The Worthington advance., 1888-02-23
The S1ovEN BOAT.

Mar1nO hec0rd
OF all the pursuits that men follow
in order to obtain a subsistence, there
is none that will compare, in danger and
hardship, with that of whaleman, and
yet how little the people on the shore
know of this. 1t is in order to let
them have some insight into this busi-
ness that the following narrative is writ
ten. The facts, rs they occurred, we're
noted in the journal or log soon after
they transpired:
On the 14th day of December, 1887.
the good ship Croesus, Of Newburg,
Captain Perkins, was cruising some-
where between the latitude of 36 and
37.8 and longitude of 60 east, in search
of right whale. It was in the forenoon
and the old ship was moving along un-
der the topgallant sails with a light
breeze at the rate of about forty knots
an hour. The most hardened grumbler
could not find fault with the day. At
the fore and main topgallant crosstrees
were two men on the lookout for whales.
It was now nearly -four o'clock in the
afternoon when the man in the main
sang out:
"There she blows!"
He repeated the cry regular five or
six times. All was now excitement
among the officers and men. Every
one was anxious to know if it was the
kind of whale that was wanted.
The mate hailed the man at the mast
head:
"Where away is that whale? What
do you call her?"
fright whale, sir, on the lee beam,
two miles off. Look out sharply for
her."
"Sing out when the ship heads for
her,"
"Aye, aye sir"
"Keep her away" said the captain to
the man at the helm. Boy, hand me
the spy glass;"
"Steady!" sung out the man at the
mast head"
"Steady it is," answered the man OF
the wheel.
The captain started to 60 aloft "Mr.
A." to the mate, "you may square in
the after yards and call all hands,"
Forward there!" shouted the mate.
"Haul the mainsail up and square the
yards! Bill" to an old sailor
"Sir?"
"Call all hands,"
"Aye, aye, sir. All hands al,oy, 81
shouted old Bill, in voice like temp
est: "stand by the boats"
In less than no time the deck was alive
with men.
"Boat steerers, get your boat ready.
In moment the boats were in readi-
ness, the tubs put in, and the lines bent
on the harpoons, the crew standing
by ready to follow the boat. Down
went the boats and down followed
the crew, down to the water when the
word came from the captain to lowe,
| away.
"There she blows" sung out the man
at the fore, mot half q mile off,"
''Down helm!" shouted the captain.
'Mr. A., brace the mizzen topsail
Hoist and swing the boats and lowe,
| away!"
As the boats struck the water, every
man on his thwart, with his hands on the
loom of the oar, and in less time than il
takes to write it the three boats were
cutting their way through the water in
the direction of the whale.
It was my duty to steer the mates
boat, and she happened to be the fast
est puller, so that, although we all left
the ship together, and for few rod.
keep nearly head and head with eacf
other, still we knew we'll enough thai
as soon as word came from the mate tt
"give way" we should drop the other.
in q moment. So we did not fret our
selves, but kept cool for tight pull
when the whale should show himself OF
the surface of the water again, which
he did in q moment after.
"There she is, ," cried the mate, "ant
not over ten rods from the boat Now
my dear fellows, lay back hard, tel
you! There she blows! Only give, m,
boys, and she is ours!"
The boat bounded forward like /,
thing of life.
"Spring like tigers!" says the mate
his voice sinking almost to a whisper
I looked to see what kind of q chance
was to have at the same time pulling a
my oar with all my might. We were go
ing on to her starboard quarter, JUS
the chance liked to fasten to q whale
"Stand up!" shooted the mate, ant
in moment I had two harpoons to tn
bitches into her.
''Stern-stern all" sung out tn
mate, as he saw the iron in the whale
"Come here, my boy" he said to me
We shifted ends, he to the head, and
to the stern of the boat. The whal,
started off like lightning.
"Hold on ine," said the mate, ant
away we shot after her, like an arrow
from bow. The mate by this tim
had his lance ready.
Haul me on that whale, he shouted
and all hands turned to hauling lin
while I coiled it away to the sterl
sheets.
We had got nearly up to the whal
when she went to ''sounding," takin,
the line right up and down from th
head of the boat. na1 two turns c
the line around the logger-head, an
was holding on as the boat would bea,
when, all at once, another larger whale
that we knew nothing about, shot u
out of the water nearly her Who'll
length, in slunting position, hangin
directly over the boat. threw off tn
turns from the loggerhead and shoute,
to the men to "stern." But it was If NJ
use; she fell the whole of her body or
the boat. I heard a crash, and as wen
down I felt pressure of water over m
head, caused as I then thought, by th
whales Aukes as she struck. How Ion,
I was under water I know not, but
remember that all looked dark abov
me and I tried very hard to shove m
head through, in order to breathe. A
last I succeeded, but what sight wa
that on which I gazed when l foun'
myself on the surface of the water
I l>1