The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-07-14
THE MODERN Mr.. JONAH
A Bedford Man Who Lived Inside
a Whale for T~hirty-Six
Hours.
Strange Experience Of q Hand on
a New England Fishing
Vessel.
Unlike tho Biblical Hero, He was not
Cast Up Again but Had to
BIO Gut Ont.

New London. Conn, special to st. Louis
Globe Democrats: The whaling vessel Sta
of the East arrived here Yesterday. after q
cruise of two years and a half in the Soutt
Atlantic waters. She had on board a mar
who ia n veritable Jonah, having existed in
a whales belly thirty-six hours.
The mans statement ia vouched for by
the captain md crew of the vessel. and to-
day he is an object of great curioaity among
the sailors. The mans name is James
BARLEY, and he halls from Bedford, where
he was born thirty-eight years ngo. He
has made two voyages from this port on the
st II of the East, and Notwithstanding his
last trip he says tnat he will ship for
another voyage as soon as an opportunity
offers itself.
The strange story told by him is, in sub
stance, as follows:
Last February the Star of the East was in
the vicinity of the Falkland Islands search
ing for whales, which were very scarce.
One morning the lookout sighted a whale
about three miles away on the starbonrd
quarter. I've boats were manned and put
chase to the prey.
III a SuOtI UlIQ0 Ouo OF Gu6 UOHLS WIS near
enough to enable the harpooner to send a
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 ter
rible speed. He swan straight away about
five miles, when he turned and came back
almost directly toward the spot where he
had been harpooned. Tho second
boat waited for him, and when
but a short distance away from it
he rose to the surface. As soon as his back
showed above the surface of the water the
harpooner in the second boat drove another
spear into him.. The pain apparently crazed
the whale, for it thrashed about fearfully,
and it was feared that the boats would be
swamped and the crew drowned Finally
the whale swan away dragging the Two
boats after him.
He went about three miles and sounded
or sank, and his whereabouts could not be
exactly told. The lines attached to the
haipoons were slack and the harpuoners be-
gan to slowly draw them in and coil them
in the tubs. AS soon as they were taught
ened the whale arose to the surface and beat
about with his tail in the maddest fashion.
The boats attempted to get beyond the reach
of the animal which was apparently in its
death agonioa and one of them succeeded,
but the other was less fortunate. The
whale struck it with his nose and upset it.
The men were thrown into the water, and
before the crew of the other boat could
pick them up one man was W and
James BARLEY had Disappeared. When the
whale became quiet from exhaustion the
waters were searched for BARLEY, but he
could not be found, and, under the impress
sion that he had been struck by the whales
tail and sunk to the bottom, the survivors
rcwed back to the ship. The whale vas
dead, and in a few hours the great body
was lying by the ships side, and the men
were 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 fore
noon, and were soon down to the stomach,
which WAS to be hoisted to the deck. The
workmen were startled while laboring to
clear ii and to fasten the chain about it to
discover something doubled up in 1T that
gave spasmodic 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 ont ON the deck and treated to
II 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, q ravinR lunatic. He
was carefully treated by the captain and
officers 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 the 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 blenched to a deuthly Wilderness and
tho skin WAS wrinkled, giving the man the
appearance of having been parboiled.
BARLEY atfirms that he wonld probably
have lived inside his house of flesh until he
starved, for he lost his senses tn. ough
fright. und not through lack of air. He
SAYS he remembers the sensation of being
lifted into the air by the nose of the whale
and of falling into the water, then there
was a fearful rushing sound. which he be-
lieved TO be the beating of the water by the
whales tail; then he was encompassed by a
fearful darkness, and he felt himself slip
ping along Il smooth passage of some sort
that seemed to move and carry him TO, ward.
his sensation lasted but al instant, then
he felt that he had moro room. He felt
about him and his hands came in contact
with ayleldlng, shiny substance that seemed
to shrink from his touch. 1t finally dawned
upon him that he had been swallowed
by the whale, and he was overcome with
horror at the situation. He could breathe
easily. but the heat was terrible. 1t was not
of a scorching, sitting nature, but it seemed
out the vitality. He became very weak,
md grew sick at his stomach. He knew
that there was no hope of escape from his
strange prison. Death stared him in the
face, and he tried to look at it bravely, but
the awful quiet. the fearful darkness, the
horrible knowledge of his environments
and the terrible heat finally overcame aim,
and he must have tainted, for he next re-.
nembered being i'll the captains cabin.
BARLEY il not u man of a timid nature, but
he says that it was many weeks before he
could pass n night without having his sleep
disturbed with narrowing dreams of angry
whale and the horrors of thisf fearful prison,
The skin on the face and hand: of BARLEY
has never recovered its natural appearance.
1t is yellow and wrinkled and looks like old
parchment. The health of the man does
not seem to have been affected by his terri
BILE experience: he is in splendid spirits and
apparently fully enjoys all the blessings of
life that come his way.
The whaling captains who sail from this
port say thoy never knew II parallel case to
this before. They say that it frequently oc-
ours that men are swallowed by whales who
become infuriated by the pain of the har-
poon and attack the boats, but they have
never known Il man to go through the