The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-07-02
A MODERN JONAH.
a Sailor Lives Thirty-six Hours in
q Whales Stomach.
THE STORY WELL YOUCHED FOR
BY tho Captain and Grow of a Ship.
Tho Mans Experience Related by
Himself.-How it Feels TO be swal-
iowed--How He was Released from
His Shiny Prison.

His Shiny Prison.
NEW LoxDox, coxx, July 1.-The
whaling vessel Star Of the East arrived
here last week after cruise of two and
ahalf years in the South Atlantic waters,
She had on board a man who is a Yerita,
BILE Jonah, having existed in q whales
belly thirty-six hours.
The mans statement is vouched for
by the captain and crew Of the vessel
and to-day he is an object OF great cur.
iosity among the sailors. The mans
name is James Barley, and he halls
from Bedford, where he was born thirty
eight years ago. He has made two voy-
ages from this port on tho Star of the
East, and notwithstanding his last trip
he says that he will ship for another
voyage as soon as an opportunity to do
SO offers itself.
Tho strange story told by him is, in
substance. as follows:
Last February the Star of the East
was in the vicinity OF the Falkland
Islands searching for whales. which
werc very scarce. One morning the
lookout sighted whale about three
miles away on the starboard quarter.
Two boats were manned and put chase
to the prey.
In short time one OF the boats was
| nt1nNn1, 40 aY,al1n Che knnponnar m
send spear into the whale, which
proved to be an exceedingly large one.
With the shaft in his side the animal
sounded and then sped away, dragging
the boat after him with terrible speed,
He swan straight away about five miles,
when he turned and came back almost
directly toward the spot where he had
been harpooned. The second boat
waited for him, and when but a short
distance away from it he arose to the
surface. As soon as his back showed
above the surface of the water the har-
pooner in the second boat drove another
spear into him. The pain apparently
crazed the whale, for IL thrashed about
iearfuIly, and ii was feared that the
boats would be swampcd and the crews
drowned. Finally the whale swan
away dragging the two boats after him.
NE WENT Adult THREE MILES
and sounded or sank, and his where
abouts could not be exactly told. The
lines attached to the harpoons were
slack and the harpooners began to slow
Is draw them in and coil them in the
tubs. As soon as they were taughtened
the whale arose to the surface and beat
about with his tail in the maddest fash.
ion. The boats attempted to get beyond
the reach OF the animal, which was up.
parently in its death agOnies, and one OF
them succeeded, but the other was less
fortunate. The whale struck it with his
noseandupsetit. Themen we're thrown
into the water, and before the crew OF
the other boat could pick them up one
man was drowned and James BARLEY
had disappeared. When the whale be-
came quiet from exhaustion the waters
were searched for BARLEY, but he could
not be found, and under the impression
that he had been struck by the whales
tail and sunk to the bottom, the survi-
yors rowed backto the ship. The whale
was dead, and in few hours the great
body was lying by the ships side and
the men we're busy with axes and spades
cutting through the flesh to secure the
fat. They worked all day and a part OF
the night. They resumed operations
the next forenoon and were soon down
to the stomach, which was to be hoisted
to thede Theworkmcn were startled
while laboring to clear 1t and to fasten
the chain about it to discover some
thing doubled up in It that gave spas
modic signs OF life.
The vast pouch was hoisted to the
deck and cut open, and inside was
found the missing sailor, doubled up and
unconscious. He was laid out on the
deck and treated to bath OF sea water,
which soon revived him, but his mind
was not clear and he was placed in the
captains quarters where he remained
two weeks, raving lunatic. He was
carefully treated by the captain and Of
ficers OF the ship, and he finally began
to get possession of his senses. At the
end of the third week he had entirely
recovered from the shock and resumed
his duties.
During his brief sojourn
IN THE WHALES BELLY
Bartley's skin, where it was exposed to
the action of the gastric juices, under
went a striking change. His face and
hands were bleached to a deathly
whiteness and the skin was wrinkled,
giving the man the appearance OF hay
ing been parboiled.
BARLEY afTirms that he would proba-
~. l. - t!,,.l IL Ia, l,ovso ~ ansh