Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1891-12-04
MORRIS COVE.

Odl3fEhe oldest inhabitants of Morris
Cove is Captain Norton. The captain is
a typical specimen of that almost extinct
race, the old American whalers. Men that
sailed dauntlessly through the almost un-
known regions of Arctic cold who endured
all forms of danger and hardship and
thought nothing of an absence of years
from all home eompanionship and com
forts, belong to a class that no longer ex-
lists. Captain Norton looks every inch a
whaler with his grizzled beard and sinewy
form bent somewhat by years. The cap
tain, like most men who have led life of
varied adventures, is most reticent about
his exploits, but one can surmise much
from his modest statement of facts.
Back in the forties he made voyage from
New London in the good ship John
Henry under the command of Captain
Buddington to the west coast of Green
land. From there they humpbacked it
ci. Q. hunted for the sperm or humpback
whale'D up to Cumberland Inlet, an inlet
north Of Frobisher Straits. There they
became imprisoned in the "slack" or
drifting ice and were finally frozen fast
to drift with the field until spring. Not
long after this event they discovered
another large ship some miles to the west
of them evidently in the same predics-
ment; An exploring party was quickly
formed and the unfortunate vessel was
found to be one of Sir Edward Belcher's
fleet which had been sent out from England
to rescue the Inflated Sir John
Franklin. The vessel had been deserted
by the crew and lay partly dismantled, and
deeply imbedded in frozen drift" With
true Yankee pluck and energy Captain
Buddington called for volunteer crew to
extricate the vessel and sail her down to
New London. Among the first to volun-
teer was Norton, then chief mate. But
seven men could be spared in all, and with
the assistance of the rest of the crew the
vessel was soon righted and ready for her
dangerous voyage. Nor was it long be-
fore the field of ice in which the two YES
sells were imbedded separated and the ship
Reso1ute lost sight of the bark John
Henry. To give some little idea of the
task now devolving upon those seven men,
it should be stated here that the reg
ular working crew of the Resolute
had consisted formerly of over eighty
men. But New England ingenuity
and American "sand," stood them in good
SLGdu huO dlGcI lOIGy odyo VI d1ll1Ooo I'LL
ceasing labor the ship was brought to an
Choir in New London harbor She was af-
forwards reftted by the United States gov
eminent and sent back to England as an
act of international courtesy.
It was on this same voyage that Norton
had the memorable experience of shooting
a dead polar bear. 1t seems that they
were awakened one morning by a growl-
ing and scratching against the side of the
vessel and upon looking down perceived
three large white bears who were evil
IDENTIFY eager for their morning repast.
Captain Buddington, Norton and the sec
ond mate each seized a gun and opened
fire. Two bears dropped at the first vol
ley, but the third, which was the one
that Captain Buddington had aimed at,
was evidently no respecter of persons
but put the captain to open shame before
his men by cantering serenely away evil
IDENTIFY entirely unscathed. It is our pain.
full duty to say that Captain Buddington
thereupon swore loudly while his mer
with great presence of mind preserved
countenances of the most decorous gray
ity. An hour or so afterwards as Morton
was walking along over the ice, near the
ship, he was somewhat astonished to see 6
BEARS head peering in most ferociouf
manner over an adjacent block of ice not
two rods from where he stood. Returning
somewhat hastily to the ship he resolved
to obtain his gun without exciting the sus-
picions of the rest and score a second tri
umph in workmanship. And in a very
few moments he was carefully
sighting the heavy gun across {
convenient ice block at fierce looking heaC
which had evidently not altered its former
position in the least. At last he fired anC
heard the two ounce bullets strike with
that peculiar thud which tells hunter
that he's chit meat" But still the beal
remained motionless. Norton was no
going to be fooled by any polar bear, 81
reloading he fred again with the same re
suit. Upon investigation it seemed tina
the captains bullets had taken effect afte
all and the bear had given up the ghos
with its head resting on the ice cape in
most life like manner. The joke was to-
good to keep and for the rest of the voy
age Norton was guyed most numerically
on killing a dead bear.
It was on one of his earlier voyages tina
he gave another example of the supreme
nerve and pluck which have always bee1
predominating traits of his character. o.
this occasion he had been promoted to tn
position of 'boatshead," the man who's
duty it is to stand in the bow of the boa
and harpoon the whale. A great "righ
| whale" had been espied and Norton, by
successful cast, had made one iron fast
But the monster turned vicious and com
| menced to lash at the boat with his larg
| tail, one stroke of which meant the sink
| ing of the boat and probably instant dealt
| open-to disable the maddened animal be
| fore any of its furious blows took effect
| Quick as a flash the boat steerer passe
Norton the "spade," weapon with a YER
| wide, keen edge on one end and whic
| was kept especially for emergencies lik
this. The only hope was, as the whal
raised his immense tail up, to dart this a
the lunges much at the base and cut tn
cords. The monster by this time ha
backed around near the boat, spoutin
streams of flood and foam from its blo1
holes and the great tail was again raise
this time within ten feet of the boat, an
other movement and nothing could say
them. But in this movement Morton witt
characteristic GOODNESS had poised tn
| spade, taking careful aim and just as tn
blow was descending, the keen weapo
struck at the base of the tail, cut the grea
cords and is foated uselessly on the SUI
face. Captain Norton saw nothing Won
derful in this feat. ''That's what I wa
| there for" he remarked succintly.
| Space is too limited to do moro thai
touch upon the captains numerous expert
ences. He has foated for hours on an ca
off the Cape of Good Hope when the boa
had been sunk by vicious bull whale
lived and ate with the Esquimaux, whor
he describes as 'sthe dirtiest but still tn
most generous animals God ever made,
and, in fact, has gone the full round of
sailors life. When asked how he like
whaling as profession the captain gave
most characteristic answer. "You ca
talk about life on the ocean wave," b
said, "and all that rubbish, but as for m.
I never saw the time yet that wouldn'
have changed all the delights of the Sc
for any ten-foot cabin on shore and decor
| victuals to eat"
When the war broke out the capital
went into the coasting business and Cal
ried the Thirteenth regiment, Connecticr
Volunteers, down to New Orleans soon a
ter its surrender. He is now living in
cosy little cottage close to the shore wit
his wife and bright little daughter, and
an oysterman in the employ Of Mr.. Tow,
send.