The Portland daily press., 1888-06-29
WHALES AND WHALERS.
"reminiscences of a Business Now
Almost Extinct.
Schools Of Whales Once on the Coast
of New England.
PortIand's Early and Unsuccessful
Ventures In Whaling.
Hon. William Goold. ]

fish and furs were their refuge. In his mar
rative Smith says: 1--WE found this whale
fishery costly conclusion; we saw many,
and spent much time in chasing them, but
could not kill any; they being a kind Of
jubartes as we expected" The Greenland,
or fnbacked whale, a common species OF
our coast, the books say is the longest ami
NAL in creation, sometimes succeeding 100
feet in length.
The New England colonies embarked in
the whale fishery at an early period. In 1850
and for fifty wears later, it was pursued in
boats from the shore. Douglass says that at
the middle of the last century the shores Of
Cape Cod were strewn with the bones of the
whale. At that time the whales began to
grow scarce on the coast and the fishermen
followed them in larger vessels. The first
sperm whale was captured by a Nantucket
vessel in 17l2. The first whale-ship was
despatched to the Pacific in 1871.
The harpOoning Of whales and the killing
of them with lances would seem to be the
height Of daring. Years ago an old whale
man given TO talk was sure to draw an audi
ence to hear of his feats and escapes. The
u
mand fund Of these entertaining stories,
which he we'll knew how to repeat. On a
ship under his command was an old whale
man doing duty as seaman. The captain
said that when the old tar was at the wheel
in the night, he sought excuse and opportu-
nifty slyly to draw his stories from him, keep
ing his own eye on the compass so that the
ship should not get off her course. One of
theseyarns now comes to my mind. The old
tar said that in whale ship in which he
was serving was the captains brother-in-
law, who had shipped with the express res
ervation that he should act as ship-keeper
and not 20 after whales, being an arrant
coward. One day school of whales were
sighted. Some Of the men were sick, and
the captain was anxious TO man boats enough
to get two whales. After much persuasion
the ship-keeper consented to take a sick
mans place for once. The old stOryteller
was in the same boat and saw, or pretended
to have seen what took place. The towards
down. When the whale came up it lifted
the boat out Of water on its back, balanced
on an even keel, and began to run towards
the ship. The boat steerer cautioned the
men not to change their position, which
boat. Perhaps the old whaleman's own for
chile language as rehearsed by his auditor
will convey the best idea Of the situation.
He was describing the run of the whale with
the boat balanced on his back. He said Of
the whale: HE ran directly for the ship
with boat upright, when don't you think
the id fool spit out his quid Of tobacco,
which upset the boat and we all fell into the
water, when the coward was so frightened
that he started on foot, and ran with such
speed to the ship that he did not sink up to
hissknees. The rest Of us were picked up"
About forty yeals ago Portland boy, Au-
gustuS Hale, barely escaped death from
whale. He was the son of Capt. John Hale,
of the slo0p Augustus, and brother TO the
present Judge Elias Hale of Foxcroft. Young
bale was, think, acting as boat steerer on
board Nantucket whale ship. His boat
was fast to a sperm whale, which in its rage
seized the boat with open jaws. All the
men threw themselves clear of the boat but
Hale. The whale closed his monstrous Jaws
with Hale in his mouth, wounding him very
badly with his teeth. When the monster
opened his mouth for an another attack Hale
was able to throw himself out, and was
picked up, and after long suffering recov-
cred. Now whales are taken by steamers
on our coast by having bomb thrown into
them from short gun. There is no more
romance in the process than In blasting
ledge.
Early in the last century Col Ezekiel
Cushing came here from Scituate, Cape Cod,
and set up large commercial and fishing es-
tablishment on the point that now bears his
name, a few rods east Of the Cape Elizabeth
shore. 1t was village of itself, with wharf
docks and breastw0rks for fishermen. With
his West India and fishing business Col.
Cushing brought knowledge Of whaling.
Here he employed several whalemen, His
youngest son, Nathaniel, was employed on
board OF one OF them, and was killed by
whale. have joint Of the backbone of
whale brought home in one Of these vessels,
which was for a century seat in the chin
ney corner lof the Coloneps son, jeremiah,
and afterwards in that Of his daughter, Mrs.
Stephen Tukey.
Whaling was carried on here up to the
time Of the Revolution. Only one month
before the town was burnt, In October, 1775,
the records Of the committee of inspection
show that deacon Titcomb and Mr.. Enech
Ilsley applied for leave to send sl0op on
whaling voyage. The committee voted that
it was not in their power. In 1910 there
was a lawsuit about the title to the land on
York street below High street. An aged
woman testified that seventy years before
when she was fourteen years old, she lived
as servant In the family of Capt. Stephen
Jones who lived where the Oxnard house
what the beach below the bank was used for
at that time, among other uses she said it
was used to try out the oil from the carcasses
Of whales. When whales came into the bay
as they often did, it became town matter
There were well equipped boats, crew, with
after them. The first boat that fastened to
the whale and kept its irons in him, held
him by right, but often had to call in the
help Of one or more other boats. On the
town book OF Truro, Cape Cod, is this
record:
Feb. 10, 1855. At town meeting voted that
nasmuch as many of the inhabitants are called
away from the meeting by a whale in the bay
this meeting be adjourned to Feb. 11th.
About sixty-fve years ago, two whales
a N ind nf h
probably mackerel, in from sea, and fol-
lowed them closely nearly up to Tukey's
bridge, feeding on them as they went until
the fish went through the bridge at high
water. The whales remained below, at the
junction of the Back Cove, and the Pre-
sumpscot currents, having the little fish Sc
cure to feed upon at their leisure; the whales
remained on free exhibition for a day or two,
until they ate the fish all up and went to sea
after another fare. The hill and the bridge
were good points for observation TO view the
evolutions of the monsters. Sometimes
they chased the mackerel into shoal water,
when they appeared to roll off to a channel
where they could use their propellers--not
the rotary kind. but fully as effective
In June. 1871, two whales were in the
vicinity Of Cape Elizabeth for a week.
Capt. Jewett Of the steamer Huntress which
was then running outside between Boston
and the Kennebec invariably looked them
up on every passage, and so advertised,
the WnaleS eVluentiy considering tnem-
selves licensed show, and bound to fill
Capt. Jewett's engagements.
In 1888 or about that year, the West Indies
trade of the town had run down to a small
figure and business generally was dull
Merchants looked round for new currents Of
commerce. The whaling business was pur-
sued with success by the merchants of Nan
tucket, New Bedford and most other shore
towns of Massachusetts, Every little har-
Dor began to look round for a suitable ship
for whaler. While coming from Boston in
the stage recollect seeing one fitting out at
Saugus bridge, and | wondered how they
would get her out Wiscasset had its whale
ship. Portland merchants consulted about
the matter and concluded to form company
and try their luck with one ship first Books
were opened and $150.000 subscribed The
company was organized with these officers
Agents, Thomas Chadwick, Charles M.
Davis; Directors, George Bartol, N. Il.
Deering, George Warren; secretary, VIM. III.
Wood.
The ship science of Newburyport, was
purchased. She was a cotton freighter of
about 800 tons, for which they paid $4,000.
She was rather old, but sound ship.
Capt. Whippy from some whaling port, was
employed to command her All her fittings
came from Massachusetts, ports. There was
a desire to man the ship except where
skilled hands were indispehsablel with Port
land men and boys. recollect now two
young men OF the crew-Walter Boyd and
Edward A. Boyd, soDs of Joseph C.. Boyd,
the first State treasurer of Maine. They