stapdstill ut last ana pulling
around to broadsidc 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 muflied 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 moment. The fukes
thrashed violently for few seconds,
while the waterspouts became tinged a
warm red. Struggles and spouts be-
came more contracted, until. with a last
final effort, the inwardly-wounded
monster rolled over and expired. The
other boats made fast, and u hard pull
OF three hours landed the prize on the
beach near the try-pots, where it is to