Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1889-07-18

Sesf = 4
DIR, spot aboard The people got some
of the lumber from her hold and made
platforms, and as she had been left
with all sails set they determined to
try and work her across to the coast
This feat was performed with only one
sailor among the crowd. and with
nothing to eat except raw onions and
-four, and with no water except that
caught in their blankets as a shower
passed over
I was on ship lying in the port OF
morning an hour after daylight. bring
ing the Don and those who had sur
vived. Her story had not been fully
told when her yawl, containing the
five mutineers and murderers. also en-
tered the harbor They had fixed up
a story of the brig being wrecked and
of their fortunate escape in the boat
and this story as heard it confessed
to in court, was SO we'll laid in all
particulars that it would have passed
had there been no one to contradict it.
which captured the yawl in the har-
Dor. and l was aboard the Penguin
when three corpses which had been
washing around in her ca bin for eleven
days were taken out as evidence of the
mutiny and murder. The trial of the
men did not last long. as they had no
defense to offer, and it was only a few
days after the verdict that they were
taken out aud executed. The Don re-
covered his money, the brig was
pumped out and repaired, and the only
sacrifice was the loss of life. The set
of an ocean current. which might not
have set that way again for weeks be-
fore or after, carried the suffering
people to the only island on that cape
for a distance of a thousand miles.
Another current. aided by favorable
winds. drifted the brig down to them.
Their efforts to sail her back were
aided by the most favorable weather
and favOring winds.
One day in the whaler Lady Blake.
of Glasgow. about 400 miles west Of
Santiago. we had raised and killed a
large bull whale and had him along
side for cutting in when Russian
whaler named after some prince or
other came working down to us out of
the south, flying a signal that she
wanted to speak to US. When whaling
ships meet it is customary to hold
what they call gam" or talk. The
captains have dinner together, COM
pare notes. give each other pointers,
and the crew which has rowed it's cap
tain off is allowed to mingle and visit
with the other men. AS a ship may
be out for four or five months without
meeting another, these occasions are
looked to with great interest.
The whale alongside was the first We
had raised for five days, and we had
run him a distance of twelve miles be-
fore killing. We had our hands full
with the big carcass, and there was no
lookout aloft, Or any thought of live
whales when the Russian worked
slowly down. Her presence was gen.
orally commented on, but no one
stopped work. She came down to
within half mile of us, was brought
up into the wind, and. while prepara-
tions were being made to lower boat,
a dozen of us who were at the tackles
had a breathing spell for a moment
and a chance to look at her. AS we
looked her stern suddenly lifted high
in air. her bows plunged under water
and she rolled over on her port side.
There was dull crash as she lifted.
but our shouts of alarm had scarcely
been heard before she was over. There
was general rush to the bows of our
vessel that we might see better, and
we were so confused for couple of
minutes that no one needed the order
to lower away boat. just as we had
one in the water the Russian disap-
peared under the surface. rolling back
to an even keel as size went down. At
that moment monster whale rose to
the surface close beside her, flung his
tail about in vicious way half dozen
times. and was then apparently drawn
down by the suction. 9t
We got to the scene in time to pick
up eight men out of crew of about
sixty. and two of these were severely
hurt. The rest went down in the
shsp. and scarcely any thing hoated
on the surface to tell of the calamity.
The Russian had been struck by q
whale. which was coming to the sur
face with an awful rush. The whale
struck her head on, and lifted her to
the point where she overbalanced.
The crash was felt as well as heard by
all aboard. nearly every one being
flung down and hurled forward. Had
none of us seen the whale we should
have been certain that it was the
work of one of those monsters, but we
not only saw him, but captured him.
An hour after the calamity, and while
we were still pulling back and forth
with our boats. hoping that some Of
the bodies or barrels of oil would rise
to the surface, whale was reported
lying on the surface about a mile to
the westward. We pulled to the ship
for our harpoons and lances. and then
ran down to him. He moved about in
a confused way. and as soon as we got
near him we saw that he was hurt.
When we put the irons into him he ran
off short distance, and then submit
ted to fate with scarcely show of re-
sistance.
We thought we had the king of
whales alongside. but this fellow