Connecticut western news., 1889-05-01

" ln making out tne "Adie. he was still mile away, coming down at about steamer speed, and holding cour as straight as if somebody aboard of him was steering by compass. was not a bit alarmed, expecting to see him show aukes every moment, but the Captain came on deck and ordered the man at the wheel to break off two or three points. This brought the whale on our port bow. As told you, expected to see him sound every moment. It was astonishing that he had not discovered us long before. I could scarcely believe my eyes as he held on, and by and by we had him alongside. am telling you the truth when say he actually rubbed us as we passed each other, and the odor of him was so rank that some of the men cried out in disgust. That whale was ninety feet long if he was an inch, and he had a head on him like a brick wall. So far as we could see he was carrying no harpoons and had no fresh wound, but he was moss grown and barnacled as if he had knocked about for couple of hundred years. The fact of his holding his own in such bull-headed way was alarming, and when we were clear of him we fell to | congratulating ourselves over the close shave.
 We were perhaps mile apart when the whale slowed around, The moment we discovered what he was doing we knew that he meant to attack. The breeze had now died away until we could not hope to dodge him, and he had. not yet fairly turned when we dropped the yawl from the davits and ran her alongside to the bow. Two men were ordered to get water and provisions into her, and as the whale headed up for us we went off before the light breeze to give him all the room we could. Three or four minutes settled the question of whether he was after the ship or sailing his own course. He headed up for her, coming faster and faster, and when he was two cables length away there was a great white wall of water rolling before him, and his speed was from eighteen to twenty miles an hour. He struck us full on the starboard quarter, and the shock was as if two ships had collided. Planks and ribs gave way before him, and as he recoiled from the blow our ship settled down stern first and was un- der water within two minutes. Every body was knocked down by the shock, and everybody got up to rush for the yawl. I was sucked down almost as soon as reached my feet, and after a struggle, in which came out first best by close shave, was shot to the surs | face amid lot of deck raffle. There were two or three men around me at first, and as was heaved up caught sight of the yawl with at least two men in her. The whale was still at hand, lying very quiet, but feared he would soon be aroused and attack us in turn, and seized the galley door and paddled away to get out of his reach. While do- ing this squall came down and hung on for twenty minutes, and when it had passed could see nothing of boat nor whale.
 That afternoon, an hour before sum- down, was picked up by the American whaler Richard Knox. She already had our yawl, which she had found bottom up, but had not seen any of the men nor met with any wreckage. I was again the only one saved, and but for my testimony the fate of the ship would have forever remained mystery. As to why the whale attacked us was made more clear after my rescue. The Knox had raised and chased him the evening before, and he had been 'gallied" o1 annoyed so often during the month past that he had become ugly. He came for us with the intention of sending the ship to the bottom, and he succeeded only too we'll in carrying out his pur. pose.
 A third mystery was the case of the Janet Wilcox, an American brig bound for Rio Janeiro. I was second mate oi her when the occurrence took place. We had bad weather for good share of tho voyage, but the brig was new an6 stanch, and was at no time in imminent peril. About 300 miles off Rio, while enjoying a bit of good weather, we on' morning raised longboat full of mer dead ahead of us. Indeed, the boat hao taken down her sail and was waiting for us to come up. There were nine men aboard of her, and they had plent. of water and provisions. The stor. they told was that they wer part of the crew of larg British ship which had been burned two days before. They claimed that al had got off in the boats, but that tn boats had become separated in the heav, weather. They were a hard lookin. lot, composed of all nationalities, ant when we had taken them aboard ou captain was by no means satisfied witt their story. One of them claimed to b second mate, and, as the crew had al got off in two boats, it was a puzzl that the first mate was not in command