The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1886-08-04
WHALE HUNTING AT MON
TEREY.
THE BoxB-LaxcE AND HON. IT is
Used.

-
The Qnarsermaster Of the Agxie return
ed from a cruise to Monterey this morn
ing, and il glowing with CONSEQUENCES o.
his bravery in participating in a whale
hunt that resulted in a capture The
Monterey Whaling Company is about the
oldest institution of its kind on the coast
and the stock proves a very fair invest
ment to the holders, who are whale-kill-
ers themselves. The business Office, store
room and eating and sleeping apartments
of the company are in a white adobe
building in the western suburbs, and a
half mile further south is a high cliff
whereon is the company's lookout He
is armed with a powerful glass, and a tall
mast is rugged with haiyaris for hoistins
a 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, 200 fathoms of line smoothly
coiled in tubs in the bow, and two guns TO
ttCll b1Stt- lbt iaikti StL VI thN WV
has the proportions of a young cannon
and is mounted ON a pivot The missile
discharged from ii is steel bar, four
feet in length, and provided with Il fold
ing barb that opens ou when the har-
poon buries itself in the whale. This
takes the place of the old-tine harpoon,
and is much more certain and effective.
The lighter gun is fired from the Shout
der, and looks like a large sized fowling
piece. 1t has a II inch bore. Ii 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 a vital spot. The bomb is II inches
in diameter by Is inches long, the butt
end being winged with rubber tips, after
the manner in which an arrow is feath-
cred, TO ecure guiding power.
IL was early morning when the white
signal fiuttered to the top of the staff of
the mast on the cliff, and, having previ-
ously obtained permission to join the
hunt with Captain Mariana, the Quarter
master was speedily seated in the stern
sheets, awaiting the signal To 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 unus
ually large specimen of the California
gray variety. The gigantic fish rolled
lazily about IN top of the water, all I'M
conscious of impending danger, and did
not even deign to notice the approach of
the boats that came up on either side and
men lay on their oars and Captain Mar
iano sighted over his swivel 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. Ii was 4 moment that SEEM
eel an age Of awful suspense to the green
hand, but suddenly the Captain had a
fair mark presented, and pressed the trig-
ger. The boat quivered under the shock
accompanying the report, and the eye
could plainly catch the flash of the har-
poon as it cleaved the air and buried it
self out of sight somewhere in the right
shoulder. Attached to the steel missile
was the stout MANILA line coiled in the
bow, and il bore the appearance of Il flash
of brown lightning as it zigzagged
through the air after its powerful motor.
The whale hardly seemed to compre-
bend the trouble that had overtaken her
al first, and il was fully half a minute be-
fore 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 running
out, 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 If was none
too much, as the boat was scarcely a doz-
en- feet away when the huge bulk of
the Infatuated whale rose to the surface
and slouted twin columns Of brine high
in the air. Before the animated water
spout could repeat the dose the boat was
out of range both of the fire-extinguiSh-
ing apparatus and the terrible flukes that
% commenced IL thrash the water into
foam. Her contortions We're 50 violent
that the Captain could not get in a shot
his bomb gun, which he raised and
lowered half a dozen times without pull
ing the trigger. Finally the fiukes quit
their thrashing, and like a fash the levi
atlan dashed away at a terrific rate,
burying the boats bow between the 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 a good ten minutes, and then
the speed commenced to slacken, and the
wounded monster SWAN easily and quiz
city on top Of the water.
The living tug came to a total standstill
at last, and, pulling around to "A broadside
position, the Captain was given his OPP
p%or1unity. The second explosion was fol-
lowed by the whistling of the rubber
winged bomb, which buried itself in the
great mass of blubber. 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 knell Of the poor old
whale. The victims huge bulk grew ami
mated again, but for only a moment.
The hukes thrashed violently for a few
seconds, while the w~ater-spouts became
tinged a warm red. Struggles and spouts
became more and more contracted, until,
with a last final effort, the inwardly
wounded monster rolled over and expir-
ed. The other boats made fast and a
hard pull Of three hours landed the prize
on the beach near the try pots, where it
was cut up.-Santa Crt- Correspondence Of
the San Francisco .iha.
The onions of Wethersfield, Con-. have
long been famous, but Sunderland Town
ship, in Western Massachusetts, devoted
sixty-tliree acres to that odoriferous bulb
last year, which yielded 52i bushels TO
the acre, worth $4,000 or about SSH 10
the acre.
Whats the extreme penalty for biga-
my p asked a man of an Did judge. who
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